Elections, Elections, Elections

[BansheeOne]

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Myanmar: Aung San Suu Kyi's party wins majority in election

Published 1 day ago

Myanmar's ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) party has secured enough seats in parliament to form the next government, according to the latest election results.

The NLD has so far won 346 seats, more than the 322 seats needed to form the next government.

It comes days after the party led by Aung San Suu Kyi claimed victory based on early results.

But the military-backed opposition has demanded a re-run of the election.

NLD spokesperson Monywa Aung Shin said its "landslide" victory showed the people's support for the party, but added that it would have to "work on forming a national unity government", reported news agency Reuters.

The party has announced that it would be inviting ethnic minority parties to work with it, an offer it did not make when it won the last election in 2015.

[...]

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-54899170

[BansheeOne]

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Date 22.11.2020

Voting starts in Burkina Faso under threat of jihadi violence

Polls have opened in Burkina Faso for a presidential election overshadowed by extremist violence. President Kabore is expected to win reelection, while opposition candidates have warned of "massive electoral fraud."

Voters in Burkina Faso began casting their ballots Sunday in presidential polls dominated by jihadi violence that has killed more than 2,000 people this year alone.

President Roch Marc Christian Kabore is likely to win a second term, with his supporters expecting an outright victory in the first round.

Voting will not take place in one-fifth of the country, where large areas of the impoverished country remain outside the state's control.

Around 6.5 million people are expected to cast their ballot. However, the security risk will likely prevent voters in nearly 1,500 of the country's 8,000 villages from participating.

Provisional results of the first round are expected by midweek.

Electoral fraud accusations

Kabore's two main challengers are 2015's runner-up, veteran opposition leader Zephirin Diabre, and Eddie Komboigo, standing for the party of former President Blaise Compaore.

Compaore, who was removed from power in a popular uprising in 2014, is now in exile, but some voters are nostalgic for his 27-year-long rule.

Diabre told reporters on Saturday that "There is a huge operation orchestrated by those in power to carry out a massive fraud" to give Kabore a first-round victory. "We will not accept results marred by irregularity," he added.

However, the poll is being widely regarded as the country's most democratic and competitive to date, with 13 candidates vying for the presidency, including one woman.

To avoid a run-off, Kabore needs to win more than 50% of Sunday's vote.

Jihadi threat

Security has dominated the election campaign, due to a surge in attacks by groups with links to the militant groups Al-Qaida and the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS).

Authorities have deployed an undisclosed number of troops to polling stations in the West African country.

The violence has forced at least 1 million people — 5% of the country's 20 million population — to flee their homes in the last two years. At least 1,200 people have been killed in extremist violence since 2015.

Earlier this month, IS killed 14 soldiers in one of the deadliest attacks on the Burkina Faso military in years.

Opposition candidates running against Kabore have criticized the government for its failure to stem the bloodshed. Most of them have called for a dialogue with jihadis — a suggestion that the president has rejected.

https://www.dw.com/en/voting-starts-in-burkina-faso-under-threat-of-jihadi-violence/a-55690109

[BansheeOne]

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Fiscal Reform, Corruption in Focus in Romania Parliamentary Election 

By Reuters

December 05, 2020 06:37 PM

BUCHAREST, ROMANIA - Romanians head to the polls Sunday in a national ballot key to restoring the country's reputation among investors, with the incumbent, reform-oriented centrists of Prime Minister Ludovic Orban holding a narrow lead over opposition Social Democrats.

In power for a year despite his opponents' hold over parliament, Orban, 57, has said he would undo a 40% pension hike ordered by the leftist PSD, which economists say could bloat the deficit to 11% of GDP and push Romania's credit rating to junk.

He has pledged to halt efforts by leftist-led cabinets to sap court independence amid the judiciary's scrutiny of alleged corruption and misuse of funds, accusations the PSD denies.

'Decisive choice'

Orban has campaigned on a promise to bring the Black Sea state closer to the European mainstream following years of fiscal populism and political instability coupled with neglect of rundown infrastructure and public services.

"There is a decisive choice to make on December 6: We can become a top EU member or remain, again, a laggard," Orban told party members during the campaign. "I'm not happy with an average Romania."

The Romanian leu has traded near all-time lows against the euro in the last year, following a string of corruption-related scandals that has toppled three governments since the last parliamentary election in 2016.

All three main rating agencies have Romania only one notch above junk and on a negative outlook.

Seeking reelection one year after the government it led stepped down in a no-confidence vote, the PSD has clawed back support in recent months, amid anxiety among its core rural electorate over Orban's fiscal conservatism.

The coronavirus pandemic has also fueled anger over social distancing restrictions that have hit thousands of small farmers who sell their produce in nearby cities.

More than 18 million Romanians are eligible to vote, but analysts expect turnout of about 40% because of voters' fear of contagion, with polls to open at 7 a.m. (0500 GMT) and close at 9 p.m.

Opinion polls give Orban's PNL about 28% to 30% of the vote and 24% to 26% for the PSD. A September poll put PNL at 35% against PSD's 20%.

If it wins on Sunday, the PNL is expected to seek a governing coalition with the progressive USR-Plus party, running at 15% to 17%.

