Stories about Elections from March, 2006
Colombia: Gay Marriage Debate in Colombia
After highlighting the attention on gay rights in Colombia's presidential campaigning, Andrés Duque says that presidential candidate Antanas Mockus backs marriage for gays.
Belarus: Diary of a Protester
Rush-Mush links to a LiveJournal translation of the diary of Dasha Kostenko, a Minsk protester who has recently been sentenced to ten days in jail.
Belarus: Letter From Female Prisoners
LJ user kapitan_tanaka translates a letter written by Valyantsina Palyavikova and Larysa Bukholenka, two female prisoners who were jailed for their participation in the post-election protest in Minsk.
Belarus: Election Fraud Video
German-language Media-Ocean switches into English to write about a short video from a polling station in Belarus, which conveys repressive atmosphere during the count and shows how one observer, despite being barred from the table with stacks of bulletins on it, catches a violation that could've benefited Aleksandr Lukashenko, the...
Singapore: ruling party (dirty) tactics
A few disgruntled S'poreans are reacting vehemently over the ruling party's tactic of scaring voters that if the ruling party loses, housing subsidies will be lost and residential areas will eventually become slums.
This week in Israel: today is election day
Voting in the Israeli elections. Tel Aviv, March 28. (Photo by Lisa Goldman. Click to enlarge.) Israelis go to the polls to elect a new government today. The media have been screaming since 10 a.m. that voter turnout is at an all-time low, even though the polls don't close until...
Peru: Anti-gay Comments by Presidential Candidate's Mother
Andrés Duque, noting the recent changes in the presidential polls, says that Peru's LGBT community is worried about what a Humala victory would mean for them. Humala's mother was recently quotes as saying “I bet you that if you execute two rapists by shooting, there won't be any additional rapes,...
Poland: Solidarity 25 Years Ago Isn't Today's Belarus
The beatroot writes about “the difference between [Poland's] Solidarity twenty-five years ago and Belarus today”: the difference is in “imagination, organization and ultimately, Solidarity.”
Belarus: Analysis of Situation
Tobias Ljungvall sums up last week's events in Belarus and makes some forecasts.
Belarus: Many Protesters With Severe Injuries
Ivan Lenin of Rush-Mush translates a post by a Belarusian LJ user on the injuries incurred on the protesters in Minsk during the March 25 rally.
Belarus: KGB Posing as US Embassy
br23 blog writes about Belarus’ KGB posing as the US embassy and beating an opposition activist unconscious.
Ukraine: Tennis at Polling Station
Petro of Petro's Jotter had a chance to see a Ukrainian polling station on Saturday, one day before the vote, at the place where his children have tennis lessons.
Ukraine: Tymoshenko and the Economy
Scott W. Clark of Foreign Notes describes what it might be like for Ukrainian economy if Yulia Tymoshenko becomes prime minister again. LEvko posts a Monday update following Sunday's parliamentary vote.
Ukraine: Elections in Pidhajtsi
Stefan of Dykun is wondering about the results of the vote in Pidhajtsi, the town and county in Ternopil region that had “the highest voter turnout (and the highest percentage of votes for Yushchenko) in Ukraine during the whole 2004 presidential election debacle.” Stefan's relatives work in an election commission...
DRC: Kabila's Rwandan Ties Questioned
Renouveau Congolais posts (FR) a picture in which DRC transitional president and presidential candidate Joseph Kabila allegedly stands to the right of Rwandan General Paul Kagame during the 1994 Rwandan genocide. Kabila was allegedly General Kagame's bodyguard during the genocide. Blogger Dr. Francois Thsipamba Mpuila and several readers debate whether...
Chad: Peace and Mika Yondoloum
Le Pangolin posts (FR) a reader's comment about the potential for Liberal Party presidential candidate Mika Lelita Yondoloum to bring peace to Chad. The reader, Citoyen Lambda, feels strongly that Yondoloum has what it takes to forge a government of national unity. Lambda also nominates Yondoloum for the Nobel Peace...
African women blogging this week
It is that time of the year for those of us in the Diaspora, long nights and dark days in Europe set the heart and mind to thinking of life at home. Mshairi expresses her homesickness through a poem “Home (Again)” I want to stand by the shore as graceful...
Peru: Humala in the Lead
Boz has posted his weekly poll numbers from across Latin America with three new polls that have Peruvian leftist, Ollanta Humala in the lead. Peru Election 2006 has graphics illustrating the poll data. Andres Oppenheimer offers two explanations of why a leftist is leading despite Peru's recent economic growth.
Belarus: Wishful Thinking aka ‘Foreign Policy Simulation’
A Fistful of Euros reports on a weird blog called Belarus Today: A News Service Dedicated to Belarus and the Belarusian People. It covers such an unlikely event as Lukashenko's assassination – and its pretty violent aftermath. There's a disclaimer at the bottom of the page, however, which reads: “This...
Nigeria's census – nearly over but could do better
There are great pictures of Nigerian census-takers on Edward Popoola's Jangbalajugbu-Homeland Stories but he feels the operation, while necessary, could be better organised. “We do not use the social security number system in Nigeria and I am not sure our births and deaths are perfectly monitored and well documented. It...
Belarus: Arrests, Courts and Anti-Media Flash Mob
French journalist writing for Liberation has just been arrested in Minsk; actually so many people have been arrested that, unprecedentally, Minsk courts will be working on Saturday, reports br23 blog. Andrei Khrapavitski posts a picture from today's flash mob event that took place in Minsk to criticize the performance of...
