Stories about Elections from June, 2011
Guatemala: Electoral Authorities Reject Sandra Torres Presidential Bid
Sandra Torres divorced her husband, President Alvaro Colom, to be eligible to run for president. But things didn't turn out as planned. Mike in Central American Politics reports: “On Wednesday, Guatemalan electoral authorities rejected Sandra Torres's presidential candidacy on the grounds of “supposed legal fraud.” The TSE's resolution said that...
Senegal: The Protests Will be “Twitterized”
On June 23, 2011, Dakar's streets were stormed by protesters. Their goal: derail the electoral reform that would allow the election of the president with 25% of the votes in the first round and would also propose a dual ticket with a vice-president, much like the American electoral system. The protests succeeded in getting the bill withdrawn - and Twitter played a significant role.
France-Senegal: Anti-Wade Demonstrators Arrested by French Police
Senegal is eight months from its presidential elections in February 2012. The country's civil society has already protested against various attempts by the incumbent president, 85 year-old Abdoulaye Wade, to hold on to power.
Guinea: “Democracy, Backwards”
Guinean novelist Tierno Monénembo, who won the French literary award Prix Renaudot in 2008, examines the early record of the new President of Guinea, Prof. Alpha Conde, writing [fr] in an opinion piece on Slate Afrique: “Beaten up and imprisoned at a whim. Nominated and dismissed at a whim. All...
Macedonia: New Parliament Assembles, Cements Election Victory for “Big Fish”
The newly-elected Macedonian Parliament held its initial session on Saturday, June 25, 2011. Its composition promises “more of the same” kind of politicking from the last few years.
Thailand: ‘Vote No’ Campaign
Thais will troop to the polls next week and although the opposition is leading in some surveys, there is still no certainty of any group clinching a landslide victory. Unusually, the election ballot has a ‘no’ option provided to voters, and a movement has been orchestrated by the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD), or Yellow Shirts, to encourage citizens to 'Vote No'.
Zimbabwe: Choosing the Lesser Devil
Thandi argues that an assessment of the range of political parties in Zimbabwe shows that Zimbabweans just have to choose the lesser devil: “It’s mediocre politicians all around, positing ludicrous policies whilst they happily take part in scandalous shenanigans…Question is, whose political thrust will be easiest to endure?”
Thailand: #hiogat election hashtag
What does #hiogat means in the current Thailand election campaign? It refers to the protest placard raised during a speech of the Prime Minister which reads “He is only good at talking.” The message quickly became a key election message by the opposition.
Thailand: Election predictions
The Bangkok Pundit reviews Thailand election predictions and maintains that the opposition party still has an edge over the administration coalition
China: Update on the Independent Candidate Campaigns
The spokesperson for the Commission on Legislative Affairs of the National People’s Congress stated [zh] on June 8 2011 that no legal basis exists for independent candidacy in grassroots people's congress elections. To be a candidate in grassroots representative elections, he said, one has to first be endorsed by a...
Barbados: The Warner Effect
Barbados Underground comments on Jack Warner's FIFA resignation: “Warner is generating ‘heat’ which is not doing T&T and the wider Caribbean any favour in the international arena. All the world waits to hear if the sordid details arising from the Fifa Ethics Report will be leaked to the media. Worrying...
Senegal: Proposed New Election Law Sparks Riots in Dakar
President of Senegal, Abdoulaye Wade's, proposed amendment to the Constitution and election law, in anticipation of the presidential elections of 2012, has made a lot of Senegalese angry and sparked demonstrations and riots in the capital Dakar on June 23. This popular unrest has since forced the government to drop the suggested amendment.
Macedonia: How the Protests Started
Tamara Atanasoska posts a personal account of the beginning of the protests against police brutality in Skopje, Macedonia: “We were walking, a handful of people, […] not knowing each other, hitting the streets to get attention. We just wanted an answer, someone to say what happened. We knew for sure...
Mexico: Blogosphere Analyzes the State of Mexico's Electoral Process
Mexican bloggers analyze the local electoral process in the State of Mexico looking towards the presidential succession of 2012. There are reflections about the candidates, their campaigns and proposals, but there is also a consensus in the national relevance that the election for the next Mexican governor has acquired.
Haiti: The Other Side of the Martelly Story
Wadner Pierre refers to a mainstream media article about Haiti's new president, saying that the story fails to mention “the illegitimacy of the way in which he was elected, and the ongoing destruction of earthquake camps that his government is helping to facilitate.”
Argentina: Cristina Fernández Announces Re-Election Bid
On Tuesday, June 21, Argentine President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner announced she will run for reelection. The Argentine Post looks at the challenges she will have to deal with if reelected, while Eliot Brockner, in Latin American Thought, says her prospects for winning “are looking good”.
Bahamas: Elections, Then & Now
Blogworld hearkens back to the country's 1977 elections to make the point “that the elections coming up have every chance of being equally memorable — not necessarily in the same way — but memorable nevertheless.”
China: Dialogue between Local Official and Independent Mayoral Candidate
China Digital Times has translated independent mayoral candidate, Cao Tian's blogpost that records his conversation with an official from Zhengzhou who tried to dissuade him from participating in the election. The first bird that takes wing is the first to get shot, said the official.
Thailand: Animal election posters
Election posters depicting politicians as wild beasts have sprouted in Thailand. Catherine translates the meaning of the posters. Thais will go to the polls next month.
Macedonia: Pro-Government Media Promote Protest Impostors
On the eve of the big protest against police brutality scheduled for Sunday afternoon in Skopje, several pro-government media outlets tried to manipulate the public by showing an anti-opposition announcement by a fake group of protestors.
India: Failure Of Democracy
Atanu Dey thinks that democracy is failing in India and things must change. The blogger comments: “the change has to come from a section of the population that has the capacity to appreciate the need for change and the ability to organize themselves into a voting block”.