[...]

https://www.voanews.com/europe/fiscal-reform-corruption-focus-romania-parliamentary-election

I just found that the BBC has a Pidgin service:

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Ghana Elections 2020 winner: Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo vs John Dramani Mahama - Four unique things about de polls

5 hours wey don pass

On December 7, Ghanaians go pour out in dema numbers to make a choice on who go be dema next President.

A total of 12 Presidential candidates dey contest in dis election with hopes say Ghanaians go give dem keys to de Jubilee House.

But out of di 12, candidates of de two top parties, NPP's Nana Akufo-Addo den NDC's John Mahama be favourites.

Dema participation in de election and some prevailing elements dey make dis 2020 election dey make am unique - dis be why.

Déjà vu - Third contest

Ghana dey go de polls on December 7, despite say dis be new election - the reality be say dis be déjà vu all over again between two candidates, Nana Akufo-Addo den John Mahama.

Dis be de third consecutive time dis two candidates dey compete against each other for de highest office of de land, first contest be 2012, second 2016 and dis 2020 General Elections.

What dey make dis third round even more interesting be say dis go be de last time dem ever go meet as presidential candidates.

Whoever go win de 2020 elections go complete two terms, which mean say dem no go fit contest as President again.

Both candidates win one round each, so whoever go win de 2020 election be the better candidate among de two.

Sake of dis, de stakes be high!

[...]

https://www.bbc.com/pidgin/tori-55112943

[Ssnake]

"Déja-vu all over again", brought to you by the Department of Redundancy Department.

[BansheeOne]

Israel ... 

... nahhh. 😒

[Mistral]

2 hours ago, BansheeOne said:

Israel ... 

... nahhh. 😒

What? is #3 or # 4 I lost count and I am closer.

[BansheeOne]

Oh well,  whatever.

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Date 22.12.2020

Israel calls fourth election in two years after parliament dissolves

Israel will head to the polls again in March after parliament failed to meet a deadline to pass the budget. It will be the fourth election in two years.

Israel's parliament dissolved on Wednesday after failing to meet a deadline to present the budget, triggering fresh elections. The country is set to hold its fourth election in two years on March 23.

Israel's shaky coalition government, which was formed in April, is led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of the Likud party and Defense Minister Benny Gantz of the Blue and White party.

Netanyahu and Gantz were involved in a bitter back-and-forth over the budget the past few weeks, inching the government towards dissolution.

Gantz had demanded that the government create a budget for 2020 and 2021, to resume a semblance of stability to Israel. However, Netanyahu refused to endorse a budget for 2021. Gantz was reportedly expected to succeed Netanyahu in the prime minister role in November 2021, as part of an agreement when they formed the unity government this year.

Both parties ultimately tried to pass a bill that would give them more time to present a budget. The parliament rejected the bill on Tuesday, triggering a political crisis.

March election disadvantageous for Netanyahu

An election in March puts Netanyahu at a disadvantage over his rivals, as he is set to appear in court in February for his corruption trial.

A vote in June would have been more advantageous for the PM as it would have given time to Israel to receive the vaccine and recover economically. 

Netanyahu faces a political challenge from Gantz and Gideon Saar of the New Hope party, which can cut into the PM's vote bank.

The absence of Trump is also expected to be a disadvantage for Netanyahu, who had a strong relationship with the outgoing US president.

https://www.dw.com/en/israel-calls-fourth-election-in-two-years-after-parliament-dissolves/a-56036967

And to follow up on Romania:

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Romanian President Asks Finance Minister To Form Government

December 22, 2020 19:35 GMT

By RFE/RL's Romanian Service

Romanian President Klaus Iohannis has announced outgoing Finance Minister Florin Citu as prime minister-designate following a parliamentary poll earlier this month.

Citu's task will be to form a center-right coalition government able to stave off an economic downturn caused by the coronavirus pandemic and boost investment.

The leftist Social Democrats (PSD) -- the heir to the Communist Party -- emerged as the strongest grouping in the December 6 elections, which were marred by absenteeism prompted in part by the coronavirus pandemic, but failed to secure enough votes for a majority in parliament.

Citu’s center-right National Liberal Party (PNL), who has ruled through a minority government since October last year, formed an alliance with USR-PLUS -- a relatively new center-right grouping -- and the ethnic Hungarian party UDMR.

Party leaders said the new parliament could hold a vote of confidence to endorse the new cabinet as early as December 23.

The coalition will control around 55 percent of parliamentary seats, a majority that analysts say may be relatively fragile.

"I will do everything possible to ensure a stable and long-lived government," Citu said during a joint appearance with Iohannis.

Both the Liberals and USR-Plus have pledged to reverse actions by previous PSD-led governments to undermine the independence of the judiciary that have sparked huge anti-corruption protests.

Citu, a 48-year-old, U.S.-educated former banker, has yet to unveil his cabinet line-up and governing program. Ministers must also submit to parliamentary hearings before a confidence vote.

Romania, a country of under 20 million people and one of the poorest European Union members, has reported almost 600,000 coronavirus cases and 15,000 deaths this year, and expects its economy to shrink by 4.2 percent.

https://www.rferl.org/a/romania-election-iohannis-citu-prime-minister-designate-government-election/31014137.html

[BansheeOne]

Also reference the "Meanwhile in Africa" thread.

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Central African Republic election held amid violence

Published 1 day ago

People in the Central African Republic (CAR) have voted in an election overshadowed by violence between government and rebel forces.

