· April, 2009

Stories about Elections from April, 2009

Georgia: Cell protest in Tbilisi

  26 April 2009

A Year in Tbilisi pays a visit to some of the mock cells erected outside government buildings in the Georgian capital. The blog posts photographs and doesn't seem convinced that the opposition movement demanding the president's resignation stand much chance of succeeding.

Fiji's expats create democratic movement

  26 April 2009

A group of ethnic Fijians living in Australia pledged support for Fiji’s return to democracy and called on Australia’s and New Zealand’s governments to apply more political and economic pressure to the new order of Frank Bainimarama. Members of the meeting also called on people of Fiji living elsewhere to help support the country’s political restoration.

Fiji: Diplomatic maneuverings

  25 April 2009

Last April 20, members of United Nations Security Council called the abrogation of Fiji’s constitution and the firing of its judiciary a “step backwards” and declared the country should hold elections as soon as possible. A few of Fiji’s bloggers blasted the UN for issuing statements that produced no concrete results such as trade sanctions.

South Africa: ANC might lose two thirds majority

  23 April 2009

Will ANC lose its two thirds majority in South Africa? : South Africans are headings to the polls this wednesday, in elections that the ruling African National Congress is expected to win in a landslide. Polls indicate that the ANC might lose its two-thirds parliamentary majority.

South Africa: Traumatic voting experience

  23 April 2009

Read Khaya's traumatic voting experience in South Africa: I walk into the voting station and a surge of emotion overcomes me, maybe it’s adrenaline or my mind is beginning to realise what I’m about to do, I don’t know, I’m not a shrink.

Indian Elections '09: Where The Shoe Pinches

  23 April 2009

When Muntadhar al-Zaidi hurled his shoes at the then US President George Bush, little did he know that his method of getting a point across would soon become viral across continents. In India too, the trend seems to have caught on. For indeed, the humble footwear has become the preferred...

India: Candidates Debate

  21 April 2009

Rajeev Chandrasekhar, an Independent MP in the upper house of Indian parliament (Rajya Sabha) suggests a debate face-off between the two Prime Ministerial candidates: “A Dr Manmohan Singh vs. LK Advani debate would have been great for the Indian voter and Indian Democracy!”

Iran: Free Potatoes Inflamed Electoral Fever

The Iranian authorities have distributed free potatoes in recent weeks in different cities. Several Iranian politicians have criticized the Mahmoud Ahmadinejad‘s government free potato distribution as an act of the presidential electoral campaign and call it a waste of public money. Iranian officials say that there was an excess of...

Haiti: Senate Elections

  21 April 2009

Alice Smeets posts a series of photographs of Haiti's senatorial elections this past weekend, while My Life, an Open Book… says: “It turned out to be a terrible election…not because people were killed, but because the voice of the people was not heard.”

Lebanon: From the Election Campaign Trail

Campaigning for the Lebanese parliamentary elections in June is in full swing, and the Lebanese blogosphere is not skipping a beat. As expected, the Lebanese blogosphere is keeping a close eye on election developments and offering plenty of insight, writes Antoun Issa.

Indian Elections 2009: Villains And Votes

  20 April 2009

If elections are to be described as a process to elect better leaders for the country, the ongoing elections in India are of a very different variety. A number of convicted felons, gang members with long criminal history and leaders accused of violent crime (murder, attempted murder, armed robbery) - villains in every sense are going to the people asking for their vote.

Lebanon: Activists Experiment with Social Media

The use of social media tools such as Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, and mobile technology has become increasingly popular in activism and advocacy work worldwide in recent years. In Lebanon, a group called Social Media Exchange teaches activists how to utilise social media to promote their work and reach a wider audience. Mohammmad Azraq digs into the Lebanese social networking and online scene to find out more.

Malawi Politicians Campaign in Cyberspace

  20 April 2009

The presidential and parliamentary race in Malawi is seeing innovative use of the Internet that Malawi's politics has never witnessed before. Parties and individual contestants have established themselves online through websites, Facebook and blogs to get voters' attention.

Haiti: Election or Selection?

  20 April 2009

Repeating Islands reports that Haiti's Senate elections this past weekend were “marred today by sporadic violence, forcing authorities to cancel polling in parts of the country”. Pwoje Espwa notes: “Fanmi Lavalas (ex-President Jean Bertrand Aristide's political party) will not be in the race due to not being able to satisfy...