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Elections, Elections, Elections


BansheeOne

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As expected.

 

September 25, 2018 / 9:55 AM / Updated 26 minutes ago

The speaker has four goes at finding a new government and if the stalemate continues, Sweden will hold another election within three months.

 

:D :D

 

Stockholm is sometimes called, by the Stockholmers themselves, the Venice of the north. Looks like Sweden is about to turn into Italy of the north now. :D

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Quite the contrary, we have had many minority governments in Sweden. The socialdemocrats (S) ruled for many years as minority government relying on the communist party (V) to support them in parliament while never allowing them to be part of the government (because you can not have communists in government can you). And the situation today is not that different if it was not for those pesky swedendemocrats (SD) who hold 62 out of 349 seats in parliament after the latest election.

 

So far none of the others have wanted to touch SD with a ten foot pole which create a bit of a problem for all of them. Either you go back on your word and seek support from SD or you try to go the Merkel way. Problem is that none of the two sides really want to share power with a party from the "dark" side. Both sides want to form a minority government of some konstellation and then get support from the other side (in exchange for some influence but no juicy cabinet positions). Basically they want to eat the cake and have it, as always. And all this just to keep SD out of the loop.

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As expected.

 

September 25, 2018 / 9:55 AM / Updated 26 minutes ago

The speaker has four goes at finding a new government and if the stalemate continues, Sweden will hold another election within three months.

 

:D :D

 

Stockholm is sometimes called, by the Stockholmers themselves, the Venice of the north. Looks like Sweden is about to turn into Italy of the north now. :D

 

 

Grow SD, grow! :D

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:D Wait, what, Vinmonopolet is planning to annex Systembolaget now?

 

Among the very few things that could possibly drive Danes to violent revolution would be an attempt to create a government run alcohol monopoly, along the lines of what our Nordic cousins use. I consider it one of our saving graces B)

 

--

Soren

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:D Wait, what, Vinmonopolet is planning to annex Systembolaget now?

 

Among the very few things that could possibly drive Danes to violent revolution would be an attempt to create a government run alcohol monopoly, along the lines of what our Nordic cousins use. I consider it one of our saving graces B)

 

--

Soren

 

Danify us Soren, infuse us with the continental ways! :D

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:D Wait, what, Vinmonopolet is planning to annex Systembolaget now?

 

Among the very few things that could possibly drive Danes to violent revolution would be an attempt to create a government run alcohol monopoly, along the lines of what our Nordic cousins use. I consider it one of our saving graces B)

 

--

Soren

 

Danify us Soren, infuse us with the continental ways! :D

 

 

Advantage of Denmark is, that they can just drive south of the border...

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Okinawa gubernatorial election, pro-base vs anti-base, September 30th.

Campaigning for the Sept. 30 Okinawa gubernatorial election officially kicked off Thursday, with two main candidates vying for leadership of the prefecture Atsushi Sakima, 54, and Denny Tamaki, 58.

 

They are experienced politicians with very different ideologies and views on the issue that has come to dominate the contest: what to do about construction of a replacement facility in Nagos Henoko district for U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma.

 

Here is a look at both candidates and the policies they would likely pursue as governor:

 

Atsushi Sakima

Sakima is the former mayor of Ginowan, where the Futenma base is located. He defeated a staunchly anti-base candidate in the 2012 election by a narrow margin and was later easily re-elected.

 

Sakima is a karate expert who entered local politics after returning from France, where he studied and worked for a number of years for a travel company. As Ginowan mayor, he made shutting down Futenma his top priority. However, supported by the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito, he defeated a candidate who went further by opposing the Henoko facility and calling for Futenma to be relocated outside Okinawa Prefecture.

 

In 2012, not long after becoming mayor, it was revealed that Sakima had been a member of the influential conservative lobby group Japan Conference (Nippon Kaigi), which is a staunch supporter of Prime Minister Shinzo Abes government and advocates constitutional revision and other conservative and nationalist causes. Asked if he would continue his Japan Conference activities by assembly member Isao Tobaru in June 2012, Sakima said the group had many activities and he would support those policies he agreed with.