President Faustin-Archange Touadéra is seeking a second term and has accused his predecessor, François Bozizé, of fomenting a coup with rebel groups.

The government rejected calls from the opposition to postpone the vote because of the insecurity.

In the run-up, three UN peacekeepers were killed by unidentified assailants.

The CAR is resource-rich but deeply unstable country that has seen several coups since independence from France 60 years ago.

The rebel groups, who have seized several towns close to the capital Bangui, had called on people not to vote.

Officials said that thousands of people did not receive their voter cards and correspondents note that the legitimacy of the result is likely to be questioned.

However the head of the UN mission in the country said that despite the closure of some polling stations, there was a large turnout in many areas.

Ballots were cast in presidential and legislative races, with UN peacekeepers patrolling the capital, Bangui.

Mr Bozizé, who is barred from standing and is under UN sanctions, denies government claims that he is plotting a coup by backing the rebels' advance.

But shortly after voting started, he expressed support for the rebels, urging people not to vote.

Initial results are expected on 4 January. Sixteen candidates are running for president - including three women - and more than 1,500 contenders are running for the 140 seats that make up the National Assembly.

If no candidate gets more than 50% of the vote, a second round will take place on 14 February.

[...]

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-55458427

[BansheeOne]

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Date 30.12.2020

Ghana opposition seeks to overturn Akufo-Addo's election win

The National Democratic Congress has petitioned the Supreme Court to overturn the result of Ghana's presidential election, saying incumbent Akufo-Addo's win was illegal. The case could be a catalyst for future polls.

Ghana's relatively peaceful election on December 7 saw incumbent Nana Akufo-Addo of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) declared the winner with 51.59% of the vote, ahead of his main challenger, former president John Mahama of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) , who received 47.37%.

While defeated candidates normally concede in Ghana, Mahama on Wednesday petitioned the Supreme Court to overturn the results.

'Rigged' election?

The elections saw violence that killed at least five people, in what is considered one of West Africa's most stable democracies. Sporadic street protests by NDC supporters who dismiss the vote as "rigged" have taken place since election day.

The NDC wants the Supreme Court to annul Akufo-Addo's win. Party leader John Mahama argues that the declaration of the incumbent as winner was illegal because no candidate secured the required number of votes to be declared winner

The opposition has yet to make public evidence of fraud and has so far made public little of the details of its petition. Ghana's Supreme Court is expected to hear the case next week. It has 42 working days from the start of a hearing to issue a decision.

2012 precedent

It is not the first time that  a Ghanaian presidential election result has ended up in the Supreme Court. In 2012, Akufo-Addo's NPP party petitioned the court to throw out then-president Mahama's win. Court proceedings were shown live on state television.

"It became a novel case not just in Ghana, but across Africa," Ghanaian political communications analyst Etse Sikanku told DW. Experience from being on the losing side of the court case in 2012 puts Akufo-Addo's NPP in an unusual position.

"Politically they maintain that they won the elections," Sinkaku says, but "they are taking this fairly seriously". 

The Supreme Court hearing is expected to be broadcast live on state TV. But that will not stop the swearing-in of the declared winner of the election, Ghanaian judge Yonny Kulendi told reporters.

"Once you are declared by the Electoral Commission as the winner, you are the winner until someone makes and proves a case, and that case finds favor with the court vested with jurisdiction to do so."

Commended election

Despite Mahama's petition, the electoral commission, and Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have expressed satisfaction with the election process. 

"There was really a lot of commendation for the electoral commission in terms of the very process of voting on voting day. All of this we are seeing only started begun to happen after the voting process took place...and when it came to the eventual declaration," says Sikanku.  

The relatively narrow win for Akufo-Addo has divided the country, and opinions vary over the legal challenge to the election results. But for political analyst Wilberforce Asare, the NDC's decision to go to the country's top court should be welcomed. 

"If you do not go to court, then the last resort will be violence and violence will never show who is right it will only show what is left," Asare told DW.

"It is going to add to the jurisprudence of our country. It will have a way of improving our election processes. All of our elections have been improved because we decided to go to court to adjudicate the matter and put our grievances aside."

[...]

https://www.dw.com/en/ghana-opposition-seeks-to-overturn-akufo-addos-election-win/a-56096712

 

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Date 30.12.2020

Author Cristina Krippahl

Uganda sees no end to election-related violence

Tensions are rising as Uganda gears up for elections. Long-time President Museveni changed the constitution to run again. His rival Bobi Wine faces repeated arrest. Experts warn that the violence won't stop at the polls.

Opposition leader Bobi Wine, whose full name is Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, on Wednesday said on Twitter that he was arrested along with his campaign team in Kalangala, central Uganda.

A bodyguard for Wine was the latest victim of deadly violence in the weeks before presidential and parliamentary elections scheduled for January 14. Two journalists were also wounded in the confrontations on Sunday between security forces and followers of the singer and lawmaker at a campaign rally in central Uganda.

Violence in Uganda escalated after Wine was arrested and released on bail in November. At least 50 people have been killed in countrywide protests. Chances for a peaceful election look slim.

[...]

Escalating repression

Electoral authorities on Saturday banned campaign events in some urban areas, including Kampala, citing the need to control the spread of the coronavirus. The decision was seen by critics as a ploy to keep the opposition from campaigning in areas where the ruling party National Resistance Movement (NRM) is not popular.

