Stories about Elections from April, 2011
Nigeria: #PlessYaHand and #NigeriaDecides Trending
Voting in Nigeria’s presidential election has begun. The election was postponed from 9 April, 2011. The main candidates are the incumbent Goodluck Jonathan and Muhamadu Buhari. #PlessYaHand and #NigeriaDecides are currently trending in Nigeria's Twittersphere.
Macedonia: Fast-Track Lawmaking, Privacy Alert
The Macedonian Parliament disbanded itself today, as part of the process of preparation for the June elections. The ruling majority used the previous period to rubber-stamp a huge number of draft-laws submitted by the government, including a new attempt to legalize unconstitutional police surveillance.
Malaysia: Cyber Attacks Shut Down Independent News Website
Malaysiakini, an independent news portal in Malaysia, has been inaccessible since Tuesday 12 April, 2011, after being targeted by cyber attacks. The attacks came a few days before an important state election in Sarawak.
Peru: Reactions Following the First 2011 Electoral Round
After celebrating the elections in Peru, the results indicate a second round between Ollanta Humala and Keiko Fujimori. Bloggers, candidates, and analysts coincide that the result is principally a "vote of punishment" for the economic policies managed by governments in recent years, that have fomented growth and created a new economic prosperity that does not reach everyone.
Guatemala: The Women Running for President
Mike in Central American Politics writes about the women running for president in Guatemala, and argues that “Guatemala is almost guaranteed to have a woman occupy the presidency or vice presidency after September's election.”
Haiti: Relevance of Lavalas
In the context of Haiti's recent elections, Toussaint on Haiti considers Fanmi Lavalas‘ political future: “The answer is not to cancel the last elections to have new elections that include FL. The worst thing that FL can do is continue with the same arguments of the last 24 years. If...
Mexico: Bloggers Reflect on Elections in Peru
Tim Johnson in Mexico Unmasked and Richard Grabman in The Mex Files look at Peru's elections on Sunday, April 10 and compare them to the political climate in Mexico as the country prepares for the 2012 presidential and legislative elections.
Kenya: Netizens React to ICC Charges Against Six Kenyans
On 7 and 8 April, 2011, the International Criminal Court (ICC) confirmed charges against six prominent Kenyan individuals whom the ICC prosecutor Louis Moreno Ocampo believes bear the most responsibility for the post election violence that rocked the country in 2008.
Ivory Coast: Ivorians on Twitter React to the Address by Alassane Ouattara
The Republican Forces of Ivory Coast stopped at the doors of the presidential palace still occupied by Laurent Gbagbo, who is taking refuge in a bunker accompanied by family members. Alassane Ouattara addressed his fellow citizens. Ivorians on Twitter have commented on the address.
Peru Prepares for the 2011 Presidential Elections
On Sunday, April 10, more than 17 million Peruvians will elect the President for 2011-2016, along with 130 congress members (members of the Parliament). The campaign has been long, multifarious, controversial and harshly disputed. Peruvians have turned to blogs, Twitter and Facebook to share their opinions about the candidates and the campaign.
Nigeria: Tweeting Parliamentary Election 2011
Using the hashtag #NigeriaDecides, Nigerians online talk about today's parliamentary elections that was originally scheduled to be held on 2 April, 2001.
Singapore: Open letter to Opposition parties
Blogger Live.Life from Singapore writes an open letter to Opposition parties which will participate in this year's elections: “To win our hearts you have to offer concrete programs and ways to better Singaporeans’ lives.”
Kazakhstan: Elections are over
Christya Riedel analyzes the outcomes of the presidential election in Kazakhstan, noting that they could be called “competitive, unpredictable and exciting” only with a large share of sarcasm.
Nigeria: Will Technology Impact 2011 Elections?
Nigerians will go to the polls on 16 April 2011 to elect their new president. The election was postponed from 9 April 2011 because of organizational difficulties. In this post we are looking at how Nigerians are using technology to enhance electoral transparency, political participation and good governance.
Russia: Communist campaign against tandemocracy
Vadim Nikitin of Foreign Policy‘s Russia Blog discusses a campaign video [RU] for the 2012 presidential elections, allegedly first posted on the Communist Party website, which portrays the Putin-Medvedev tandemocracy as an apocalypse in the making.
Malaysia: State Election Brings Another Sex Scandal
The Sarawak state election this April will have a big impact on Malaysia's national politics. Will the opposition finally defeat Sarawak's longest serving chief minister? Meanwhile, an alleged sex video tape of an opposition leader has been exposed a few weeks before the election.
Haiti: “Sweet Micky”‘s Mandate
Dying in Haiti puts forward the new president's mathematical mandate, saying: “His opportunity to do good for Haiti is huge. It would be great if he would deliver on just one of his big promises above. It would be great to be pleasantly surprised.”
Nigeria: Exhibition of Images From Presidential Campaign
George Esiri followed the PDP Presidential campaign trail around Nigeria. An exhibition of the images he captured was launched at the Yar'Adua Centre yesterday.
Egypt: Basboussa for President!
Former Egyptian television anchor and activist Bothaina Kamel announced on Twitter that she would be running for the Egyptian presidential elections. Here are reactions for and against her plans.
Russia: DDoS Attack On LiveJournal Has Russians Debating Internet Politics
On March 30, 2011, the blogging platform LiveJournal experienced serious functionality problems for over 12 hours due to a powerful Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attack. It has triggered a debate on the origins of the attack and the future of the stability of the Russian political blogosphere.
Haiti: Martelly Declared Election Winner
Bloggers are reporting that Michel Martelly has emerged victorious in the recent run-off election to become Haiti's next president; Throwing Down the Water, meanwhile, is unhappy with the Miami Herald's early declaration of the winner: “I don't appreciate news agencies interfering with Haiti's attempt to actually hold a legitimate run-off...
