· April, 2007

Stories about Elections from April, 2007

Mali: politics is a youth movement

  30 April 2007

Sociolingo's comments about Mali's election photos from BBC: “Politics in Mali is a youth movement, and there are many young Malians who take a keen interest in the political parties. In schools we have mock parliaments and elections. It is a BIG thing and each class has to choose their...

Bahamas: Elections Thoughts

  30 April 2007

On the virtual eve of the Bahamian elections, Nicolette Bethel shares her thoughts about politics and governance: “No matter who we think we support, or what party we will elect on May 2, we should be ashamed for allowing our so-called leaders to engage in such a widespread denigration of...

Mali: presidential elections in Mali

  29 April 2007

Sociolingo's Mali blogs about today's presidential elections in Mali: “So far all is quiet here in Bamako on polling day. There seems to be a little apathy in the city – only 31% have been reported as picking up their voting cards despite being given the day off on the...

Religion and Philippine elections

  29 April 2007

Majority of Philippine politicians tolerate the political activities of some Church leaders, especially during election season. This is understandable since many Filipinos remain obedient to the teachings and instructions of religious leaders.

Japan: Has the age of the Internet arrived?

  28 April 2007

Japanese blogger hirochan comments on the recent elections in Japan [Ja] and gives his insights into the nature of the role of the Internet in political and election campaigns in Japan. He points out the fact that Japanese politicians are not maximizing the potential of the Internet as a tool,...

Republic of the Congo: Biometric Identity Cards

  27 April 2007

Demain Le Congo Brazzaville thinks President Sassou won't stand a chance winning the upcoming election unless he manages to rig it. Sassou plans to create biometric identity cards, but DCB warns against putting too much faith in an electronic voting system (Fr), which may simply encourage a different kind of...

Japan: Reactions to Tokyo Governor Ishihara's re-election

  27 April 2007

On April 8 and April 22 nationwide local elections were held throughout Japan, gubernatorial elections on the 8th and local assembly and municipal elections on the 22nd. Among 13 gubernatorial elections, the Tokyo elections attracted the most attention, with incumbent Ishihara Shintarou running for a third term. Over the previous...

The French Presidential Election: A View From Outside the Metropole

  26 April 2007

This weekend, more than 60 million French cast their ballots in the first round of the French presidential election, narrowing the list of candidates to two: conservative UMP candidate Nicolas Sarkozy and Socialist Party candidate Segolene Royal. Both face a run-off vote on May 6th. In the five years since...

Syrian Independence Day and Elections

Syria celebrated it's independence and Parliamentary elections with a lot of official fanfare, but very little excitement from bloggers as a reported two per cent of the constituents turned up at the polling stations. Yazan Badran sums up the reactions as bloggers debate the results and updates us about the jailing of a prominent human rights lawyer.

Japan: Pre-election protest party

  26 April 2007

Amamiya Karin writes in Magazine 9 [Ja] about protest parties held in Koenji last weekend organized by Suginami Ward Assembly candidate Matsumoto Hajime. Although Matsumoto finally lost the election, the party was a great success, featuring live music, dancing, and plenty of stage-diving. Matsumoto, one of the youngest contenders, pushed...

Costa Rica: Free-Trade Agreement Poll

  26 April 2007

Cristian Cambronero posts the current polling numbers in his blog Fusil De Chispas [ES] on how Costa Ricans would vote in the upcoming referendum on the proposed Free-Trade Agreement. In two of the polls, between 47-49% would vote in favor of the trade pact. The results elicited a number of...

Japan: Analysis of election results

  26 April 2007

Matt Dioguardi at Japan in amber has posted commentary, tabulated data, and study notes on Japan's recent by-elections and local elections. Matt writes: “the DPJ strategy in Okinawa seemed confused, switching midway. First they focused on local union issues, then switched to national issues.”