ACE Electoral News

ACE Electoral News

Solomon Islands: 508 Candidates to Contest National Elections, Solomon Times (2010)

508 candidates will compete in fifty constituencies during the upcoming general election. Among the candidates are eighteen women including some who will run under the newly formed Women's Party.

Solomon Islands: Clean voting campaign to continue after election, Solomon Star (2010)

The Winds of Change organization has said that they will continue their voter education campaign to support electoral integrity after the election. The campaign will help the public to understand what the programme and its intended aims are.

Nigeria:2011: Northern leaders give Jonathan go ahead, The Vanguard (2010)

Northern leaders in Nigeria have given president Goodluck Jonathan their approval to run in the 2011 presidential race. The presidency has customarily rotated between the North and the South and the zoning issue has been central to the upcoming elections.

Afghanistan ready for September polls: says election body, Sify (2010)

This article reports on the preparations for the upcoming general elections in Afghanistan. The head of the Afghanistan Independent Election Commission, Fazal Ahmad Manawi, declared that everything is running smoothly in the preparations, and that there should be no delay despite of the many complications. On September 18, 2.556 candidates will be competing for the 249 seats in the Parliament.

Angola: FNLA party congress starts Sunday, ANGOP (2010)

Party to elect leaders in their congress.

Yemen deal "opens window of hope", The National (2010)

The agreement reached on Saturday between Yemen’s ruling party and the opposition coalition of six parties to start a dialogue to discuss political reforms “opens a window of hope for finding solutions to the woes the country is facing now”, an independent political analyst, said on 17 July 2010.

Complex rules discourage Australians abroad from voting, ABC Radio Australia (2010)

This article discusses the registration and voting process for Australian citizens voting from abroad. In the past general elections, only 70,000 of the 1 million Australians abroad actually voted. Observers believe that the low turnout is due to complicated rules and procedures.

Australia: Gillard v Abbot - who's winning in social media? SBS Australia (2010)

This article discusses the role of the social media in the 2010 Australian electoral campaign. As experts found that the average Australian Internet user spends 17,6 hours online per week, Internet and the social media are becoming increasingly influential in politics.

Asean diplomats give Burma 'earful' over its election, BBC News (2010).

This article discusses politicians from South East Asian countries’ call out to Myanmar for free and fair elections in the Asean Ministerial Meeting (AMM) in Vietnam.

Plan For Asean Observer For Myanmar Election, Bernama (2010).

This article discusses the proposal in Asean Ministerial Meeting (AMM) retreat session to send observer group to monitor Myanmar election.

Philippines: Only 308 donors funded campaign for presidency, ABS-CBN News (2010).

This article discusses donors in presidential candidate election campaign for the May 10 Philippine Elections.

East Timor calls for dialogue with Fiji, The Sydney Morning Herald (2010)

This article discusses the decision of the East Timor's Foreign Minister to hold talks with the Fijian regime about the return to democratic elections. The Minister, Zacarias Albano da Costa, believes that the international community should engage Fiji into dialogue and negotiation, to discuss the regime's decision to postpone the 2014 elections.

All set for Nepal premier election today, The Hindu (2010)

This article reports on the elections for the Prime Minister in Nepal. Three candidates presented themselves in the run, and on June 21 the parliament will elect the new Prime Minister. No party currently holds the majority of the votes needed to win the elections (two thirds, 300 seats), and no agreement has been reached so far.

Nepal: No candidate likely to be elected as PM in today's election, Nepal News (2010)

This article discusses the latest updates from the Nepalese elections. The parliament is set to elect the new government and Prime Minister today, but no party has the needed majority (two thirds of the votes) to secure the elections. If the parliament cannot reach a decision today, a new date will be announced.

Ireland: Gilmore rules out coalition deal with Fianna Fáil, The Irish Times (2010)

This article discusses coalition building talks in Ireland. The Labour Party leader, Eamon Gilmore, announced that he will not seek a coalition with Fianna Fáil and he is confident that the party will win at least 50 seats in the next general elections.

Disappointment at low numbers of women contesting Solomons’ election, Radio New Zealand International (2010)

Hilda Kari, the only woman to ever be elected to parliament in the Solomon Islands, says that there needs to be reserved seats for woman in parliament since the idea that women cannot be MPs still persists.

Solomon Islands:The election boxes are here , The Solomon Star (2010)

The new ballot boxes have arrived for the upcoming general election. The boxes have increased security features to prevent tampering.

Uganda: Forum for Democratic Change starts village elections in all regions, The Independent (2010)

This article reports on the initiative of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC). The FDC is holding village elections in preparation for the 2011 national elections, setting up grassroots structures and carrying out leadership training. This exercise started on June 27 in the Northern regions, and all regions will be covered by July 12. The independence and credibility of the Electoral Commission in Uganda was strongly criticized in a report by the US Secretary of State earlier this year, and the credibility of the 2011 elections was undermined. For this reason, the FDC is determined to work for the transparency and fairness of the upcoming polls.

Central African Republic:Rebel attacks could further delay CAR election, Reuters Africa (2010)

Recent rebel attacks may further delay already long-awaited elections in the Central African Republic. President Francois Bozize is currently ruling past his mandate due to the delays.

Suriname MPs elect strongman Bouterse as president, Reuters Africa (2010)

Former military strongman Desi Bouterse was elected president by parliament. Bouterse's coalition won the most seats in the May 23rd election, but fell short of the two-thirds majority necessary to name the president.