 

For the gubernatorial election, Sakima, who has the strong support of Abe and the LDP, as well as the backing of its coalition partner Komeito, is pursuing a basic strategy of avoiding mention of Henoko. Instead, he is emphasizing the importance of closing down Futenma and offering a 10-point plan for Okinawas revival that is largely about child care and local economic issues, including promises of funding and projects for increased tourism, as well as financial assistance for not only the prefectures main island but also Miyakojima, Ishigaki, and the outer islands.

 

In his campaign manifesto, Sakima has promised to make all efforts to close Futenma, saying that doing so will solve the noise problems around the base and remove the controversial Osprey aircraft from the area. He is emphasizing his connections with Tokyo, and Abe and the LDP are emphasizing their connections with Sakima, as a plus in effective negotiations over base problems.

 

But most of his manifesto concerns economic and social welfare issues. Sakima has promised to raise the average annual prefectural income from about ¥2.1 million to ¥3 million, and he plans to tackle child poverty issues with funding programs for school lunches and school transportation. He also has plans to expand the range of free medical care for children.

 

On economic projects, he supports construction of a theme park in the northern part of the main island where Nago and Henoko are located. However, Sakima has not made his views clear on the possibility of Okinawa hosting an integrated casino resort, which some of his supporters want.

 

Denny Tamaki

Tamaki, whose father was American, had a successful career as a local radio announcer and media personality he is a fan of musical artists ranging from Eric Clapton to Nickelback before he went into politics. A former Okinawa assemblyman and Lower House member, Tamaki was asked to run by the supporters of former Gov. Takeshi Onaga, who died last month after a battle with pancreatic cancer.

 

Tamaki inherits Onagas all Okinawa support base, a loose coalition of traditional anti-base, anti-Japan-U.S. security treaty activists, liberal opposition party members, labor leaders, academics and younger people, as well as business leaders and others opposed to the Henoko project but not necessarily the U.S.-Japan military alliance. He is emphasizing the importance of Okinawas cultural identity and its differences with the rest of Japan over political ideology.

 

Tamaki is strongly opposed to the Henoko project and has vowed that no new base would be built there if he is governor, the same position Onaga took. Tamaki has indicated support for legal efforts by the prefecture to block construction of the Henoko facility. In addition, he has promised to lobby other governors to put pressure on Tokyo and Washington to revise the Japan-U.S. Status of Forces agreement in ways that would give prefectures hosting U.S. bases more authority to intervene when accidents or incidents at the bases occur.

 

Tamakis other campaign promises are heavy on a variety of economic revitalization projects, ranging from a proposal to turn Okinawa into the Caribbean of the Pacific with domestic and international luxury cruises, to various outer islands, to a rail system that would link the northern and southern ends of the main island. He also supports the construction of new international convention facilities and related businesses, but opposes casino gambling.

 

Like Sakima, a good portion of Tamakis manifesto is devoted to promises aimed at battling child poverty and providing welfare assistance to children, their parents and the elderly, as well those who are physically disabled. This includes a new hospital for the northern part of the main island and increased medevac services for the outer islands.

 

To help promote traditional culture and increase local and international tourism, Tamaki is calling for the establishment of an annual Ryukyu History and Culture Day on an unspecified date. He has promised new programs to assist those who want to pursue traditional Okinawan art, music and other cultural forms, and to have Okinawas traditional karate registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.

 

Finally, Tamaki, long a staunch opponent of nuclear power, has promised no nuclear power plants will be built in Okinawa, saying he would push instead for investment in renewable energy projects.

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2018/09/13/national/politics-diplomacy/meet-top-contenders-seeking-lead-okinawa-atsushi-sakima-denny-tamaki/#.W5pQFRlcVdY

 

 

Anti-base candidate won.

