Stories about Elections from September, 2010
Poland: Solidarność 1980 vs. Solidarność 2010
Raf Uzar wrote this on Aug. 31 about Solidarność‘s 30th anniversary: “Lech Wałęsa’s refusal to attend the celebrations was a clear cutting of the umbilical cord and demonstration of the fact that the legacy of Solidarity 1980 is to be found elsewhere, not in Solidarity 2010.” Polandian added: “So, to...
Russia: Medvedev's “Chutzpah”
At The Huffington Post, Simon Shuster urges PM Putin to ask himself where President Medvedev got “such chutzpah”: “[Medvedev] is seen as having his own agenda for reforms, independent and vaguely appealing, a westernizer, you see, like a fun-sized Peter the Great.”
Turks & Caicos: Self-Governance Limbo
“An election to return self governance for the Turks and Caicos Islands has been postponed…extending London’s direct rule over the Caribbean dependency”: Repeating Islands re-posts the details.
Russia: Luzhkov “Power Struggle”
A Good Treaty analyzes the situation with the Moscow mayor, suggesting “that Yuri Luzhkov will not be replaced before his term expires next year”: “But the Luzhkov affair has the appearance of a power struggle […]. The appearance of a more active and confident Medvedev gives off the impression that...
Venezuela: Web Videos Encouraging Citizens to Vote
Venezuelans will be voting on September 26th to renew the whole body of the National Assembly, the unicameral legislative body which substituted the Congress, and online, dozens of people are making and remixing videos urging citizens to vote.
Tanzania: Running for office using Kanga and social media
A Tanzanian politician uses kanga and social media to campaign: “The fact that Zitto Kabwe is reporting via Twitter, blog, Flickr and Facebook from Kigoma North, while at the same time operating an election campaing with traditional elements – like the ngoma and the kanga – is a clear fact...
Haiti: Women's Reality
“While the government and the international community work on a reconstruction plan, many feel that the immediate problems facing Haitian women have slipped under the radar – even though they must play a key role in putting Haiti back on its feet”: Blogger and journalist Wadner Pierre reports.
Afghanistan: Election 2010 Started
Despite all the security threats and anxiety, hundreds of Afghans lined up in every polling station all over the country to cast their ballots in Afghanistan's Wolesi Jirga Election 2010, which started September 18.
Venezuela: Using Crowdsourcing to Report on Elections
Through video, pictures and links, citizens can report on any event or incident related to the upcoming September 26 elections in Venezuela thanks to Dale Poder A Tu Voto [es] (Give your vote power), a site modeled after Ushahidi. The site uses crowdsourcing to promote transparency, participation and education.
St. Vincent & the Grenadines: Quality Control
“Where is our truth regulator? Where is the person or the persons concerned with demanding the maintenance of some standard of quality among our leaders?”: Discuss SVG is seriously considering not voting.
Venezuela: September 26 Elections, Activism and Opinion via Twitter
On September 26, Venezuelans will vote to renew the National Assembly, its legislative body. Twitter has been one of the most used tools during the campaign, used by candidates to promote their campaign and by citizens to support their favorite politicians and voice their political opinions.
Peru: Mayoral Candidates, Twitter and an Intercepted Phone Call
"Lourdes" became a Twitter Trending Topic for a couple of hours. The story behind what looks like a trivial Trending Topic is the release of a conversation where Lourdes Flores, a candidate for mayor of Lima, uses unreserved remarks about the mayorship. Bloggers and Twitter users reacted to the audio and the politics behind it.
Azerbaijan: Bloggers to require registration?
As the use of new and social media starts to surface in the run-up to the 7 November parliamentary election in Azerbaijan, In Mutatione Fortitudo reports that there are now calls for bloggers to be considered similar to journalists. While on the surface such a suggestion sounds positive, the accompanying...
Azerbaijan: As elections approach, social networking steps in
On 7 November, Azerbaijan will once again head to the polls to cast their ballots in the upcoming parliamentary elections. The pre-election campaign won't officially start until 23 days before election day itself, but there already some signs of activity appearing on Facebook.
Venezuela: Examples of US Media Campaign Against Chavez
Eva Golinger in Postcards from the Revolution writes, “The bombardment of negative, false, distorted and manipulated news about Venezuela in US media has increased in volume and intensity during the last few days.” She goes on to show specific examples of this.
Ghana: Political Success Story of West Africa, But…
Ghana maybe be the political success story of West Africa however its citizens have yet to experience a standard of living more associated with modern liberal democracies.
Venezuela: 5 Reasons to Vote on the Upcoming Parliamentary Elections
Alejandro Tarre lists [es] five reasons why Venezuelans should vote on the September 26 parliamentary elections.
Azerbaijan: Freedom of expression a pressing concern
Ahead of the 7 November parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan, Flying Carpets and Broken Pipelines comments on a new report by Article 19 on freedom of expression in the oil-rich former Soviet republic. With journalists and bloggers in jail much to the concern of the international community, the blog agrees that...
Sri Lanka: Lack Of Transparency In Constitutional Reforms
Sanjana Hattotuwa at ICT for Peacebuilding (ICT4Peace) opines that the recent 18th amendment of the Sri Lankan constitution was rushed through, it lacked any public debate, and there was a media blackout on the process.
Guinea: Violent Confrontations in Conakry Prior To The Second Round
The Guinee libre [fr] website reports that violent confrontations occurred over the week-end in Conakry as the second round of the presidential elections approaches (scheduled for September 19th but probably temporarily suspended). The violence opposed militants of the Rassemblement pour le peuple de Guinée (RPG) and the militants of the Union des forces démocratiques de...
Nigeria: Call for NGO Participation in Electoral Process
“Accident Prevention and Rescue Initiative (NGO) is calling on all Non-governmental Organizations, Civil Societies and faith based organizations in Nigeria to meet and take a position towards positive and active participation in the 2011 elections,” Prince Fidelis Nnadi reports.
