Stories about Elections from March, 2009
Malawi: Female Candidates and the Politics of Regionalism
With two months to go before Malawians vote in presidential and parliamentary elections on May 19th, 2009, the soup du jour has evolved around two developments, the first one being the recent arrest and release on bail of former president Dr. Bakili Muluzi. The second development is the unusual visit to the country by former presidents of Ghana and Mozambique who are attempting, unjustifiably, according to the blog Chingwe's Hole, to prevent what they fear might be a potential violent conflict in the run up to the elections and possibly in the aftermath.
Argentina: Moving Up the Date of Congressional Elections
Congressional elections in Argentina had been scheduled to take place on October 25 of this year. However, unexpectedly, President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner announced she would send a draft law to the Congress with the purpose of moving these elections forward to June 28 because of the effect of international economic crisis on the country.
Armenia: Former president to run for Mayor
Ahead of a potentially significant municipal election in May, Unzipped comments on news that former president and extra-parliamentary opposition leader Levon Ter-Petrossian will contest the vote to elect Yerevan's Mayor. The blog says that the importance of the municipal election should not be underestimated.
El Salvador: Blogger Thoughts Before the Elections
Bloggers are playing a large part in the debate about today's presidential elections in El Salvador. Some are marked by confrontation and others have more conciliatory tone, but the majority are waiting for the results of this year's election. Blogger Hunnapuh collects some of these viewpoints.
El Salvador: Live Coverage of the Presidential Election
Many Salvadoran bloggers have been updating current developments [es] with the March 15 Presidential Elections using the Cover It Live tool.
El Salvador: Follow Presidential Election Twitter Account
Follow along with the Twitter account [es] dedicated to the March 15 Presidential elections in El Salvador using the hash tag #eleccion2009
Iran: Hopes, Doubts, Questions over Former President's Candidacy
Former reformist president Mohammad Khatami's announcement on 8 February that he will run in the 2009 Iranian presidential election, attracted a lot of attention in the virtual as well as the real world. Several bloggers shared their hopes, doubts, questions and concerns about Khatami who served between 1997 and 2005.
El Salvador: Final Week Before Elections
In the final week before the presidential elections in El Salvador, Hunnapuh provides some observations, including a comparison in the amount of money spent by the different campaigns [es].
Pakistan: Two Documentary Shorts
Wide Angle, the Emmy-award winning international current affairs documentary series from PBS published two documentary shorts “Vote for Benazir's Blood” and “You Cannot Hide from Allah” as a part of their Pakistan at polls series. Click on the titles to watch.
Haiti: On the Agenda
“Countless visitors profess a desire to improve life for Haitians and to promote democracy but they seldom deliver. That does not excuse the Haitian authorities and Haiti's bourgeoisie class who have kept Haitians living in extreme poverty”: Still, Wadner Pierre wonders “what visitors to Haiti really want for Haitians.”
Mexico: Gubernatorial Candidate's Website Similar to Obama's Website
MexaBlog [es] presents gubernatorial candidate Juan Blanco for the state of Chihuahua and whose website contains a striking resemblance to the website of Barack Obama during his presidential campaign.
‘Middle India’ can make a difference
Rajesh Jain at Emergic opines that the 400 million strong Middle India, whose voices are not heard and who do not get the focus of the politicians, can make a difference in the upcoming Indian Elections.
Iran: A blog to support Ahmadinejad
Jonbeshedavat blog is launched [fa] to invite Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to run in the next presidential election in June.
Antigua & Barbuda: Upcoming Election
Abeng News Magazine notices that “the first significant general election in the English-speaking Caribbean in the post Obama campaign era is showing that it has learnt a lesson from the great North” – using the power of the Internet to reach potential voters.
Haiti: Party Confusion
Wadner Pierre reports that as the election draws closer for twelve seats in the Haitian Senate, “the Fanmi Lavalas (FL) party (the electoral vehicle of the Lavalas movement) has divided into two factions” and he believes that the Provisional Electoral Council “must decide which faction has the better claim to...
Sudanese Bloggers React to ICC Arrest Warrant for President
It's been more than two days since The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir making him the first sitting head of state to be charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity. In this post, we delve into the reactions of the Sudanese blogosphere to this historic event.
Guinea-Bissau: Mixed feelings after double killing
The speaker of Guinea-Bissau's parliament has been sworn in as interim leader after the President Joao Bernardo Vieira and the army chief Batista Tagme Na Waie were assassinated. A presidential election must be organized within two months. The army has withdrawn from the streets, and bloggers have reported that life in the city has begun to return to normal, although many people remain very scared.
Jamaica: By the Bye
Girl With A Purpose thinks that Jamaican politicians should put their money where their mouth is and foot the cost of running by-elections themselves.
Romania: European Parliament Salaries
Kosmopolito reports: “On June 7, Romanians will go to the polls to vote for the 33 MEPs who will be representing them in Brussels for the next five years. […] Unlike the current MEPs, who get paid the same amount as the members of Parliament in their respective countries, the...
Estonia: From Business To Politics
Itching for Eestimaa writes about new approaches in Estonian politics: “And so in a few years time, the Estonian state may come to be run in a way that is not significantly different from how Swedbank or MTV Eesti has been run. I am not sure if that is a...
Armenia: First Anniversary of Bloody Post-Election Clash
Thousands took to the streets of Yerevan on Sunday to remember last year’s post-election unrest in Armenia which left eight civilians and two policemen dead. With some opposition activists still behind bars, Armenia’s government is widely accused of doing little to investigate the clashes properly.
