ACE Electoral News

ACE Electoral News

Guinea court confirms first-round election results, Reuters Africa (2010)

The Supreme Court overruled challenges to the June 27 first round election results. Cellou Dalein Diallo and Alpha Condé will meet in a run-off election.

Paul Kagame: Rwandans 'free to decide' at election, BBC News (2010)

Current president Paul Kagame and his government have denied involvement in a number of acts of violence that are believed to be politically motivated. Members have expressed concern over the incidents ahead of the upcoming election;president Critics insist that the elections will not be fair.

Rwandan president promises elections will be free and fair, The Irish Times (2010)

President Paul Kagame has insisted that the upcoming presidential election will be free and fair. Human rights groups have raised concerns over the recent murders of opposition figures ahead of the August 9 election.

Croatia: Law on Constituencies for the Election of Representatives to the House of Representatives of Croatian National Parliament No. 116/99 (1999)

The Law on Constituencies for the Election of Representatives to the House of Representatives of Croatian National Parliament (“Narodne novine” No. 116/99).

Croatia: Law on the Election of the Representative Bodies of Local and Regional Self-Government Units, published on 10 April (2001)

Proclaimed by the Decision of the President of the Republic of Croatia on 10 April 2001 (Number: 01-081-01-1101/2)

Australia: Greens power supply, ABC News (2010)

This article presents the Australian Green Party's electoral platform and analyzes its strengths and weaknesses.

Ethiopian Opposition Fails in Its Final Appeal Against Conduct of Election, Bloomberg (2010)

The Court of Cassation rejected the final appeal by the opposition over the conduct of the May 23rd presidential election. The court said there was no legal grounds to reject decision already made by the electoral board and the Supreme Court.

The End of Liberalism in Honduras?, Honduras Weekly (2010)

"The Liberal Party wins the presidency two out of every three elections, and so there is always more of a sense of urgency within the Nationalist Party to look for ways to gain an edge whenever and wherever it can. This "edge" may now very well be that segment of the Liberal electorate that is unhappy with and, in fact, hostile toward the Liberal Party."

Honduras: FNRP Bid for Party Status Backed by Lobo, Honduras Weekly (2010)

"The Popular National Resistance Front (FNRP), whose titular head is now, unofficially, former president Manuel Zelaya, is seeking to be recognized as a political party in Honduras. The movement was originally formed in protest to the overthrow of Mr. Zelaya as president on June 28, 2009."

Nicaragua: New poll shows some gains for FSLN and Ortega, NicaNet (2010)

"According to a new poll by M&R Consultants, the Sandinista Party (FSLN) continues to be the largest political party enjoying the support of 32.6% of Nicaraguan voters. However, those who declare themselves independent outpoll the FSLN by nearly 10 percentage points at 42.3%."

GOP Ploy to Curry Latino Favor Via Puerto Rican Statehood Is Misguided, The Huffington Post (2010)

"Apparently Gov. Fortuño, a new Republican Party darling with Palin-esque ambitions, has been selling the GOP on supporting Statehood for Puerto Rico to compensate for the party's refusal to back immigration reform --an attempt to curry favor with the 30 million plus Mexican-Americans for whom this is the most important issue."

Buying votes in China village polls 'costing more', BBC News (2010)

This article reports on election frauds in the Southern Hainan province in China. Investigations have discovered that candidates and parties are used to bribe voters in grassroots elections. Prosecutors revealed that the 'costs' of these operations have increased dramatically: from $ 1.50 per person in the late 1980's, to today's $ 177. Candidates also used witches and fortune tellers to threaten voters with misfortune spells.

Azerbaijan Parliamentary Elections, 7 November 2010: Needs Assessment Mission Report, OSCE/ODIHR (2010)

This document presents OSCE/ODIHR needs assessment mission report towards November 2010 parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan.

Zanzibar to hold July 31 election on unity government, Bloomberg (2010)

This article reports on the decision of Zanzibar authorities to hold elections and a referendum on July 31. Voters will vote a proposal to change the constitution and form a unity government. The next presidential elections, on the other hand, are scheduled for October.

Georgian Opposition Seeks To Delay Adoption Of New Constitution, RFE/RL (2010)

The article says that ten Georgian opposition parties have released an open letter appealing to the authorities to postpone the adoption of a new constitution until after the parliamentary elections due in 2012. They fear that constitutional amendments are tailored to help the incumbent president take prime minister's position after the end of his term in 2013.

All set for Zanzibar unity referendum, The Daily News (2010)

This article reports on updates on the referendum in Zanzibar. The Zanzibar Electoral Commission (ZEC) announced that everything is ready to conduct the referendum on the proposed Government of National Unity. Awareness campaign have been carried out successfully by local NGOs. The UNDP's Election Support Programme supported ZEC with financial aid, making it possible for the country to hold its first referendum.

Pacific leaders support Fiji election plans, TVNZ (2010)

This article reports on the Pacific regional summit's decision to support Fiji's plans for the 2014 elections. The regional summit was held in Fiji, but only 10 leaders out of 16 attended. Fiji's self-appointed Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama threatened to postpone the elections because of new tensions with Australia and New Zealand. Fiji was expelled from the Pacific Forum.

Will Australia's election really be a photo finish? Angus Reid Global Monitor (2010)

This article discusses Australia's election race. PM Julia Gillard insists that the race will be close, but according to this article she is just downplaying expectations. Ms Gillard has been appointed recently (becoming the first female prime minister) and in a few weeks she was able to raise her popularity consistently. The opposition's numbers, on the other hand, have not improved significantly.

Somaliland's presidential elections, The Economist-YouTube (2010)

This video is on the Somaliland Presidential Election took place on 26 June 2010, and on 10 July 2010 the Somaliland Supreme Court announced that the opposition leader Ahmed Silanyo has defeated the incumbent, President Dahir Riyale Kahin with 49% of the votes

Jordan: Over 240,000 new voters registered for November polls, Jordan Times (2010)

The number of new voters who registered to cast their ballots in the upcoming parliamentary elections reached 242,800 by the end of the working day on 22 July, according to the Civil Status and Passports Department (CSPD), and this number is subject to an increase.