ACE Electoral News

ACE Electoral News

Fidesz only party to bring change, says Orbán (Politics.hu, 2010)

Opposition leader Viktor Orban on Monday called his Fidesz party the only force capable of delivering profound changes in Hungary.

ČSSD not to rule with Communists, minority govt possible (Prague Daily Monitor, 2010)

The Czech Social Democrats (CSSD) do not count with Communists in government after the end-May general election, but say a minority government is a possible variant if a centre-left coalition is not formed, CSSD chairman Jiri Paroubek said on Prima television Sunday.

Czech Senate head calls on Topolanek to leave ODS leadership (ČeskéNoviny.cz., 2010)

Czech Senate head Premysl Sobotka (Civic Democrats, ODS) today called on ODS chairman Mirek Topolanek not to run in the May general election and to consider his resignation from the party's helm over his controversial statements on churches and homosexuals.

Analysts: Change in leadership may help ODS (Prague Daily Monitor, 2010)

A change in the leadership and politics would help the Czech Civic Democratic Party (ODS), political analysts Jan Kubacek and Vladimira Dvorakova agreed Monday in connection with ODS chairman Mirek Topolanek's controversial statements on the church, Jews and homosexuals.

Czech ODS Rebounds, Narrows Gap with CSSD (Angus Reid Global Monitor, 2010)

The Czech Republic’s Civic Democratic Party (ODS) has regained ground, according to a poll by CVVM. 25.5 per cent of respondents would vote for the ruling party in the next legislative election, up five points since February.

Sikorski and Komorowski in live TV debate (thenews.pl, 2010)

Candidates in the primary election to chose Civic Platform’s candidate in this autumn’s presidential elections in Poland debated each other live on TV, Sunday lunchtime.

PO real winner in Sunday's political debate, say commentators (Warsaw Business Journal, 2010)

Sunday's debate between Sikorski and Komorowski helped Civic Platform above all

Polish Presidential Primary Update (Krakow POST, 2010)

Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced last month that the candidate for his party, Civic Platform (PO), for the October 2010 presidential elections would be "decided by Easter". With the deadline quickly approaching in under two weeks, the competition between the top two choices, Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski and Sejm Speaker Bronisław Komorowski, has heated up.

Indonesia: Disabled Look to Ensure Equal Access in Elections, Jakarta Globe (2011)

This article reports that the Center for Election Access for Citizens with Disabilities (PPUA Penca), in cooperation with IFES and AusAid prepared a book titled “Election Access Guidelines: Ensuring the Participation of Political Access for People with Disabilities”. This guidelines was submitted the General Elections Commission (KPU) and the Elections Supervisory Board (Bawaslu) on 31 Mar 2011.

UK: Ad campaign to raise awareness of voting referendum, BBC News (2011)

The article describes voter education campaign in the UK before electoral system referendum in May. The Electoral Commission will send an information booklet to 28 million households explaining the differences between the current and suggested AV system.

Portugal Sets Election to Stem Crisis as Bond Repayments Loom, Bloomberg (2011)

The article states that Portugal will hold snap elections on June 5 according to President Silva. Prime Minister Socrates resigned on March 23 after opposition parties rejected his financial rescue plan.

USA: Move over Election Day; early voting leads to Election Month, NBC (2010)

This article reports on the early voting operations in the United States. 36 States and the District of Columbia have adopted measures to allow pre-Election Day voting, an opportunity that many voters choose to take: in 3006 one-quarter of the electorate voted early, and in 2008 one-third did. Citizens are already casting their ballots for the November 2 mid-term elections in many States, like Ohio, Iowa and California.

Afghan election results delayed after fraud concerns, CNN (2010)

This article reports on the announcement of a delay in the release of the preliminary results of the parliamentary elections in Afghanistan. The Electoral Commission announced that preliminary results will be released on October 17, eight days later than scheduled.

South Africa: Parties garner support ahead of tomorrow's by-elections, SABC News (2010)

The article reports on the preparations by parties for the upcoming by-elections in the Western Cape province.

South Africa: By-elections to take place in Western Cape today, SABC News (2010)

The article reports on two by-elections taking place in Western Cape province today. The wards became vacant after two councillors who were members of Independent Democrats (ID) and now have moved to the African National Congress (ANC).

Afghans getting an eyeful of election fraud, The Globe and Mail (2010)

This article discusses the outcomes of the September parliamentary elections in Afghanistan. In the Afghan televisions, a series of mobile-phone videos testify on the widespread fraud on elections day. In the footage, one can witness ballot-box stuffing, people ticking off stacks of ballots, underage voting, and other electoral malpractices. So far, the Commission has invalidates the results of 227 of the 5,400 polling centers.

USA: Clean and open American elections, The New York Times (2010)

This article discusses the report of the Center for American Progress, a policy group based in Washington, on the role of the United States Chamber of Commerce in the electoral campaign. According to the report, the Chamber would be actively inviting foreign corporations to invest and finance the electoral campaigns for the mid-term elections. The Chamber would receive "dues" payments from foreign companies, and then advocate on their behalf for candidates. The Chamber (who denied all charges) will spend $75 million for the elections, and according to the federal tax code donors can remain anonymous.

Jordan: Attitudes among Jordanians toward participation in the upcoming parliamentary elections 2010 - executive summary, Identity Centre (2010)

This executive summary on a study which is a part of Identity Center’s project “Enhancing Political Participation among Jordanian People” , implemented with support from the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Jordan, in cooperation with the Ministry of Political Development; the Identity Center released on the 6th of September 2010, the study titled “Attitudes among Jordanians toward Participation in the Upcoming Parliamentary Elections”

Jordanian Elections website by "Identity Centre" (2010)

This website has been established by Identity centre to cover the activities of the Jordanian Elections 2010. (The website is available in Arabic only)

Jordan: "Identity" centre for Elections and NGOs

The Identity Center is an independent institution helping to lead development. Founded in 2009 and based in Amman, Jordan, the Center empowers people to fully participate in political, economic, and social development through outreach, advocacy, and training.