ACE Electoral News

ACE Electoral News

Ivory Coast rush to withdraw bank cash, BBC News (2011)

The article discusses the turmoil following the November election in Ivory Coast. The situation is turning into a financial crisis as several banks have had to close and suspend their operations. Laurent Gbagbo is refusing to step down as Ivory Coast's president despite of election commission's declaration that Alassane Ouattara won the elction.

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USA: Republicans on FEC want firms to be able to raise money for candidates, The Washington Post (2011)

The article discusses the US Supreme Court's decision to loosen restrictions on corporations that do political campaigning. The court ruling provided that firms do this without working with candidates. Nevertheless, in a document from three election commissioners (republicans) it was indicated that corporations should be allowed to raise money directly for candidates.

Zambia: Sata happy with Mambilima’s return at ECZ, Lusaka Times (2011)

The article discusses the reappointment of Chief Justice Irin Mambilima as Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) chairperson. This comes after the resignation of Justice Florence Mumba.

Nepali Police seize Tibetan Ballot Boxes in Katmandhu, Tibet Custom (2011)

The article discusses the Tibetan exiles' local election in Nepal. The Nepalese police has seized some ballot boxes in Kathmandu and thus prevented Tibetan refugees to vote in the election.

Haiti candidates press for more quake aid, The Times Live (2011)

This article reports on the electoral campaign in Haiti. popular singer Michel Martelly, who qualified for the second round after a long an OAS expert team reported widespread fraud in the first round of the election, and Mirlande Manigat attended a meeting of the Interim Haiti Recovery Commission, and discussed a possible timetable for the reconstruction plan.

This time, the people of Haiti may win, The Guardian (2011)

this article reports on the main issues discussed in the electoral campaign in Haiti. According to the author, the United States interventions in Haiti's political affairs have been the prime cause of instability in the country. However, the author argues, there have been some changes in the past few months.

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Namibia: Opposition Case 'Not Strong Enough', AllAfrica (2011)

The article discuss the court challenge by Namibia opposition parties. This comes after the election-dispute judgement passed on Monday.

Wyclef Jean backs musician in Haiti election, Reuters (2011)

This article reports on Wyclef Jean's decision to announce publicly his support to presidential candidate Michel Martelly. Experts believe that this will may provide a significant boost to the Martelly's candidacy.

Philippines: 450,000 teachers needed for polls, The Philippine Star (2010).

This article discusses the voting operations preparations and security for the October 25 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections.

Myanmar issues electoral rolls for November election, Xinhua News (2010).

This article discusses the voters list issued by Myanmar election commission for the November 7 general elections.

Myanmar: Suu Kyi Barred from Voting, The Irrawaddy (2010).

This article discusses Myanmar’s opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi which is not listed in the official electoral rolls for the November 7 general elections.

Azerbaijan: over 400 parliamentary candidates seek registration so far, News.az (2010)

The artcile informs that a total of 404 people have applied to the Central Election Commission to begin the process to register as parliamentary candidates schedules in November 2010. The deadline for candidate registration is Ocrttober 18.

New Azerbaijan Party to win parliamentary elections, MP, News.az (2010)

The article writes about the ambition of ruling New Azerbaijan party to win even more seats in the result of upcoming parlimentary elections, November 2010. Currently, the ruling party has 114 among 125 seats in the legislature.

Georgia: Discussions on Constitutional Draft Move into Parliament, Civil.ge (2010)

The article reports that discussions of draft constitutional amendments have formally moved into the Georgia Parliament on September 20. The parliamentary committee for legal affairs is expected to start discussion of the draft this week and the parliamentary session will likely debate on the matter with the first hearing next week.

Georgia: European Experts' Key Advice on Constitutional Reform, Civil.ge (2010)

The article reports that the main recommendation put forth by the Venice Commission on Georga's draft constitutional amendments is about the change of rule of non-confidence vote. The Venice Commission has produced preliminary opinion on the draft and it was expected to table its final recommendations this week. But considering that there have been some amendments to the draft, the Commission decided to postpone its final opinion for mid-October in order to have the possibility to assess the refined version of the draft.

Centre-right wins Swedish vote but short of majority, Reuters (2010)

This article discusses the results of the Sunday election in Sweden. Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt's center-right Alliance coalition won the election, but did not gain an overall majority. The most debated outcome of the election, however, is the election of the far-right anti-immigration Sweden Democrats, who gained 5.9% of the votes - 20 seats in the 349-seat parliament.

Afghanistan election: fraud could delay result for months, observers warn, The Guardian (2010)

This article discusses the vote counting operations in Afghanistan. The final results will probably be released in a few months because of the fraud and abuses in the election day. The country's biggest electoral monitoring group, the Free and Fair Elections Foundation of Afghanistan reported ballot stuffing, proxy and underage voting in almost of the provinces. Observers reported ballot stuffing even after the polling closed. Threats and intimidations kept the people away from the polling booth: the Independent Election Commission reported that 3.6 million ballots were cast.

Afghan election commission reports new evidence of serious fraud, The Miami Herald (2010)

This article reports on the Independent Election Commission's reports of electoral fraud in last week's election. The IEC found new evidence of serious fraud, which delineates a pattern of widespread intimidation, vote rigging and violence. On the southern districts the voter turnout exceeded 100%: in one district in the Paktika province, there was a 626% turnout.