ACE Electoral News

ACE Electoral News

Turkey: Davutoğlu says gov’t trying to solve expat voting problem (Today's Zaman, 2010)

Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu has said the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) has been working to address a lack of legislation allowing Turkish citizens residing abroad to vote in general elections without having to come to Turkey in person.

Foam bear nominated for Latvian parliamentary elections (RIA Novosti, 2010)

Latvia's Last Party that intends to run in the country's parliamentary elections on October 2 has put forward a foam bear as its candidate, the party's chairman said Tuesday.

A GIANT foam bear has been unveiled as a candidate to stand in Latvia's upcoming parliamentary elections, Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported today (Herald Sun, 2010)

The 2m novelty figure has been nominated to represent the country's Last Party in the October 2 vote.

OSCE/ODIHR opens limited observation mission for Latvia's parliamentary elections (The FINANCIAL, 2010)

The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) on September 7 formally opened a limited observation mission to monitor the 2 October parliamentary elections in Latvia.

Towards a Global Framework for Managing and Mitigating Election-related Conflict and Violence, International IDEA (2010)

This is a report on the 'International IDEA Workshop on Election-related Conflict and Violence'. This workshop brought together some of the key organizations and practitioners working in this field with the aim of providing an opportunity for peer review of existing methodologies and materials. The report highlights the need of further and deeper cooperation in this field, and to approach election-related violence in a more holistic and comprehensive way, involving multiple actors and organizations.

Ruling party says Comoros polls peaceful, Radio Netherlands (2010)

This news article is about the ruling party camp in the Comoros on Monday 27 Dec said the weekend presidential polls which the opposition claimed were marred by fraud went on peacefully.

Elections on time will present positive picture of Yemen, Yemen News Agency (2010)

In this news article, the Deputy Minister for Planning and International Cooperation Hisham Sharaf has said that holding the upcoming parliamentary elections on time will create a positive image of Yemen.

2 deputies premier and 7 ministers resign in Yemen, Yemen News Agency (2010)

This news article is about the resignation of two deputies prime minister and seven ministers because they want to run in the upcoming parliamentary elections planned for April 27 2011.

India: EC asks for controversial cops' transfer, The Times of India (2011)

This article reports on the decision of the Election Commission of India and the state government to remove police officers against whom cases have been filed, or against whom the EC has objections. An officer in the Raina police station has already been transferred following this decision.

Botswana: Malema to address BNFYL congress, Mmegi (2013)

In this article, former President of the African National Congress National Youth League, Julius Malema is set to address National Front Youth League (BNFYL) congress which expected to be held later this month.

Australia: Over 1.8 million votes already cast, ABC News (2010)

This article reports on the voting operations in Australia. The Australian Electoral Commission reported that 1.8 million voters already cast their vote, via mail or in pre-polling centres. The commission added that this is an impressive number of voters, 230,000 more than in the last election, and that also the overall number of voters has increased: more than 11 million citizens are expected to cast their ballots tomorrow.

Nepal: Twin crisis, The Nepali Times (2010)

This article discusses the "twin crisis" in Nepal: the failure to elect a new Prime Minister, and the failure to elect new local bodies. According to the author of the article, the lack of a functional and legitimate government is the real problem that brought up this crisis. In Nepal, citizens have not elected members the local bodies for the past eight years.

Guinea proposes electoral law change that gives gov't access to completed ballots, voter list, Fox News (2010)

This article reports on the interim government's decision to change the electoral law. The new law would allow the government to access the completed ballots and the voter roll. Many observers fear the possibility of manipulation. The new law would be applied in next month's presidential run-off. The interim prime minister would be in charge of transporting ballots from the polls to the counting center and auditing the software used for the electoral list. It is not clear whether or not the new constitutional law will pass.

Kenya: Revealed: What new Bills say about 2012, The Daily Nation (2010)

This article discusses the new laws that would regulate the 2012 general elections in Kenya. The Parliament is now considering a set of new laws that would create an independent election system. A new commission would be created and its first tasks would be: to set new constituency boundaries and to update the voters roll (allowing prisoners to vote, for example). The new commission would also have an 'election security board' to prevent violence as well as take immediate actions against election malpractices.

India: Conduct mock e-voting exercise before actual poll: HC directs gov't, The Times of India (2010)

This article reports on the Gujarat High Cort's decision to set up a trial mock election before the actual civic body election to ensure that the process of online voting is safe. The main concerns were raised regarding the voting through internet or mobile phone.

Angola: CNE worried about poor women participation in electoral registration, ANGOP (2011)

The chairperson of the National Electoral Council (CNE), Suzana Inglês, has expressed her concerns about the poor participation by women on the ongoing voter registration and update process in the country.

Thailand: Constitution proposals guided by self-interest, The Nation (2011).

This article discusses the amendment proposals to change the election system.

Myanmar announces nomination of parliament representatives from military, Xinhua News (2011).

This article discusses announcement by Myanmar Election Commission on lists for nomination of parliamentary representatives from the military.

Indonesia: Direct or indirect election: Does it matter? The Jakarta Post (2011).

This article discusses the proposal by Ministry of Home Affairs to change the direct election of the governor to an indirect election by the provincial legislature (DPRD I).

Indonesia: Cutting Campaign Costs Seen as Key to Fighting Graft, The Jakarta Globe (2011).

This article discusses the revision for regulations for campaign spending in the regional elections.