DRC ‘at a precipice’
Pro-democracy activists in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Lutte pour Le Changement (Lucha) movement have called for nationwide protests to demand that President Joseph Kabila steps down from power… Read more »
Category: Elections
Kremlin’s big win in Russian elections ‘may not be a victory’
Vladimir Putin cemented his supremacy over Russia’s political system when his ruling United Russia party took three quarters of the seats in parliament in a weekend election, paving the way… Read more »
Jordan election a ‘small step toward democratic reform’
Jordan‘s parliament election on Tuesday is being touted as proof that the pro-Western monarchy is moving forward with democratic reforms despite regional turmoil and security threats, AP’s Karin Laub writes:… Read more »
Election chief stakes career on Russia’s poll
Russia’s new election chief, whose notorious predecessor oversaw massive election fraud, on Thursday pledged to resign if there are widespread voting violations in the upcoming parliamentary vote, AP reports: Vote-rigging… Read more »
Can Jordan’s autocratic regime democratize?
A recent change of government and looming parliamentary elections brings Jordan, a vital U.S. ally, back into policy discussions, say analysts Sean Yom and Wael Al-Khatib. And, inevitably, pundits will… Read more »
Russia – poster child for electoral authoritarianism
Russia is the poster child for a type of governance termed electoral, or competitive, authoritarianism, analysts Erik C. Nisbet and Elizabeth Stoycheff write for The Washington Post: These autocratic governments… Read more »
Final days of chavismo? Venezuela protests test Maduro’s grip
Venezuela’s opposition mounted fresh nationwide protests Wednesday to push for a vote on driving President Nicolas Maduro from power in the crisis-stricken country, AFP reports: A week after a mass… Read more »
US investigating Russian plan to subvert November elections
U.S. intelligence and law enforcement agencies are investigating what they see as a broad covert Russian operation in the United States to sow public distrust in the upcoming presidential election… Read more »
ANC response to poll losses startles S. Africa
When South African voters last month handed the African National Congress its worst-ever losses, seemingly chastened party leaders said they would engage in “introspection.” They promised to reach out to… Read more »
Proscribing pollster, Kremlin ‘takes control of the narrative’
Russia’s only major independent pollster, the Levada Centre, has been designated as a “foreign agent”, the Russian Justice Ministry said on Monday, two weeks ahead of nationwide parliamentary elections. Foreign… Read more »