[...]

https://www.dw.com/en/uganda-sees-no-end-to-election-related-violence/a-56083180

Edited December 31, 2020 by BansheeOne

[JWB]

Dems took the Senate because Rep stayed home:

[BansheeOne]

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Uganda Soldiers Enter Home of Opposition Leader After He Alleges Election Fraud

By Halima Athumani

January 15, 2021 09:56 AM

KAMPALA, UGANDA - Ugandan soldiers entered the home of opposition leader Bobi Wine on Friday, after he said Thursday’s presidential election was marred by widespread fraud.  Wine claimed victory and declared himself president-elect, even as early results showed longtime leader Yoweri Museveni ahead 65 to 28 percent. 

The military moved in just hours after Wine said he would reject final election results – even before they were in -- due to what he called the worst fraud in Uganda’s election history. 

A spokesman for Wine told VOA English to Africa that hundreds of troops have surrounded Wine's house and that the opposition leader is apparently under house arrest."

Speaking to the media earlier at his home in Kampala, Wine alleged ballot stuffing, vote rigging, intimidation, and threats against media to prevent them from reporting irregularities.  

Wine declared himself president-elect over Yoweri Museveni, who has been in power since 1986, despite early results from Uganda’s Electoral Commission showing the president with a strong lead over his challenger. 

“I am very confident that we defeated the dictator by far," Wine told reporters.  "I call upon all Ugandans to reject the blackmail. General Museveni and his small click of oppressors are trying yet again to impose themselves on the people of Uganda.”

If authorities had nothing to hide, asked Wine, why did they impose an Internet blackout since Wednesday? 

“We do not want to deal with speculation and allegations," Uganda Electoral Commission spokesman Paul Bukenya said, responding to Wine’s allegations. "We’ve not declared the final results and they are already being challenged.  So, I think let’s continue with what we are doing and if someone has an issue with them, they can challenge them.”

Spokesman for Museveni’s ruling National Resistance Movement party Emmanuel Dombo said the president’s lead was no surprise.

“Given our old track record, we are not surprised that people have continued to trust us.  But we didn’t know we would be this overwhelming.  And we are grateful to the population for demonstrating that they still love the old man in the hut.”

If 76-year-old Museveni is declared the winner over Wine, who is half his age, he would enter a sixth, five-year term as president. 

But it’s not necessarily his last.  Uganda removed term limits in 2005.  

Ahead of the election, U.N. rights officials warned the elections were unlikely to be free and fair due to violence, rights violations, and restrictions on opposition candidates and supporters.

The U.S. Embassy in Uganda declined to observe the election after authorities denied more than 75 percent of their accreditation requests.   

https://www.voanews.com/africa/uganda-soldiers-enter-home-opposition-leader-after-he-alleges-election-fraud

 

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Date 15.01.2021

Dutch government resigns over child benefits scandal

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said the government would continue to lead the country's COVID-19 response team until elections already scheduled for March.

Prime Minister Mark Rutte's government stepped down on Friday after it emerged that officials had wrongly pursued thousands of people over welfare fraud.

Rutte called a Cabinet meeting in The Hague where ministers had to make up their minds on quitting just two months before a planned general election. Following the meeting, Rutte informed King Willem-Alexander of the government's resignation.

What is the scandal about?

The Dutch tax office had accused thousands of families of fraudulently claiming child welfare payments between 2013 and 2019. It demanded repayments of tens of thousands of euros, driving many families into financial ruin and, in some cases, divorce.

A parliamentary report called it an "unprecedented injustice" to claw back tens of thousands of euros without giving the accused a chance to prove their innocence. 

Rutte, who has been prime minister since 2010, described the episode as "shameful."

What have the political consequences been so far?

Green leader Jesse Klaver took to Twitter on Friday to welcome the resignation as the "right decision" for the Netherlands.

"Let this be a new beginning. A turning point," he wrote, saying this could be "the moment when we rebuild our welfare state."

The pressure on Rutte's four-party coalition to resign had increased on Thursday when the leader of the opposition Labour party, Lodewijk Asscher, quit.

Asscher, who will no longer contest the March 17 parliamentary election, served as social affairs minister from 2012 to 2017.

"'I did not know that the tax office was wrongfully hunting down thousands of families," the veteran of Dutch politics said as he offered his resignation.

[...]

https://www.dw.com/en/dutch-government-resigns-over-child-benefits-scandal/a-56233081

[BansheeOne]

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Date 24.01.2021

Portugal votes in presidential election amid coronavirus surge

Record virus deaths could affect vote turnout in the presidential election. Centre-right incumbent Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa is expected to win another term.

Portugal's presidential election will still go forward on Sunday despite surging coronavirus cases and record fatalities. 

Polls indicate center-right incumbent Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa will win another term, although observers are watching how a far-right challenger could perform.

Portugal remains under a strict national lockdown after the country of 10.8 million recorded its worst daily coronavirus death toll and number of new infections on Saturday. Fatalities now stand over 10,000.

Closing arguments

In his final campaign speech, Rebelo de Sousa urged voters to back him to avoid a second round of elections.

This, he said, would "spare the Portuguese people from the election being stretched out over three crucial weeks" — time that could be better spent slowing the pandemic, said the former minister and co-founder of the center-right Social Democratic Party (PSD).

