Stories about Politics from March, 2012
Senegal and Neighboring Nations Celebrate Peaceful Elections
An historical ending to a tense electoral period took place in Senegal on March 25. Senegalese celebrate peaceful elections which have permitted the political alternative to express itself. Citizens from Senegal and neighboring countries have voiced their approval, and in some cases, envy.
Hong Kong: Citizens Say No to Undemocratic City Mayor Election
Among the 1,200 Hong Kong Chief Executive Election Committee members, 689 elected Leung Chun-ying to be Hong Kong's next city mayor on March 25. When the result was released, thousands of demonstrators protested against Beijing's manipulation of the election process.
Slovenia: Family Code Referendum (and Other “Election Season” Updates)
Sleeping With Pengovsky has been covering Slovenia's referendum on the Family Code (here and here), the mayoral by-elections, and the upcoming presidential election.
Pakistan: Demand for Independence of Sindh
A freedom march organized by one of the biggest Sindhi nationalist parties, has drawn a huge crowd in Karachi city. The news was either blocked or under-reported in most of the Pakistani mainstream Urdu media channels.
Chile: Blogging About Government Transparency in ‘El Vaso’
Ciudadano Inteligente, an organization that aims to make Chilean politics more transparent, has created a blog titled ‘El Vaso’ [es] to inform and promote a discussion about technology and government transparency. Readers are invited to contribute [es] content.
Algeria: 2012 Election Watchdog launched by Internet Activists
With the upcoming Algerian Legislative Election scheduled for May 10, 2012, one of the many elections taking place in 2012 [fr] within the continent of Africa, a collaborative website called Nahrag [ar] has just been launched by internet activists. Putting the case for more transparency in an election threatened with...
Argentinians Ask to #Freethebooks
The coming into force of a resolution that restricts the importation of books has caused a new controversy. Here we bring together reactions that Argentinians have been sharing in recent days on their blogs and on Twitter with the hashtag #liberenloslibros (#freethebooks).
Cuba: Who will the Pope Support?
Pope Benedict XVI arrived in Santiago de Cuba on Monday, the second visit by a Supreme Pontiff of the Catholic Church to the island in 14 years. The web, especially Twitter, has become a battleground for dissidents and government supporters.
Armenia: US Ambassador urges free, fair and credible elections
Ambassador Heffern's Video Blog's comments on the upcoming parliamentary elections in Armenia. Posted on the U.S. Embassy's YouTube Channel, the American diplomat stresses the need for free and fair elections, details some of the changes introduced in the electoral code, and urges the government, opposition and civil society to ensure...
Macedonia, Kazakhstan: Triumphal Arches to Celebrate 20 Years of Independence
The leaders of Kazakhstan and Macedonia have chosen the same architectural devices - triumphal arches - to mark the two decades of their states' divorce from the larger unions. Filip Stojanovski reports on how the Skopje arch, known as Porta Makedonija, is viewed by the local netizens.
Russia: Kenyans at Pro-Putin Rally Identified As Moscow Circus Acrobats
A month ago, the video of a group of anonymous Kenyan men, who allegedly participated in a pro-Putin rally, received much attention on the RuNet. One blogger recognized the Kenyans as the acrobats who had been brought to Moscow by the Russian circus authorities, to hone their skills and have them later perform here.
Trinidad & Tobago: Divisive Politics
The Eternal Pantomime is critical of what she considers to be divisive politics on the part of the ruling government, which “has also sought to promulgate the good old colonial stand-by practice of divide and rule to ensure that it keeps its party base solidly behind it and in support of all...
Trinidad & Tobago: Bloggers Question Relevance of “Congress of the People”
The Congress of the People began as a break-away party from the United National Congress, but the two entities came together to contest the 2010 parliamentary elections - and won. But with the recent defection of San Fernando Mayor Marlene Coudray to the UNC camp, two political bloggers in Trinidad and Tobago are questioning the continued viability of the Congress of the People as a separate entity.
Senegal: The Provisional Tally of the Presidential Elections
The provisional tally of the second round of the presidential elections were published on March 27: The incumbent candidate Abdoulaye Wade is projected to have obtain 999,556 votes which is about 34.2% of the votes. Macky Sall was elected with about 1,909,244 votes which amount to 65.8%. The percentage of...
Philippines: Government Fails to Stop ‘Noynoying’
What started as a substitute to the now banned planking protests is now the latest hit sensation in the Philippines. Filipino netizens discuss how and why the 'Noynoying' protest has gained its present popularity despite efforts by the government to stop it.
Armenia: Ushahidi deployed for parliamentary elections
Georgia was the first country in the South Caucasus to deploy a bespoke crowd-sourcing and crisis mapping platform for its local elections in May 2010, but Armenia will be the first to use Ushahidi to monitor the conduct of national elections in the form of the upcoming May 2012 parliamentary...
Tunisia: Bloggers Help Draft the Constitution
On October 23rd, 2011, Tunisians elected an assembly to draft its new constitution, following the toppling of the Ben Ali regime. Now, five months later, the assembly has just started studying the draft proposals. Yet, disagreements about the first article of the constitution is slowing down the work of the assembly and Islam and the Arab identity are at the heart of debates nationwide. Netizens are chipping in to help bridge the gap.
Syria: A Year On, From Beirut With Love
On March15, the Syrian revolution completed its first year with the same level of determination that marked its beginning. Protests in different cities around the world expressed their support to the revolution while Beirut wanted to announce its support in its own way. This post explains how activists expressed their love to the Syrian revolution on Beirut walls.
Egypt: The Abou Ismail Poster Frenzy
Preparations are in full swing for the presidential elections in Egypt, set for May 23 and 24, 2012, with candidates' election posters already up on the streets. But when it comes to Hazem Salah Abou-Ismail, he sure beats all the rest in the poster frenzy. His posters are almost seen almost everywhere. Netizens grasp the opportunity to make fun of the poster bonanza.
Kuwait: Could a Hash Tag Send Twitter Users to Prison?
As in any country with netizens using Twitter, hash tags are created every day, every hour and somne times even every few minutes. In Kuwait, one user created a hash tag #بطارية (battery in Arabic) and all hell broke loose. Kuwaiti blogger Abdullatif AlOmar tells us why.
Ghana: #GhanaDecides Launched
Ghana Decides is a BloggingGhana initiative meant to introduce NGOs, Civil Society Organisations, students (especially first time voters), political groups and the general Ghanaian public to the importance and benefit of use of social media tools in elections in Ghana.