 

oki.jpg

https://www.nhk.or.jp/senkyo2/okinawa/

 

Number of candidates: 4

Number of Eligible voters: 1,146,815

Voter turnout: 63.24%

Vote count: 97%

 

Tamaki Denny 55.0%

Sakima Atsushi 44.1%

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Taiwan nation-wide election for mayors, magistrates, and councilors on November 24th along with at least 9 referendums.

Taipei, Oct. 19 (CNA) Taiwan's local government elections to be held around the country on Nov. 24 will see eligible voters elect mayors or county magistrates to lead all 22 of Taiwan's main administrative districts.

 

They will also elect councilors in the special municipalities of Taipei, New Taipei, Taoyuan, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung; councilors, township chiefs and representatives in the other 16 counties and county-level cities; and village and ward chiefs in all 22 areas.

 

In addition, voters will have the chance to vote in at least nine referendums, far more than ever before.

 

Special elections are also being held for district chiefs and council members in six aboriginal districts in mountainous areas of New Taipei, Taoyuan, Taichung and Kaohsiung.

 

On Friday, a draw was held to determine the number that will be shown for each candidate appearing on the ballot.

 

Here are key dates in the lead-up to the 2018 elections:

 

--Nov. 8: The Central Election Commission (CEC) releases a bulletin listing all the candidates running in the special municipalities of Taipei, New Taipei, Taoyuan, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung.

 

--Nov. 9-23: Legal campaigning period for the above candidates.

 

--Nov. 13: The CEC releases a bulletin listing the candidates running for magistrates and mayors, along with city and county councilors in the other 16 counties and county-level cities.

 

--Nov. 14-23: Legal campaigning period for the above.

 

--Nov. 21: The delivery of election notification by the CEC to every eligible voter in Taiwan to be completed prior to this date.

 

According to the CEC, a national identification card, seal and election notification are required to vote, and cellphones and cameras are forbidden at polling stations.

 

--Nov. 24: Election day.

 

A total of 19.208 million voters across Taiwan are eligible to vote, and 11,047 public offices will be contested, according to the latest CEC data.

http://focustaiwan.tw/news/aipl/201810190020.aspx

 

More on the referendums. Technically are binding but lack enforcement clauses so probably actual affect amounts to political pressure by the populace and opposition party on the ruling party should a referendum pass in which the pressure may be enough or not enough to compel the ruling party to push it through or get used as leverage in following elections by opposition. My guess anyway.

 

Taipei, Oct. 20 (CNA) Taiwanese voters will vote on at least nine legally binding referendums next month, but authorities have the leeway to keep the results from ever being implemented, legal experts said recently.

 

The record number of referendums up for consideration on the same day as local elections on Nov. 24 stems from an amendment to the Referendum Act in December 2017 that significantly lowered the thresholds for bringing a referendum question to a vote.

 

The questions cover a broad range of issues, from the definition of marriage in the Civil Code and a ban on food imports from areas in Japan affected by the Fukushima nuclear disaster to whether Taiwan should apply to compete in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games and other big sporting events using the name "Taiwan."

 

In the past, half of eligible voters had to vote on a referendum topic for the result to be valid, a standard not met in referendum questions voted on in 2004 and 2008.

 

But this year, a referendum's result will be valid if one quarter of eligible voters approve it, increasing the likelihood of referendums passing. Whether such votes will actually bring about change, however, is another question.

 

CEC spokesperson Chen Chiao-chien (陳朝建) told CNA on Oct. 15 that if a referendum passes, its result will be legally binding as stated in Article 30 of the Referendum Act, rather than being of an advisory nature.

 

That can take one of three forms. Voters can cast ballots on whether to overturn a law, on principles for a new law or on initiating or changing a policy.

 

According to the law, if people vote to repeal a law, the law will lose its efficacy on the third day after the result is officially declared by the CEC.

 

If a referendum votes for a new law, the government must submit a proposal no later than three months after the vote and the Legislature shall complete its review before breaking for the next summer or winter break.

 

If the result of a referendum requires a change in policy, the president or relevant authority must take steps to put the result into practice, according to the Referendum Act.

