ACE Electoral News

ACE Electoral News

South Africa: Malema stirs debate on leadership, IOL (2011)

The article is about the African National Congress(ANC)leadership succession debate. It is reported the ANC Youth League wants the debate open.

Fin de la visite de la Cour suprême du Ghana à Lomé jeudi 16 Juin 2011 courconstitutionnelle.tg

communiqué sur le séminaire organisé à Lomé, sur « les processus et contentieux électoraux ». Ce séminaire est une collaboration entre les cours constitutionnelles togolaise et ghanéennes.

Guinea presidential run-off election in doubt BBC News (2010)

The Guinean presidential elections might be postponed a third time because of logistical issues.

Mexico: UN says Latin American democracy still vulnerable, AP (2010)

Democracy has taken root in Latin America, but remains fragile three decades since coup-imposed military regimes were replaced by freely elected governments, a U.N. report warned Tuesday.

Haiti: Should the election be delayed? CBC News (2010)

This article discusses the critical situation in Haiti. The country is in the midst of a major cholera epidemic, and some presidential candidates requested to postpone the Sunday elections. The authorities, however, did not even consider the possibility to delay the elections.

Vote counting begins in Burkina Faso, RFI (2010)

This article reports on the vote counting operations in Burkina Faso. Right after the polls closed on Sunday, the Electoral Commission announced that the preliminary results will be announced on Thursday, November 25. Incumbent President Blaise Compaoré is expected to win this presidential election.

Ivory Coast to bolster security for presidential run-off, VOA News (2010)

This article reports on the preparations for the upcoming presidential run-off election in Cote d'Ivoire. Military leaders are deploying 4,000 additional troops across the country to ensure security.

Most Afghan parliamentary election results announced, BBC News (2010)

This article reports on the release of the final results for the September parliamentary elections in Afghanistan. The Independent Election Commission announced the final results for 33 constituencies, and only one province is still missing. An ongoing electoral fraud investigation delayed the announcement of the results. The voter turnout was around 40%.

Afghan prosecutor probes election misconduct, Forbes (2010)

This article reports on the decision of the Afghan attorney general to launch an investigation into the misconduct of the parliamentary elections. Mohammad Ishaq Alako made this announcement while the electoral authorities were announcing the final results of the elections, casting doubts on their credibility. Mr Alako is planning to investigate the legitimacy of the whole electoral process, and not just the allegations of criminal activities.

Nigeria presidential vote to be held April 9, The Washington Post (2010)

This article reports on the Nigeria's Electoral Commission's announcement regarding the next presidential elections. The Independent National Electoral Commission Chairman, Attahiru Jega, announced the final date of the elections, April 9 2011. The poll was originally scheduled for January, but it was postponed to conduct a proper voter registration. 150 million people live in Nigeria, and the eligible voters are around 70 million.

Nigeria: Computer professionals lay claims to INEC’s IT jobs, Vanguard (2010)

This article reports on the ultimatum given by the Nigerian Computer Society to the Independent Electoral Commission. The NCS is urging the INEC to address some identified lapses in the process for the voters registration. According to the NCS, for example, all election officials should be trained and certified on how to operate the Direct Data Capture Machines used for the registration of voters.

Myanmar: Aung San Suu Kyi's lawsuit against junta rejected, Australia News Network (2010).

This article discusses Myanmar’s Supreme Court rejection for Aung San Suu Kyi's lawsuit on dissolving National League for Democracy party.

Thai "yellow-shirts" regroup for 2nd day rally against constitution amendment, Xinhua News (2010).

This article discusses protest to Thailand government regarding amendment of the 2007 Constitution by the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD).

Burkina Faso opposition claims election was rigged, The Washington Post (2010)

This article reports on the aftermath of the presidential election in Burkina Faso. Four of the seven candidates stated that they will not recognize the results of the election because the vote was rigged. These candidates cited serious irregularities and claim that the electoral officials allowed ineligible voters to cast their ballots. The Election Board did not comment on their accusations.

Philippines: Consolidated measure for early voting by media OK’d in House, INQUIRER.net (2010).

This article discusses the bill approval by the House of Representatives that allows members of the media to conduct early voting in the elections.

ECOWAS Declares As Satisfactory Conduct of Presidential Elections in Burkina Faso, AllAfrica (2010)

This article reports on the conclusions of the electoral observation mission deployed by the ECOWAS for the presidential elections in Burkina Faso. In their preliminary statement, the observers expressed satisfaction "with the various efforts undertaken by Burkina Faso authorities and by all the stakeholders to secure a good electoral process in a peaceful environment".

Burkina Faso: Post-Election Statement, Presidential Elections, ECOWAS (2010)

This is a preliminary statement of the electoral observation mission deployed by the ECOWAS to monitor the elections in Burkina Faso. The mission considered the November 22 elections as peaceful, free, credible and transparent. The observers identified some weaknesses in the electoral process, but no major irregularity affected the credibility of the election.

Tight Cooks results may alter final election outcome, Radio New Zealand International (2010)

This article reports on the vote counting operations in the Cook Islands. The preliminary count revealed the victory of the Cook Islands Party (15 seats), but the winning margin was extremely slim and a recount is currently underway. The Cook Islands Democratic Party won 8 seats, and admits that the recount is unlikely to change the overall outcome.

Polls in Tonga indicate pro-democracy MPs may do well in general elections, Radio New Zealand International (2010)

This article reports on the latest opinion poll in Tonga. According to the new Tonga Media Council poll, candidates who pushed for democratic political change will sin half of the seats at stake in Thursday's election.

Hopes in Tonga women will be voted into Parliament in tomorrow’s general elections, Radio New Zealand International (2010)

This article discusses women's participation in the upcoming elections in Tonga. Among the 146 candidates, 11 women are running for the 17 seats in the parliament, and many women's rigths organizations hope that at least a few of them will be elected.