ACE Electoral News

ACE Electoral News

Myanmar election office bombed, The Straits Times (2010).

This article discusses a bomb which exploded in Myanmar rural Elections Commission office.

Myanmar to free Aung San Suu Kyi days after election, Channel News Asia (2010).

This article discusses the release possibility of Aung San Suu Kyi when her house arrest terms expires on November 13, 2010.

Kenya: IIEC Shares Expertise with African Election Management Institutions, iiecnews (2011)

This article talks of the Interim Independent Electoral Commission capacity building programme that is in partnership with International IDEA that will see the IIEC's 17 Regional Electoral Cordinators receive BRIDGE trainings in South Africa and Ghana. The initiative is a programme by the International IDEA and the African Union.

Morocco Gets Muslim Brotherhood PM, Palestine Chronicle (2011)

This news article says that Majlis Al-Nuwab (lower house) has 395 seats, 305 elected from party lists, plus 90 from a national list with two-thirds reserved for women and the remaining third reserved for men under the age of 40. The Justice and Development Party won 107 seats, making its leader Abdelillah Benkirane prime minister designate.

Egypt: Early results show a mandate for Islamists, The New York Times (2011)

Islamists claimed a decisive victory on Wednesday (30 Nov), as early election results put them on track to win a dominant majority in Egypt’s first Parliament since the ouster of Hosni Mubarak, the most significant step yet in the religious movement’s rise since the start of the Arab Spring.

Backers of S. Ossetia self-proclaimed president to rally in Tskhinvali, RIA Novosti (2011)

The news article reports that the opposition candidate Alla Dzhioeva, who had earlier declared herself president in spite of the court decision to void the outcome of the second round of elections, is calling on her supporters to have a rally in the capital of the breakaway republic.

Honduras: Cada partido costará cien millones, El Heraldo (2011)

Cada partido político nuevo que se inscriba representará una erogación de cien millones para el Estado, de manera que si el Tribunal Supremo Electoral (TSE) aprueba la solicitud de ocho partidos, el gobierno deberá destinar 800 millones adicionales para las próximas elecciones.

Malaysia: TI: Take steps to ensure a free, fair and honest election, The Star Online (2011)

This article reports that Transparency International Malaysia, a civil society organization, has called all parties to take steps to create conditions for a free, fair and honest by-election in Sarawak. TIM also proposed reforming the election process to make it more regulated, e.g. political campaigns should be state funded so that individuals were not obliged to secure funding for their campaigns and running of constituency offices.

Botswana: Give IEC more resources, Mmegi (2010)

The Member of Parliament for Palapye, Moiseraele Goya, has appealed to the government to give more powers to the Independent Electoral Commission in order to improve its efficiency.

Afghanistan: Karzai allows foreign poll monitors, Aljazeera (2010)

After fierce criticism of his decision to ban foreign observers from monitoring the upcoming parliamentary elections, President Karzai offered two seats in the Electoral Complaints Commission to foreigners. Afghans will still have the majority vote though. It is still unclear if the President will appoint the foreign commission members himself, or if the UN will have this right.

Far-Right National Front performs well in French regional elections, Telegraph (2010)

While President Sarkozy's right-wing UMP scored worse than expected 26.18% , the opposition socialists won the first round of regional elections with 29.48% of vote. The biggest surprise of the elections was however the re-emergence of the far right National Front (FN), which received almost 12% of the national vote and is in the running in 12 out of 22 mainland regions.

South Africa: IFP leader upbeat ahead of 2014 elections, SABCNews (2013)

In this report, Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi is optimistic about the upcoming general elections. This comes after the IFP won most of the by-elections held in the KwaZulu -Natal province.

Myanmar democracy fight polls apart, Asia Times Online (2010).

This article analyzes the political situation prior to Myanmar November 7 election.

President Welcomes Bahrain Elections, The White House, 2007

Bahrain's First Legislative Elections in Nearly 30 Years

Call to reduce voting age to 18 in Bahrain, Gulf Research Center (2008)

 

Shiite calls for elected Bahraini government spark row, The Malaysian Insider (2010)

Bahrain’s largest Shi’ite parliamentary bloc is demanding that the Cabinet be chosen by its elected parliament, sparking a row with Sunni politicians that has drawn in foreign missions as well.

Sunni opposition leader: Bahrain election ‘will change nothing’, The National (2010)

The secretary general of the Adalah National Movement, blamed direct government interference and the use of public money to finance campaigns for what he predicts will be a parliamentary and municipal election that falls short of others in the Arab world, and said it is pessimistic about the results of November’s elections with no prospects for genuine parliamentary change.

A vote for Bahrain, Gulf Daily News (2010)

This article discusses the facebook group that is trying to get youth involved in the Bahrain 2010 elections.

Bahrain: BPDI approves 2010 Election programme, Bahrain News Agency (2010)

This article discusses a voter education programme approved by the Bahrain Political Development Institute. The programme will target young people.

Bahrain split by electoral boundaries, The National (2010)

There are concerns that Bahrain's current electoral boundaries are discriminatory and could provoke sectarian violence.