Stories about Elections from February, 2011
Macedonia: Musings on the Early Elections
The Macedonian public is furiously discussing the justification and timing of the upcoming early elections.
Central African Republic: Are citizens better off without elections
Louisa writes a report about elections in the Central African Republic: Though it would be an overstatement to say that Central Africans would be better off without elections, it is hard to see how elections contribute to making people's concerns heard and responded to by capital-based leaders who like to...
Kyrgyzstan: Interim president won't seek re-election
Incumbent president of Kyrgyzstan Rosa Otunbaeva announced that she would not be taking part in the upcoming presidential elections, Malika reports.
Côte d’Ivoire: Twitter Campaign for Anderson Cooper’s Attention
Global Voices author Anna Gueye was instrumental in a recent campaign to persuade influential CNN reporter Anderson Cooper to pay as much attention to protests in African countries such as Gabon and Côte d’Ivoire, as he has to Tunisia, Egypt and other Arab world uprisings.
Armenia: Social Networks for Social Revolution?
With uprisings in Tunisia, Egypt and elsewhere in the Arab world, the extra-parliamentary opposition in Armenia is now seeking to replicate events in the former Soviet republic, and not least because 1 March 2011 will mark the 3rd anniversary of post-presidential election clashes which left 10 people dead.
Côte d'Ivoire: The Difficult Legacy of Houphouët-Boigny
To better understand the origins of the current political crisis in Côte d'Ivoire, it is necessary to place recent events in their post-colonial context. Anna Gueye traces the history of the Ivorian political crisis and the reactions of bloggers in the face of the latest news.
Peru: Controversy Over Removal of Anonymity in Electoral Polls
A new policy preventing opinion polls from being conducted anonymously caused a storm in the press and on social networking sites. Finally, faced with a barrage of questions from the public and the press over its conduct, the National Jury of Elections was forced to retract the regulation.
Chad: Contested Parliamentary Elections, Protesters in the Streets
On February 16th 2011, Makaila published [Fr]: “many opposition militants gathered in multiple districts around the city of Moundou to protest against the results of the parliamentary elections [on February 13th].”
Uganda: No Signs of Egypt-Style Uprising
The 2011 Presidential Elections in Uganda have concluded relatively peacefully, with rolling results being announced over the course of the weekend. The blogging community and, in fact, the entire country are fairly quiet at this point, breathing a sigh of relief that things went as calmly as they did despite widespread accusations of ballot stuffing, voter intimidation, and other irregularities.
Macedonia: Early Elections Imminent, Date Uncertain
Filip Stojanovski reports on the decision to hold early elections in Macedonia, and on the bloggers' reactions to it.
Poland: Ex-PM Jarosław Kaczyński Starts Blogging
On Feb. 18, Jarosław Kaczyński, leader of Poland's national conservative Law and Justice party, started a blog, and his first post has generated over 1,650 comments in just two days. Below are some examples that show how many emotions surround this new blogger.
Peru: Wikileaks Cable Stirs Electoral Campaign
Juan Arellano in Globalizado [es] reports on reactions to a 2005 cable released by Wikileaks, which reveals that “Fernando Rospigliosi, former Minister of Interior in the administration of Alejandro Toledo, asked for the collaboration of the United States Embassy to carry out a campaign against Ollanta Humala.”
Côte d'Ivoire: Opposite Sides Demonstrated on February 19
On the blog “Actu et Opinions”, a post states: Meetings in Abidjan: 2 weights, 2 measures [FR] where one learned that demonstrators did not receive the same reception from the police force depending on whether they were pro-Ouattara or pro-Laurent Gbagbo. According to the Twitter feed #CIV2010, there were 3...
Uganda: A Day After Uganda Elections 2011
Ugandans went to the polls Friday 18 February, 2011 for presidential and parliamentary elections. President Yoweri Museveni is expected to win. Below is a roundup of election-related posts and tweets a day after the elections.
Uganda: Kampala quiet after voting
Steven Youngblood says that the capita of Uganda, Kampala, is quiet after yesterday's elections. Meanwhile, President Museveni leads his rivals in early provisional results with 72% of the vote.
Turks & Caicos: Now Is The Time
The tcipost is calling on “every Turks and Caicos Islander with access to the Internet [to] please use all the social networks at our disposal to demand our right to self determination and bring awareness to our plight.”
Jamaica: Get Up, Stand Up
“Next year…Jamaica will celebrate 50 years of being an independent nation, but unless we take Bob Marley's words to heart and emancipate ourselves from mental slavery, our jubilee will represent nothing more than a fleeting, insignificant figure on time's continuum”: Ruthibelle thinks its time for Jamaica to grow up.
Uganda: Bloggers Apprehensive as Voters Go to Polls
Ugandans go to the polls on Friday for the country's second round of multiparty elections since current president Yoweri Museveni took power in 1986. The mood among both Ugandans on Twitter and the blogosphere is apprehensive.
Equatorial Guinea: Mr Obiang, New Chairperson of the African Union and Human Rights Abuser
On January 30, 2011, the African Union elected Mr Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo as its new chairperson, succeeding Malawian President Mr Bingu wa Mutharika. However, the long-standing president of Equatorial Guinea has a record for human rights abuses.
Uganda: Uganda Elections 2011 on Twitter
Ugandans will go to the polls tomorrow for presidential and parliamentary elections. The main candidates for the presidential race are President Yoweri Museveni, Dr. Kizza Besigye and Norbert Mao.Twitter users are busy talking about the elections using the #ugandavotes hashtag.
Uganda: New video for Uganda Elections 2011
The National Democratic Institute partnered with popular Ugandan musician Bobi Wine to release a video encouraging young voters to avoid election violence and to encourage them to report any election irregularities to UgandaWatch2011.