 

That may be what the law says, but when asked how to ensure that the results are acted upon, Chen declined to answer, saying that "implementing the results does not fall within the responsibility of the CEC."

 

In fact, implementing the results may not be anybody's responsibility, according to legal experts, because the Referendum Act does not have compulsory enforcement clauses.

 

Because of that and other factors, the experts had doubts about whether authorities will follow through if any of the questions pass.

 

"Changes will not necessarily ensue from a referendum if it passes," cautioned Bruce Liao (廖元豪), an associate professor of law at National Chengchi University.

 

"The Referendum Act does not contain 'self-executing effects,'" Liao said, unless voters decide to repeal a law.

 

In the other two types of referendums, the Referendum Act does not give people the power to directly pass a law without action by the Legislature, and on votes on policy, the government is obliged to carry out the will of the electorate, but little can be done if government agencies fail to see the measure through, Liao said.

 

The complexities of the issues involved could also complicate implementing the results of the votes, particularly those involving same-sex marriage and changing the name under which Taiwan's athletes compete at international sporting events.

 

On the same-sex marriage issue, there have been two proposals made by anti-gay rights groups and one by gay rights activists, and if they all passed, the government would have to carry out contradictory directives.

 

The anti-gay rights groups' questions ask if people agree that marriage should be restricted to being between a man and a woman as described under the Civil Code and if the protection of rights of same-sex couples should be provided for in ways other than those stated in the marriage regulations in the Civil Code.

 

Gay rights advocates asked if people agree that the marriage regulations in the Civil Code should be used to guarantee the rights of same-sex couples to get married.

 

Taiwan's Constitutional Court in May 2017 struck down the Civil Code's marriage regulations as unconstitutional because the provisions do not allow same-sex couples to create permanent unions and thus violate people's freedom of marriage and rights to equality.

 

The CEC determined, however, that the questions posed by anti-gay rights groups did not conflict with that ruling, and it therefore approved the proposals, but its position is "in dispute," said Chiou Wen-tsong (邱文聰), an associate research fellow at Academia Sinica.

 

If the two proposals advocated by anti-gay rights groups are passed, they would not affect the constitutional ruling because of the supremacy of the Constitution, but it would complicate the process of legalizing same-sex marriage, Chiou said.

 

 

The Constitutional Court gave the authorities a time frame of two years to address the discrimination based on sexual orientation and to achieve equal protection for marriage freedom and marriage quality.

 

Anti-gay rights activists have advocated passing a special law to meet the Constitutional Court's order rather than amending the Civil Code, which gay rights groups say is discriminatory.

 

If the anti-gay rights initiatives pass, those seeing a special law as discriminatory would have to seek another constitutional interpretation on the subject, Chiou said.

 

On the proposal that would require sports bodies to apply to compete in sporting events under the name "Taiwan" rather than the currently used name of "Chinese Taipei," the government could take into account possible reactions from China in deciding on how to honor the referendum result should it pass.

 

In July, China used the proposed name change initiative, which at the time was still collecting signatures and had yet to be approved as a referendum question, as an excuse to press the East Asian Olympic Committees to strip Taichung of its right to host the first East Asian Youth Games in 2019.

 

The "Chinese Taipei" name used in international sporting events stems from an agreement signed in 1981 between the Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee (CTOC) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Lausanne, Switzerland.

 

It was a compromise to allow both the People's Republic of China (Beijing) and the Republic of China (Taipei) to compete in the Olympic Games.

 

The CTOC has argued that failing to follow the agreement will result in the deprivation of Taiwan's rights to participate in the games, an argument that referendum supporters do not accept because the Olympic Charter has no rules barring a name change.

 

Chiou suggested that if the referendum passes the government should try to renegotiate the agreement with the IOC in accordance with the people's mandate, even if the IOC nixed the idea earlier this year when the idea of a name change was suggested.

