Stories about Politics from May, 2019
Indonesian General Election 2019: Unique events from the campaign trail
According to an Australian think-tank Lowy Institute, Indonesia has the distinction of holding the largest single-day elections in a democratic country.
Recent troubles rock the historical Kano Kingdom in northern Nigeria
The ancient Kingdom of Kano has thrived for centuries. Now, a political rivalry has led Kano's civilian governor to split the unified kingdom into five parts.
‘End of an era’ as Jamaica's former prime minister, Edward Seaga, dies
As complicated and divisive as he was beloved, there is no doubt that the late Edward Seaga left an indelible mark on Jamaican politics.
‘You can't run from the truth': Iconic art protests preface Kazakh presidential vote
A police state that once hungered after a shiny international image now seems resigned to painting itself as it really is.
Russia: Kommersant staff walk out in protest of censorship, triggering journalism ethics debate
The entire politics desk of Kommersant, several dozen people in total, has since resigned out of solidarity with their colleagues.
Right to Information: With its new law in place, will Ghana go the way of Nigeria?
Nearly two dozen African countries have passed Right to Information laws. But while strong in principle, many have faltered in practice.
Papua New Guinea PM pushes proposal for social media regulation, citing need to stop ‘fake news’
"The fact is you can't control platforms were information is circulated, attempts to do such undermines the role of democracy and freedom that is enshrined under the constitution."
30 years after the Tiananmen Massacre: The troubled history of the Goddess of Democracy
The Goddess of Democracy stood for five days in the Tiananmen Square in 1989 before the bloody massacre of June 4.
Russian website attempts to impersonate established news outlet covering the Balkans
"The purpose of publishing under the name Balkanist in Russian is to confuse readers at home, in Russia and elsewhere into questioning our sincerity, what and who we support."
North Macedonia vows to remedy injustices against NGOs, closes legal loopholes abused by former government
"NGOs were penalized and unjustly fined for mistakes they had not made," said Deputy Prime Minister Radmilla Šekerinska.
Afghanistan's ‘Art Lords’ on painting change at street level
"The common people like this work. The art is for them."
India's Lok Sabha 2019: Results are in after a weeks-long election process
People have taken to Twitter to vent out their anticipation. Many have taken the exit polls results to be completely reflective of the actual results and have started congratulating Narendra Modi.
Love wins: same-sex marriage law fully endorsed by Taiwan’s legislature
Taiwan is the first country in Asia to recognize same-sex marriage, now officially voted by the parliament. The first weddings are expected on May 24.
Angola cancelled a public tender after suspicions of fraud, indicating divisions in government
The company Telstar was created in January 2018 with capital stock of 200,000 Kwanza (600 US dollars), and the majority shareholder is the general Manuel João Carneiro.
Why are Colombian indigenous peoples protesting against President Ivan Duque?
Indigenous people in Colombia have organized national protests against President Duque's new development plan, joining forces with other civil society groups like afro-Colombians, small-scale farmers, labor unions and students.
Brazilians took to the streets to protest Bolsonaro's education cuts
From São Paulo to the Amazon, thousands of Brazilians went out on May 15 to defend public education.
30 years after the Tiananmen Massacre: An interview with survivor Zhou Fengsuo
"It is becoming more and more difficult to demand responsibility for June 4th. Do you still have any hope?"
Anti-Muslim attacks stoke tensions and incite fear amongst mourning Sri Lankans
On 12 May Sunday, anti-muslim violence started over a Facebook post by a Muslim trader in coastal Chilaw town in Puttalam District, North Western Province of Sri Lanka.
Facebook posts trigger more arrests in Bangladesh, worrying netizens
Two people were arrested on May 14 and 15, for comments they had posted on Facebook. The arrests have sparked indignation and concern on social media in Bangladesh.
Singapore parliament approves ‘anti-fake news’ law — will this curtail free speech?
The law gives broad, unchecked powers to government ministers to determine what online information is "false" and should thus be censored or corrected.
Dear European Commission: Don't let political parties use our data to manipulate the vote
Rather than protecting individuals’ rights, exceptions to the GDPR in some countries are limiting freedom of expression, eroding privacy, and abetting the spread of disinformation.
