· February, 2009

Stories about Elections from February, 2009

Armenia: 1 March Anniversary

  28 February 2009

Dispatches from Armenia comments on tomorrow's first anniversary of the post-election clashes which left eight opposition supporters and two policemen dead. The blog calls the incident a slaughter at the hands of the authorities.

Armenia: 1 March post-election clash anniversary

  27 February 2009

As the opposition prepares to mark the 1 March post-election clashes which left at least 10 dead, The Armenian Observer says tensions are increasing in the capital, Yerevan. Meanwhile, writing for the Frontline Club blog, Global Voices Online's Caucasus Editor comments on the release of two damning human rights reports...

Ukraine: Politics on Twitter

  25 February 2009

Ukrainian president Victor Yushchenko has an official Twitter account; his tweets mirror daily schedule announcements and latest news items that are featured on the official website as well. There is also a Yushchenko impersonator on Twitter. Former speaker Yatsenyuk seems to have a Twitter account, too, but his political movement's press service would not confirm it.

Angola: Presidential elections postponed?

  21 February 2009

As of the end of February 2009, there is still no schedule for the presidential elections in Angola, which were due this year. The main priority for the MPLA, the party in power, is to approve a new constitution for the country. Bloggers speculate whether this means that the much awaited elections for a new president, the first since 1992, will be postponed.

Algeria: Elections Forecast

  20 February 2009

“The April elections in Algeria will lead almost certainly to one result: The re-election of Abdelaziz Bouteflika. While some hailed the 2004 elections as either a step forward or a step backward for democracy and/or stability, the 2009 elections will more resemble the 1999 elections,” notes The Moor Next Door.

Trinidad & Tobago, U.S.A.: Change? Really?

  20 February 2009

“He has taken several steps back from the openness he once showed, the willingness to talk to anyone without preconditions. He proposes to send 17,000 more troops into Afghanistan…dampening down one war only to refuel another”: Notes from Port of Spain is “still cynical about Barack Obama.”

Caribbean, USA: Where in the World is Allen Stanford?

  19 February 2009

It's one thing for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to lay fraud charges against Texas billionaire-cum-Caribbean cricket magnate Allen Stanford - but first, authorities have to find him. As panicky investors flock to Stanford-owned banks from Antigua to South America to try and withdraw their funds, speculation is rife as to where Mr. Stanford might be.

Aruba: Putting on the Ritz-Carlton?

  19 February 2009

The Ritz-Carlton hotel chain is apparently in Aruba to stay, causing Lost in Smallness to exclaim: “Does the government realize that this will put extra pressure on our infrastructure? Oh wait. It's an election year. This is just a campaign stunt, not necessarily something to improve the island.”

Caribbean, USA: Stanford Charged with Fraud

  18 February 2009

Fresh on the heels of the latest regional financial meltdown comes another: news that U.S. billionaire Allen Stanford has been slapped with charges for investment fraud - more than 8 billion dollars' worth. The potential fallout for West Indies cricket appears to be concerning Caribbean bloggers as much as the economic ramifications.

Caribbean: Economic Effects

  18 February 2009

Keith in Trinidad says that “it is troubling that we seem so oblivious to the meltdown that's occurring” in Martinique and Guadeloupe, while Living Guyana cites the many examples of regional economic discord to add weight to his question of whether “Guyana's tenuous economy will be negatively affected.”

Costa Rica: Epsy Campbell Seeks Nomination

  18 February 2009

Epsy Campbell announced her intention to seek the nomination of her political party Partido Acción Ciudadana for the Costa Rican presidential elections and Marco Blanco of ¡Que Clío nos guarde! [es] writes that “the time has come for Epsy Campbell.“

Serbia: The Parliament

  18 February 2009

Belgraded describes how the Serbian parliament has been working this past month: “It all started when the national TV said that it won’t broadcast the sessions because they had to broadcast live tennis and handball tournament instead. MPs said they won’t work unless everyone in Serbia can follow what they’re...

Estonia: “Consolidation” of Tallinn

  17 February 2009

AnTyx writes about Tallinn mayor's campaign to get rid of the city's boroughs: “Ostensibly this is beneficial to the mayor's Centrist Party, and should allow them to keep control of the city, as well as give them a boost in other elections.”

Armenia-Azerbaijan: High-profile assassinations

  17 February 2009

On 3 February, less than a month before the first anniversary of post-election violence in Yerevan, an Armenian Deputy Police Chief was gunned down. Eight days later, and five weeks before a constitutional referendum to eliminate presidential term limits, the head of the Azerbaijani Air Force was killed. Bloggers naturally wondered who was behind both assassinations.

Jamaica: All That Glitters

  14 February 2009

Homophobic statements from a member of the Jamaica Prime Minister's cabinet prompts Abeng News Magazine‘s Kadene Porter to say: “The abundance of divisive nonsense-statements that he and his band of ministers seem to come up with is drawing more than ribaldry from a nervous and watchful public.”