· April, 2012

Stories about Elections from April, 2012

Guinea-Bissau: International Reactions to the Military Coup

  30 April 2012

Following the military coup in Guinea-Bissau, on April 12, Angolan Foreign Policy Professor Belarmino Van-Dúnem wrote an analysis [pt] on the roles of the Armed Forces and the international community. ECOWAS talks to restore civilian rule during the weekend resulted on the decision to impose sanctions on the military junta....

Martinique: Where has Creole gone?

  30 April 2012

On Martinican collective blog Montray Kreyol, a recent post [Fr/Fr Cr] wonders why Martinique 1ère [Fr], which is the local relay of the French National Broadcast Network, Fance Television [En], has almost no Creole language spoken on air.

Malaysia: Thousands Joined Bersih 3.0 Protest

  30 April 2012

Thousands of Malaysians gathered in the streets in support of Bersih 3.0, a campaign for electoral reforms. But police used tear gas and water cannon to disperse the crowd. Hundreds were arrested. Netizens share their Bersih stories

Nigeria: New Media and Governance Conference

  29 April 2012

Enough is Enough (EIE) together with other partners wish to expound the rising profile of new media and governance in a conference "New Media and Governance: Tools and Trends". The aim of this intellectual gathering of "government policy makers, civil society, academic institutions, private sector and youth" is to analyse "the use of new media for improved governance, accountability and civic engagement." The conference is slated for May 14-15, 2012 in Shehu Musa Yar'Adua Centre, Abuja, Nigeria.

Angola: Youth Demonstration Against Alcoholism Violently Repressed

  28 April 2012

According to Facebook reports, today's youth demonstration against alcoholism, prostitution and domestic violence (April 28), was violently repressed, informed [pt] the blog Angola Resistente. On April 23, an opinion article [pt] from Makuta Nkondo stated that in a year of elections, the ruling party since 1975, MPLA, organizes “food and drinks...

Madagascar: Rare Deposit-Rich Land Sold to French-German Group

  25 April 2012

French group Rhodia and German company Tantalus announced the signing of a Letter of Intent to exploit a 300 km-long region filled with rare deposits [fr] in the Ampasindava peninsula in the North-West of Madagascar. The group expects to produce 15,000 tons a year within the next 18 months, a total...

Malaysia Prepares for Bersih 3.0 Sit-Down Protest

  24 April 2012

The Malaysia election reform movement Bersih (Clean) has organized a Bersih 3.0 Duduk Bantah (sit-in protest) on April 28 at Dataran Merdeka. It's the same group which gathered more than 50,000 people in Kuala Lumpur last year in protest against the 'undemocratic' electoral exercise in the country

Bahamas: Elections Getting Closer

  23 April 2012

With just two weeks to go until the country's general elections, the Bahamian blogosphere has been filled with political discussion. Blogworld yesterday compiled her usual Twitter Weekly Updates, which gave a good overview of the issues being discussed.

This Week in the Caribbean Blogosphere

  21 April 2012

In last week's summary of the regional blogosphere, a young comtemporary artist from Barbados made the observation that the region is “more than the beach and coconuts.” Here's a round-up of what Caribbean netizens were talking about this week, with not one mention of beaches or coconuts...

Senegal: An Innovative Way to Monitor the Presidential Elections

  19 April 2012

During the second round of the Senegalese presidential elections, journalist Papa Alé Niang of channel 2stv was able to give results trends as early as 9pm thanks to the work of monitoring team Sunu 2012. This project was devised and created by Cheikh Fall in 2008 and has proved an invaluable tool in monitoring practices during this campaign.

Russia: Astrakhan in Turmoil

RuNet Echo  18 April 2012

In Astrakhan, opposition leaders have relied on social media to mobilize and coordinate protestors. Technology, however, is not a panacea for Astrakhan's struggling opposition. Many in the city are still strangers to Internet technology, and others are utilizing it to support the state.

East Timor: Presidential Runoff Election Accomplished With Stability

  18 April 2012

Following the presidential runoff election in East Timor, April 16, Fundasaun Mahein (a security sector watchdog) published a note on “the smooth and peaceful” ballot, celebrating the strengthening of the country's “democratization and developmental process”. According to the Electoral Management Body, Taur Matan Ruak will be the new president. The...

Video Highlights: Syrian Activism, Children's Issues and Dolphin Deaths

  18 April 2012

A selection of Global Voices' most recent and interesting stories like the Syrian protests in Middle East and North Africa, China and India's female gendercide phenomenon in South Asia and East Asia and viral video campaigns with Children in Mexico and the massive dolphin die-off in Peru for Latin America.

Mozambique: Police Detain Blogger During Mayoral By-Election

  18 April 2012

Mozambican human rights lawyer and blogger Custodio Duma was detained by the police during mayoral by-election in Inhambane, on April 18, allegedly due to taking photos. Five hours later, he was released. According [pt] to @Verdade newspaper, 53 citizens (mostly supporters of the opposition party, MDM) were arrested during the scrutiny....

Bahamas: Election Discussion

  18 April 2012

Bahamaians go the polls on May 7 in the country's 2012 general election. Bloggers have already started talking about it. In this post, the discussion continues…