Though current opinion polls predict the 72-year-old president will win up to 70% of the vote, lower turnout could impact those assumptions. However, the other seven candidates are all polling in the single-digit percentage range.

Limited powers

While not the head of state, Portugal's presidents have the power to dissolve parliament and call for fresh elections — a pivotal constitutional role with a minority government in power.

Historically all four presidents since the end of Portugal's dictatorship in 1976 have been re-elected for a second term.

https://www.dw.com/en/portugal-votes-in-presidential-election-amid-coronavirus-surge/a-56327656

[BansheeOne]

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Date 02.02.2021

El Salvador: OAS condemns shooting of FMLN supporters that killed 2

Widespread condemnation has ensued after the shooting of supporters of opposition party FMLN resulted in two fatalities. The Organization of American States has called for urgent action, just weeks before elections.

Two people have been shot dead in El Salvador in an attack on supporters of opposition party FMLN, prompting the Organization of American States (OAS) Secretary General to condemn the attack on Monday.

The shooting comes just weeks before parliamentary elections and Luis Almagro posted on Twitter: "We condemn the attack on party supporters of FMLN. We support quick action from the police. We request El Salvador investigates and prosecutes those responsible."

The Central American country's attorney general, Raul Melara, held an emergency meeting with political party representatives on Monday. "This is serious, the electoral campaign must not turn into a bloodbath," he tweeted ahead of the session.

According to the left-wing FMLN, a pick-up truck in the party's colors came under fire in the center of San Salvador on Sunday.

The public prosecutor's office said two perished in the shooting, with five more sustaining serious injuries in the capital city.

Three suspects were subsequently detained, two of them were being treated for serious gunshot wounds, El Salvador President Nayib Bukele (GANA) said.

Two FMLN supporters who allegedly fired back at the attackers were also arrested.

President accused

Lawmaker Jorge Schafik, son of the co-founder of the former guerrilla organization FMLN, Schafik Handal, held the conservative president responsible for Sunday's onslaught.

He wrote on Twitter that the president had incited hatred and called Bukele a murderer, as well as accusing the 39-year-old of being corrupt.

[...]

https://www.dw.com/en/el-salvador-oas-condemns-shooting-of-fmln-supporters-that-killed-2/a-56411645

[BansheeOne]

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General elections to be held today in Ecuador

In Daily Brief | February 7, 2021 | Chris Thomson

The first round of Ecuador’s presidential and National Assembly elections will be held today.

Today’s elections were called because President Lenín Moreno has opted not to seek reelection. Though 16 candidates are vying for the presidency, this election is viewed as a showdown between Andrés Arauz of the social democratic La Unión por la Esperanza (UNES) coalition and Guillermo Lasso of the centre-right Creating Opportunities (CREO) party. Current polls indicate Arauz holds a clear lead with 37% to Lasso 24%, and Arauz is likely to win the presidency.

If elected, expect Arauz to reinstate many of the social policies suspended by Moreno in 2017. He will likely increase spending on social programs and end the IMF-backed austerity plan currently in place. Austerity measures were introduced by Moreno in 2019 to combat rising national debt but failed to solve the problem and created significant public backlash, culminating in large-scale protests in 2019. Arauz’s message of ending austerity measures and reinstating social policies has resonated with many blue-collar and working-class Ecuadorians who feel they were ignored under Moreno’s rule and were especially hard-hit by the economic downturn that was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

https://www.foreignbrief.com/daily-news/ecuador-to-hold-general-elections/

[BansheeOne]

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Date 13.02.2021

Ecuador election: Partial recount to decide who faces Andres Arauz

Ecuador's electoral body has agreed to a partial recount after a request from Yaku Perez and Guillermo Lasso. The pair are vying for the right to face left-wing economist Andres Arauz in April's presidential runoff.

Ecuador's top electoral body on Friday authorized a partial recount of the country's presidential election following a request from two of the candidates.

Left-wing economist Andres Arauz won Sunday's vote, but after two of his potential rivals in April's run-off came to an agreement, a recount will be required in large parts of the South American country.

Environmental lawyer Yaku Perez, 51, and right-wing ex-banker Guillermo Lasso, 65, made the request earlier on Friday after a tight finish in the battle to face Arauz on April 11.

National Electoral Council (CNE) president Diana Atamaint said there would be "a recount of 100% of the votes in the Guayas province," which is the most populous in the country, "and 50% in 16 provinces."

"Once the recount process is finished there will be a definitive statement on the results," she added.

Too close to call between Perez and Lasso

With 99.99% of the votes counted by Friday, Perez had been given a 19.38% share, a fraction behind conservative Lasso who got 19.74%.

Arauz, a 36-year-old protege of former socialist president Rafael Correa, won with 32.7% of the national vote, though well short of the requirement for outright victory in the first round.

Perez, an indigenous leader who claims there was wrongdoing during the ballot, said a recount would offer a chance "to demonstrate to the country that there is no fraud, that the electoral process was transparent."

Hundreds of indigenous Ecuadorans rallied in support of their candidate on Thursday.

Lasso said he backed Perez's proposal.

Incumbent President Lenin Moreno's term in office ends on May 24 after he declined to seek reelection.

https://www.dw.com/en/ecuador-election-partial-recount-to-decide-who-faces-andres-arauz/a-56556292

[BansheeOne]

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Date 14.02.2021

Kosovo heads to polls in early election

It's the second time in less than two years that parliamentary elections are going ahead. Kosovars are braving freezing temperatures and the coronavirus pandemic to cast their ballot.