 

Liao said the government might be criticized for violating the Referendum Act or be censured by the Control Yuan if it did not try to renegotiate the agreement should the referendum pass, but that doesn't mean it will follow through on the result at all costs.

 

It's likely the government might just go through the motions if it felt a referendum result was not viable because it can deal with such matters at its discretion and failure to act would not result in any legal consequences, he said.

http://focustaiwan.tw/news/aipl/201810200004.aspx

Edited by JasonJ
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The 'unbeauty contest': All you need to know as Brazilian voters prepare for an election showdown

Sam Meredith | @smeredith19 | Published 18 Hours Ago |Updated 17 Hours Ago

 

Voters in Latin America's largest democracy are set to elect a new commander-in-chief on Sunday, in what many consider to be the most important presidential election since the country returned to democracy three decades ago.

 

The campaign trail has been particularly dramatic.

 

Brazil's current front-runner is recovering from a near-fatal stabbing, the country's most popular politician is serving a 12-year prison sentence, while a massive corruption scandal has exacerbated widespread distrust among the electorate.

 

Sunday's ballot presents voters with a choice between far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro and leftist rival Fernando Haddad.

 

CNBC takes a look at what's at stake for Brazil ahead of the vote.

 

Who's going to win?

 

Leading the presidential race is Bolsonaro — a pro-dictatorship former military officer who has been dubbed the "Trump of the Tropics" by the country's media.

 

The 63-year-old populist, who has expressed his admiration for President Donald Trump, has won support by promising to jail corrupt lawmakers and make it easier for the police to shoot drug traffickers.

 

His rival in the second-round run-off vote is Haddad, a former Sao Paolo mayor who has taken the baton from leftist icon Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

 

Lula was imprisoned in a corruption scandal in April, subsequently becoming ineligible to seek a return to public office. This then paved the way for Haddad to run as leader of the Workers' Party, promising a return to the days when — under Lula's premiership — Brazil enjoyed eight years of economic boom from 2003 to 2011.

 

"This election is very much an unbeauty contest and really more of a case of who will be rejected the least," Robert Wood, a Brazil analyst at the Economist Intelligence Unit, told CNBC via telephone interview earlier this week.

 

"Having said that, barring any last-minute shocks, Bolsonaro is going to win," Wood said.

 

Bolsonaro emerged victorious in the first round at the start of the month, securing more than 49 million votes to Haddad's 31 million. But, having enjoyed a comfortable projected lead over Haddad in the weeks that followed, the gap between them has narrowed.

 

A Datafolha poll published by the Folha de S.Paulo newspaper found Bolsonaro is expected to win around 56 percent of vote, compared to Haddad's 44 percent. A week ago, the same poll put Bolsnoaro on almost 60 percent of voter support.

 

[...]

 

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/10/26/brazil-election-all-you-need-to-know-ahead-of-the-vote.html

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The funny thing is that Bolsonaro was apparently a fan of Hugo Chavez in his younger years, with which he shares certain traits - both former paratroop captains, then populist politicians on a mission to save the fatherland. The difference would be that Chavez looked better with a beret. :D

 

 

Yeah, I know that's probably a kiddie size those cadets or whatever in the foreground gave him. Candidates have worn worse things on the campaign trail. :D

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Orange Man has found his Latin interlocutor. I predict a big ole defense support package for the Brazillians. Probably some refurbished F16s to replace some Tiger IIMs.

 

The A-4 are also getting old. Make the carrier air wing great again!

 

 

some quotes over the years: https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Jair_Bolsonaro

 

what a nice guy. And he loves pistol fingers. :wacko:

 

 

img800--nothim--le-donne-contro-bolsonar

 

 

jair-bolsonaro-segue-internado-no-hospit

 

even after the attack on him during the campaign he makes these pistol fingers

 

 

 

 


 

 

Harald Juhnke

 

That would have at least been an entertaining Chancellor/President.

 

 

 

Und wir haben ein Idol! Haraaaald Juuuhnke!

Und wir haben ein Idol! Harald Juhuunkeeeee!

Edited by Panzermann
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