· January, 2012

Stories about Elections from January, 2012

Moldova: New Presidential Candidate Enters the Scene

  12 January 2012

Zimbru of Morning in Moldova draws attention to the candidacy of centre-left politician Oazu Nantoi for the post of President of Moldova – a post which is indirectly elected by parliament and has proven impossible to fill since the 2010 parliamentary elections, leaving the country with merely acting presidents.

Global Voices in French: Translators’ Choice 2011

  11 January 2012

In 2011, volunteer translators at Global Voices in French translated hundreds of articles and updates on world events and we'd like to say "'Merci!". We've asked them which translation struck them most, during this epic year. Here is the French translators' selection!

Nigeria 2011: A Year of Small Victories and Great Challenges

  11 January 2012

2011 will go down in Nigeria's history as the year of the nation's third presidential election since independence. For the first half of the year, the blogosphere was abuzz with discussion of the election: protests, campaigns, debates, the role of technology, preparations for the polls, election day itself.

Russia: Legal Immunity for Artistic Freedom?

  11 January 2012

Vadim Nikitin of Foreign Policy Blogs posts a thought-provoking piece on Russian art group Voina, which has been found not guilty by a Russian court for setting fire on a police car on New Year's Eve, despite overwhelming evidence that this was the case, at the same time as protestors...

Russia: Return to Photoshop Politics

  11 January 2012

Catherine Fitzpatrick of Minding Russia and Bruce Chapman of Russia Blog draw attention to a “kompromat” photoshop scam directed against opposition activist Aleksei Navalny, and how this false photo now repels against its pro-Putin initiators.

Belarus: Running for Office or Not

RuNet Echo  11 January 2012

Sergei Balykin at Belorusski Partizan discusses [ru] the pros and cons of running for public office in the authoritarian regime of Lukashenko's Belarus, based on his own campaign experience from local elections in the Minsk region.

Libya: Draft Electoral Law Criticized

  10 January 2012

A few days ago, the Libyan government released a draft of a new election law for public debate. The aim was for citizens to discuss it and find out the opinion of the majority of Libyans about it. This draft, the first in Libya's post-Gaddafi era, is the first of its kind in a country that had no elections in four decades. The elections are slated for June and the new parliament will be charged with writing the country's constitution.

Zimbabwe: The “E” Word and Future of Democracy

  8 January 2012

Beven Takunda talks about the “E” word and the future of democracy in Zimbabwe: “Election continue to haunt Zimbabweans to the point that when any politicians mention the “E” word, people start to quiver and shake. There is no sense of celebration that should come with exercising our democratic rights....

Eurozone Crisis: 2011 Citizen Media Responses

  7 January 2012

The year 2011 will be remembered for the European debt crisis and its impact on the global economy, but also for its hard consequences on everyday lives. We sum up Global Voices coverage and citizen media responses to the Eurozone crisis in the past year.

Jamaica: “Official” Languages

  6 January 2012

Under the Saltire Flag is proud of the job his uncle has done as Chairman of Jamaica’s electoral committee, following the country's recent general elections, noting that he “made one unfortunate comment leading up to the elections. He said that all electoral officers should speak ONLY in English”. The blogger...

South Korea: Students Protest Against Election Rigging

  6 January 2012

As suspicion and anger grow over the ruling party's election rigging, students from South Korea's major universities gathered together to release a joint statement calling for a thorough reinvestigation of the case. One net user posted photos of the student protest in Daum Agora, the nation's biggest public forum.

Jamaica: Portia in Power

  5 January 2012

Jamaica Salt says of the outcome of the recent national elections: “It’s not surprising she won after the debacle of the one term Bruce Golding JLP government”, while B.C. Pires quips that God is the new Jamaican Prime Minister.

Africa: 2012: Africa's Election Trail

  5 January 2012

Jemilla looks at Africa's election trail in 2012: “Youssou Ndour – world renowned Senegalese musician – just announced his candidature for Senegal's presidential election on February 26, 2012! I'll admit, the first person I thought of when I read the news was Wyclef Jean who put in a similar bid...

Bermuda: Wishing for Change

  4 January 2012

“This year will be an eventful one. We will have our elections as will our American friends. The power of the people to make progressive change was demonstrated with fervor last year and this year shows no sign of abating”: Respice Finem hopes for change in 2012.