People in Kosovo in the Balkans headed to polling stations in biting winter weather on Sunday to elect a new government.

It is the second time in one-and-a-half years that parliamentary elections are going ahead.

The election is being held early because, according to a ruling by the Constitutional Court, the last government was formed through an illegitimate vote in parliament.

Some 1.8 million people are eligible to vote in the election. An additional 100,000 diaspora Kosovars are also eligible to vote by post.

They are electing 120 lawmakers among more than 1,000 candidates from 28 political groupings.

Kosovo's Serbian minority has 10 seats. A further 10 others are allocated to other minorities.

Voters infected by the coronavirus will still be able to cast their ballot through mobile polling teams.

Partial results are expected late Sunday evening after polls close at 7 p.m. (18:00 UTC).

Who are the frontrunners?

Polls place Vetevendosje (Self-determination) – an anti-establishment protest movement turned political party – in a comfortable first place. But it could still be short of claiming an absolute majority.

The party, led by 45-year-old former political prisoner Albin Kurti, has been campaigning on an anti-corruption platform. It accuses traditional elites of squandering Kosovo's first years of independence with graft and mismanagement.

The party has finished first in the previous two elections but both times it was eventually outmaneuvered by other parties who united to form majority coalitions.

Polls show the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) in second place with around 20% of the vote, followed by the outgoing Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK).

[...]

https://www.dw.com/en/kosovo-heads-to-polls-in-early-election/a-56563753

[bojan]

Narative, narative never stops.

"Political prisoner".

Quote

.. In July 1998, Kurti joined the Kosovo Liberation Army..

Was actually arested with over the 50kgs of explosives.

[Simon Tan]

Please....you are talking about a Hiwi.

[BansheeOne]

Quote

Date 21.02.2021

Niger election polls open to elect new president

If the election is a success it will be the first peaceful handover between elected presidents since Niger gained independence in 1960. President Mahamadou Issoufou is voluntarily stepping down after two five-year terms.

Nigeriens went to the polls on Sunday in the second round of the country's presidential election. It's expected the vote will pave the way for Niger's first democratic transition of power since independence from France more than six decades ago.

The vote was called after outgoing President Mahamadou Issoufou announced he was voluntarily stepping down after two five-year terms. 

The two candidates to replace him are political stalwarts in the West African nation, which is one of the poorest in the world.

Who is running?

Mohamed Bazoum, Issoufou's right-hand man, is widely seen as the favorite after winning 39.3% of the vote in the first round. He has vowed to continue Issoufou's policies, with a focus on security and revamping the economy. He has the backing of the candidates who came third and fourth in the first round.

He is running against Mahamane Ousmane, who was the country's first democratically elected president in 1993 only to be toppled in a coup three years later. He won 17% of the votes in the first round and has the endorsement of about a dozen smaller parties and candidates. He has vowed to implement change and tackle corruption.

What challenges do they face?

The Sahel nation has a population of 24 million and struggles with poverty, recurring drought, floods and two festering insurgencies. Militants linked to al-Qaida and "Islamic State" have carried out a series of attacks near Niger's western border with Mali and Burkina Faso, while Boko Haram has killed hundreds of people along the southeastern border with Nigeria.

One of Niger's few exports, uranium, has been hit by a drop in price in recent years, and the coronavirus pandemic has weighed on Niger's economy.

Political analyst Elhadj Idi Abou, based in the capital, Niamey, said the result could go either way and that turnout was expected to be high.

"For me, there is no favorite because this ballot is the most open and the outcome does not depend on alliances but on the citizens. Both candidates have the same chances," he told the Reuters news agency.

Only 7.4 million people of the country's population of roughly 23 million are eligible to vote, as the rest aren't yet old enough. The country struggles with the highest birth rate in the world.

https://www.dw.com/en/niger-election-polls-open-to-elect-new-president/a-56639664

[BansheeOne]

So will this be the Brazilian equivalent of Bernie vs. Trump which the gringos (or whatever is the corresponding Portuguese term of affectionate derision) missed out on? 

Quote

WED MAR 10, 2021 / 5:10 PM EST

Brazil's Lula, Bolsonaro fire starting gun on 2022 presidential race

Leonardo Benassatto

SAO BERNARDO DO CAMPO, Brazil (Reuters) - Former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and President Jair Bolsonaro on Wednesday both fired an early starting gun on a 2022 election set to be dominated by the raging pandemic, a weak economy and deep political polarization.

In his first public comments since his graft convictions were annulled by a Supreme Court justice on Monday, Lula said he had not decided whether to run in next year's election.

But his long, impassioned speech, delivered under a banner proclaiming "Health, jobs and justice for Brazil" in the union where his political career took off in the 1980s, had the feel of a campaign launch.

"This country is disorganized and falling apart because it has no government," he told the audience at the metalworkers union in Sao Bernardo do Campo, comparing the current economic crisis to strong growth and falling inequality when he led Brazil from 2003 until 2011.

Lula attacked Bolsonaro directly for his record in handling the coronavirus pandemic, especially for delays in obtaining vaccines and for his public dismissal of their effectiveness. Brazil has lost nearly 270,000 people to COVID-19, the worst death toll outside the United States, as local variants push the country's outbreak into its worst phase yet.

