Russia on Friday welcomed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s “decisive” victory after he claimed re-election with a landslide win in a vote criticised by the opposition and Western nations. “A decisive victory was won by the incumbent head of state,” the foreign ministry said in a statement. “We view the elections as a sovereign affair of […]
vote
ECP says vote recount in NA-249 to continue despite ‘boycott’
Karachi: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Thursday said the vote recounting in the NA-249 constituency will continue despite a boycott by major political parties, a private TV channel reported. According to the chief election commissioner, the ECP is bound to recount only the votes that were polled and rejected, the ECP clarified. Despite the […]
Australia promises national vote on recognition of indigenous people by 2022
Australia will hold a national vote within three years on whether to include recognition of indigenous people in its constitution, the government said on Wednesday, an issue that has spurred decades of often heated debate. Australia has struggled to reconcile with descendants of its first inhabitants, who arrived on the continent about 50,000 years before […]
German town backs Merkel’s CDU, rejects AfD in vote for mayor
Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives on Sunday won a run-off vote for mayor in a small town in the east of the country, beating the far-right, anti-immigration Alternative for Germany party. The vote in Goerlitz, a town with cobbled streets that has become a favourite location for Hollywood film directors, is seen as a pointer for […]
Egypt vote firms up El-Sisi rule as regional unrest flares
As mass protests rock other Arab countries, a snap referendum in Egypt has gone against the grain and cemented President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi’s rule for years to come. The three-day ballot saw constitutional changes sail through that allow the former military chief to stay in power until 2030, boost his control over the judiciary and […]
Far-right Vox party stirs swing vote talk as Spain’s election looms
Spain’s Vox party, aligned to a broader far-right movement emerging across Europe, has become the focus of speculation about shifts in voting intentions since official polling for Sunday’s national election ended four days ago. No single party is anywhere near securing a majority, and chances of a deadlocked parliament and a second election are high. […]
Why I, a Kashmiri, did not vote
There was a time I craved the right to vote, to choose my destiny. Today, I am told I have the right to vote in elections both for the state legislature and the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Indian parliament. All I have to do is register as an Indian. I refuse to […]
Women’s temple ban debate rages in India flashpoint vote
Voters in a flashpoint constituency in southern India went to the polls Tuesday after a campaign dominated by the fallout from the controversial decision to allow women to enter a Hindu temple. The district of Pathanamthitta in the state of Kerala includes the Sabarimala Hindu temple, where two women finally defied a longstanding ban on […]
Egypt bucks trend with vote to extend El-Sisi rule
In a referendum bucking the trend of the region’s mini-Arab Spring, Egyptians are to start voting Saturday on constitutional amendments that extend President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi’s rule until at least 2024. The vote running from April 20-22 was officially announced on Wednesday, a day after parliament overwhelmingly approved the changes extending presidential terms from four […]
Halal ink, giant ballots ready for Indonesian vote
Nearly 193 million Indonesians are eligible to vote in presidential and legislative elections on Wednesday. President Joko Widodo, the first Indonesian president from outside the Jakarta elite, is competing against Prabowo Subianto, a former special forces general from the era of authoritarian rule under military dictator Suharto. Some election facts and figures: By the numbers […]