ACE Electoral News

ACE Electoral News

Georgia: Local Watchdog Group on Local Elections, Civil.ge (2010)

This article summarizes the report of ISFED, leading domestic election watchdog in Georgia. ISFED preliminary report says that election administration and the government demonstrated will to conduct fair elections, however, a number of tendencies observed on the election day cast the shadow on positive assessment.

OSCE/ODIHR Press release on Georgian local election, OSCE/ODIHR (2010)

The OSCE/ODIHR press release on May 30, 2010 municipal elections in Georgia states that observers marked evident progress towards meeting international standards, but significant shortcomings remain to be addressed.

Statement of Preliminary Findings and Conclusions on the Municipal Elections in Georgia, 30 May 2010, OSCE/ODIHR (2010)

The preliminary findings and conclusions of International election observation mission in Georgia mention in the preliminary report that the 30 May municipal elections marked evident progress towards meeting OSCE and Council of Europe commitments. However, significant remaining shortcomings include deficiencies in the legal framework, its implementation, an uneven playing field, and isolated cases of election-day fraud. The authorities and the election administration made clear efforts to pro-actively address problems. Nevertheless, the low level of public confidence persisted.

Georgia: ISFED Preliminary statement on May 30, 2010 Local Self-government and Parliament by-elections, ISFED (2010)

This is the preliminary report of the International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED), Georgian domestic election watchdong, on the May 30 elections. ISFED carried out Election Day monitoring of the May 30 Local Elections and Parliamentary by-elections of Georgia. The organization observed the voting process through 1100 PEC observers, 73 DEC observers, 73 mobile groups and 15 legal teams. At the same time the organization conducted qualitative and quantitative monitoring of Election Day.

Georgia: quantitative monitoring results of May 30, 2010 Local Self-government elections, ISFED (2010)

This document presents a diagram of the results of May 30 local government elections in Georgia: Tbilisi Mayoral election results, Nationwide List proportional results, and Tbilisi's list proportional results.

Suriname's uneasy elections, Stabroek News (2010)

This article discusses the results of the latest elections in Suriname. Last Tuesday, the people of Suriname elected Desi Bouterse as Prime Minister. Bouterse is the country's former dictator, and he is currently under trial for political killings.

Democracy at the Local Level (2001)

In today’s globalizing world, there is growing emphasis on local democracy. More than ever, cities need new ideas for ways of managing the political challenges and opportunities that arise from increased urbanization and globalization. Governing effectively at the local level is all the more urgent as vigorous local civic engagement builds the foundation for a strong and more enduring national-level democracy. Organized in six chapters and written by experts from around the world, this International IDEA Handbook offers: Practical suggestions for designing systems of local governance Principles and policies for managing culturally diverse cities Choices for enhancing local elections and representative democracy Options for expanding citizen participation Recommendations for the international community for enhancing local democracy.

Democracy and Deep-Rooted Conflict: Options for Negotiators (1998)

The handbook provides practical advice on how to broker peace in countries emerging from deep-rooted conflict and outlines options negotiators can draw upon when trying to build or rebuild democracy. The handbook provides a thorough overview of democratic levers - such as power-sharing formulas, questions of federalism and autonomy, options for minority rights, constitutional safeguards and many others. It analyses actual negotiated settlements from places like Bosnia, Fiji, Northern Ireland, Guatemala, Sri Lanka, Papua New Guinea and South Africa. Written by international experts and experienced negotiators, the handbook is designed as a quick reference tool containing numerous case studies, fact sheets and practical examples.

[···]

 

South Korean ruling party likely to fare well in local elections, The Wall Street Journal (2010)

This article discusses the main issues in the electoral campaign in South Korea. On Wednesday, the South Korean people will vote for local elections. According to the latest polls, the ruling Grand National Party will still gain the majority of the votes.

Dutch parties manoeuvring into pre-election positions, Radio Netherlands Worldwide (2010)

This article discusses the electoral campaign of the main political parties and leaders in the Netherlands. One week before the general elections, candidates try to find the most strategic and effective political statements.

Poland sends election observers to Georgia (News from Poland, 2010)

A group of politicians and experts from Poland has arrived in Tbilisi as observers of local elections in Georgia. The voting took place last Sunday and is the first local election since the end of the Russian-Georgian conflict over Southern Ossetia.

[···]

 

Colombia:Santos handily wins first round of Colombian presidential election, New York Times (2010)

A former defense minister who would continue President Álvaro Uribe's tough anti-guerrilla policies handily defeated a former Bogota mayor Sunday in the first round of presidential elections.

Colombia:Former defense minister ahead in Colombia election, Los Angeles Times (2010)

Juan Manuel Santos, a veteran defense minister and political heir to conservative President Alvaro Uribe, surged well ahead in voting Sunday in Colombia's hard-fought presidential election but fell just shy of winning the simple majority that would have given him the office.

Liberia's Referendum Campaign Gets Underway Sunday Voanews.com (2011)

The campaigns for the referendum will begin on Sunday in order to amend four points, but the most important ones are the residency and the retirement of the judges. The referendum is scheduled for August a month before the October’s presidential election.

Nigeria’s Electoral Commission to Conduct Post-Election Analysis Voanews.com (2011)

The Independent National Electoral Commission has decided to have a session with the stakeholdersin order to analyse the 2011 elections and to avoid those mistakes in 2015 elections. Although the international observers have declared the elections free and fair, many acts of violence broke out, many people died, and many more were injured.

Italian local elections test PM Berlusconi, BBC (2011)

In what is the last vote before the 2013 national Italian elections, Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi faces a crucial round of key local elections. The vote is said to gauge the greater part of the country's reaction to stifling economic growth, high unemployment and a barrage of criminal and sex scandals aimed at the Italian PM.

Belarus opposition leader Andrei Sannikov jailed, BBC (2011)

The article reports that the main opposition leader in Belarus, Andrei Sannikov, "has been jailed for five years on charges of organising mass protests after last year's presidential poll." The EU and US have responded to the crackdown by imposing harsh sanctions on the current leadership. Political tensions within the country have turned violent.

Bosnia tension eases as Serbs cancel referendum, BBC (2011)

The article explains that the Bosnian Serb leader has cancelled a referendum that would have gauged support for the presence of a UN envoy that is accused, along with Bosnia's war crimes court, of having a bias against Serbs. The referendum would have also "asked Bosnian Serbs if they supported Bosnia's central institutions, which tackle war crimes cases, corruption and organised crime." After assurances from high ranking EU officials that the system would be reviewed, the referendum was cancelled. The tension between the country's two ethnic groups remains.