"Many of these deaths could have been avoided," Lula said.

The former president's speech prompted an immediate reaction from Bolsonaro, who defended his handling of the pandemic.

"(Lula's criticism) is unjustified. He is now beginning his campaign, but has nothing good to show. Their campaign is merely to criticize, lie and promote disinformation," Bolsonaro told CNN Brasil.

He said he would propose legislation restoring paper ballots that can be audited for the 2022 election because he does not trust the electronic balloting.

Bolsonaro added that the corruption convictions against Lula have not yet been annulled by the full bench of the Supreme Court, meaning a 2022 election run may not be guaranteed.

[...] 

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-brazil-politics-lula-idUSKBN2B21ZM

[BansheeOne]

On 10/19/2020 at 1:35 PM, BansheeOne said:

As the line goes in Evito, "Don't cry for me, Bolivia (I'll be back)". 

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-54591963

Quote

Date 13.03.2021

Bolivia's ex-President Anez arrested in 'coup' probe

Jeanine Anez, who succeeded Evo Morales as interim president for a year in 2019, has denounced the move as "political persecution."

Bolivian police have arrested former interim President Jeanine Anez on charges of terrorism, sedition and conspiracy, a government minister said Saturday.

Anez replaced ex-President Evo Morales in November 2019 when he fled the country amid widespread protests against his reelection to an unconstitutional fourth term.

Morales' Movement Toward Socialism (MAS) party, which is now back in power, has claimed that Anez and her allies promoted his ouster after almost 14 years in power.

"I inform the Bolivian people that Mrs. Jeanine Anez has already been apprehended and is currently in the hands of the police," said Interior Minister Carlos Eduardo del Castillo in Twitter and Facebook statements.

The opposition has slammed the actions of the government, with one deputy, Edwin Bazan, saying the MAS party had "mounted a judicial operation to implant the lie that there was a coup d'etat when what there was an [electoral] fraud."

Anez herself wrote in a Twitter posting before the arrest that the "political persecution has begun."

Media reports said two former ministers who backed Anez' one-year caretaker government were also in police detention.

Widespread protests

At the time she took over the presidential post, Anez was the most senior Senate official available, with several of Morales' allies in senior posts having fled amid the violent protests, which left 36 people dead.

The leftist Morales himself at the time called her "a coup-mongering right-wing senator" who had declared herself interim president "without a legislative quorum."

The interim authorities tried to take legal action against Morales and some members of his government, accusing them of rigging an election and suppressing dissent.

But Bolivia is now again ruled by the MAS after it won an easy victory in a general election in October 2020. Luis Arce, Morales' chosen successor, is now president, and Morales himself has returned home and taken over leadership of the ruling party, which he founded.

https://www.dw.com/en/bolivias-ex-president-anez-arrested-in-coup-probe/a-56861628

[BansheeOne]

Quote

Netherlands election: PM Rutte's party on track to win most seats

1 hour ago

Exit polls suggest the VVD party will secure the most seats in parliament, setting up a potential fourth term in office for Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte's VVD party was projected to come out on top in the Netherlands' general election on Wednesday, in a vote overshadowed by the coronavirus pandemic.

Exit polls put the VVD taking 36 out of 150 seats in the lower house of the Dutch parliament.

If the vote tallies confirm the projections, the figure would be enough for a clear mandate for the VVD to form a government.

"This shows that the Netherlands trusts the VVD and Mark Rutte to continue in this unprecedented crisis,'' VVD lawmaker Sophie Hermans said.

D66 surge

The pro-EU D66 party, which has frequently challenged Rutte's European policies, is on course to secure second place, while anti-Islam leader Geert Wilders lost ground to move into third, public broadcaster NOS predicted.

Normally the most reliable of gauges for an election result, the exit poll for this vote has a greater margin for error, according to Ipsos, who conducted the research for NOS.

Ipsos said the uncertainty caused by voting in the COVID-19 pandemic meant that there could be "a difference of two seats per party. A difference of more than two seats cannot be completely ruled out,'' Ipsos said in a statement.

[...] 

https://www.dw.com/en/netherlands-election-pm-ruttes-party-on-track-to-win-most-seats/a-56908485

Edited March 17, 2021 by BansheeOne

[BansheeOne]

Yeah well, the usual.

Quote

Israel election: PM Netanyahu short of majority as vote count ends

Published 1 day ago

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu could struggle to secure enough parliamentary seats to stay in power, preliminary results from Tuesday's election show.

Local media said Mr Netanyahu's right-wing bloc would end up with 52 seats - nine short of the threshold.

In a surprise development, an Arab party which is projected to get four seats could hold the balance of power.

The outcome will among other things determine the course of Israel's relations with the Palestinians.

The Arab party, Raam, has not declared whether it will support the efforts of Mr Netanyahu - not a natural ally - to form a governing coalition or those of the bloc of parties opposed to him remaining in office.

The Netanyahu opponents are set to win 57 seats, and although backing from Raam could give them a majority, they are fragmented and unlikely to be able to agree to work together.

If neither bloc succeeds, the country could face its fifth election since 2019.

What do the results show?

Israel's electoral system, a form of proportional representation, makes it almost impossible for a single party to win an election outright.

According to the Central Election Commission, the prime minister's right-wing Likud party won 24.2% of the vote. The centrist Yesh Atid party of the main opposition leader, Yair Lapid, was second with 13.9%.

Israeli media reported that the tallies would result in Likud getting 30 seats in the 120-seat Knesset and Yesh Atid 17.

Mr Netanyahu's political allies, the ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties Shas and United Torah Judaism, were projected to get nine and seven seats respectively; the centrist Blue and White party of Defence Minister Benny Gantz eight; and the centre-left Labour party and the nationalist Yamina and Yisrael Beitenu parties seven each.

The Joint List alliance of Arab parties, the New Hope party of Mr Netanyahu's former-ally-turned-opponent Gideon Saar, the far-right Religious Zionism alliance and the left-wing Meretz party are forecast to win six apiece; and Raam four.

[...]

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-56504661

 

Quote

Dutch election: PM Mark Rutte claims victory and fourth term

Published 18 March

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte's party has won the most seats in parliamentary elections, projections show.

Victory hands Mr Rutte a mandate to form a new coalition government led by his centre-right VVD party, with a fourth term as prime minister.

His last government resigned in January over a child welfare fraud scandal.

While his party was set to win 35 out of 150 seats, the centre-left D66 was the other big winner of the night with 24 seats.

[...]

Turnout was high, at 82.6%. Although Geert Wilders' far-right party lost ground with 17 seats, two other right-wing populist parties did well. Left-wing parties fared poorly.

After finding out that D66 had come runner-up, party leader Sigrid Kaag jumped on the table with happiness. "What a wonderful evening," she tweeted. "Now let's get to work, the future won't wait."

She told reporters voters were ready for "the optimism and vision" of her party. "This evening it's been confirmed that the Dutch are not extremists, but are moderate. People appreciate positivity."

Geert Wilders, head of the PVV, said he had "hoped for more than 17 seats" but pledged that his party's "counter-voice" would be heard from the opposition. Another far-right party, Forum for Democracy, was set to have eight seats, despite an anti-Semitism row in the run-up to the vote.

[...]

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-56436297

[TonyE]

1 hour ago, BansheeOne said:

Yeah well, the usual.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-56504661

 

Sweet! Perhaps we will have a new israeli election soon! More! More! The elections must flow!

[BansheeOne]

Quote

Date 04.04.2021

Bulgaria election: PM Borissov's party set to win — exit polls

Bulgarians voted for a new parliament on Sunday after months of anti-government protests. Despite demonstrations and scandals, Prime Minister Boyko Borissov's party is projected to win, but a majority may prove elusive.

Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov and his center-right GERB party were set to win the most seats in Sunday's parliamentary election with about a 25% share, an exit poll by Gallup International suggested.

A separate poll by Alpha Research estimated the party's share at 25.7%.

GERB is expected to struggle to find allies to form a stable governing coalition in a more fragmented parliament.

The exit polls suggest that anti-government protest parties did better than expected.

In power for almost a decade, GERB has seen its support eroded by a series of scandals and protests.

Who's in the running?

Ahead of the election, polls had shown GERB garnering up to 29% of the vote, which would give it 76 seats in the 240-seat legislature.

The main challenger to GERB, the Socialists, lay about five to 10 percentage points behind the frontrunner.

Several smaller political groups are riding on the wave of strong anti-government sentiment and were projected to pass the 4% threshold to enter parliament for the first time.

One such party, led by a popular television entertainer, is expected to finish third.

Some 6.7 million people were eligible to vote at 12,000 polling stations.

[...]

https://www.dw.com/en/bulgaria-election-pm-borissovs-party-set-to-win-exit-polls/a-57095992

 

Quote

Date 04.04.2021

Kosovo MPs elect lawyer Vjosa Osmani as president

The 38-year-old charismatic leader received backing from the parliament in a vote boycotted by a Serb party. Ex-President Hashim Thaci vacated the post in November after being charged with war crimes.

The 38-year-old reformist and lawyer Vjosa Osmani was approved as president by the country's parliament in Pristina on Sunday with the backing of Prime Minister Albin Kurti and his Vetevendosje (Self-Determination) party.

Osmani received 71 votes from the 82 lawmakers present in the 120-seat parliament. 

While the president's duties are largely ceremonial, Osmani will now be the commander of the country's armed forces and also serve as one of the country's top diplomatic representatives.

Two opposition parties and the ethnic Serb minority party refused to take part in the vote.

Who is Vjosa Osmani?

Osmani started her carrier as a teenage activist. She studied law in Pristina and then completed her master's and bachelor's degrees at the US University of Pittsburgh.

The politician was one of the senior officials of the Democratic League of Kosovo (DLK) party. However, Osmani was ousted from the organization following inter-party strife.

She remained an immensely popular figure, securing over 300,000 votes as a Vetevendosje candidate at the February election.

[...]

Both Osmani and Prime Minister Albin Kurti present themselves as part of the next generation of Kosovo politicians, professing more liberal values and pledging to tackle widespread corruption.

Kurti's Vetevendosje party secured a resounding victory in the general election in February, but fell two seats short of an absolute majority in the parliament.

The Sunday vote is another step towards cementing the party's dominance, as the country's prime minister, the new parliamentary speaker, and the president are all from Vetevendosje. 

https://www.dw.com/en/kosovo-mps-elect-lawyer-vjosa-osmani-as-president/a-57099573