International Elections Roundup

While IPR does not regularly cover international politics, this article includes parties which occasionally receive coverage here including the Irish Green Party and the Movimiento Libertario in Costa Rica.

Latin America

Costa Rica: The rise of the opposition bloc in the legislature (a coalition of opposition parties recently took control from the ruling PLN) has reached a consensus on an investigation of the Movimiento Libertario (ML). The government recently raided the party’s offices in connection to claims that the party financed its 2009 presidential campaign with money from illegal online gambling sources. The ML recently left its alliance with the PLN to join the opposition bloc, and its deputies have agreed to let the investigation proceed. The 2009 candidate for President, Otto Guevara, is expected to be a frontrunner in the next presidential election.

Peru: Many fear the outcome of the presidential runoff on June 5th. The candidates are Keiki Fujimori, the daughter of overthrown dictator Alberto Fujimori and Ollanta Humala, a leftist who was once endorsed by Hugo Chavez and supported an economic program similar to that of Venezuela in his previous run for office. Both candidates have been accused of human rights violations. It appears their runoff berths were secured due to the fragmentation of centrist voters between three prominent candidates in the first round.

Middle East

Turkey: With national elections approaching June 12th, a flurry of media has descended upon the race. The Justice and Development Party (AKP) of Prime Minister Erdogan, a relatively fundamentalist party, seems to retain the largest share of support with the Kemalist CHP and nationalist MHP further behind. However, the big story to watch here is what happens in the Kurdish southeast, where the old pan-Islamic sympathy for the AKP seems to be dissipating. Continuing violent conflict between the Kurdish PKK and the government may undermine the legitimacy of polls here.

Iran: President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has been engaged in a power struggle with conservative clergy skeptical of his nationalism and messianic form of Islam. They have particularly targeted Ahmadinejad’s chief of staff Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, who some believe may run for President in 2013, as corrupt and a sorcerer. The attacks sparked a chain of political defeats for Ahmadinejad. Now, Ayatollah Khamenei has intervened and publicly endorsed Ahmadinejad.

Europe

Ireland: Talk about a weakened party. The Irish Green Party, which imploded in the last elections after once being part of the governing coalition, has elected a new leader. His name is Eamon Ryan, a former TD (the equivalent of an MP or member of Parliament in Britain). How far has the party fallen? They cannot even afford to pay Ryan a salary.

Italy: Silvio Berlusconi lost big in local elections Sunday and Monday. The opposition retained control of the mayorship in Naples and seized power in Milan, long a conservative stronghold for Berlusconi and his allies. Some pundits are reading this as a sign of disgruntlement with the embattled Prime Minister from voters.

Spain: After suffering massive defeats in the last local elections, Spain’s Socialists have named Deputy Prime Minister Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba to stand as the party’s candidate for Prime Minister in upcoming national elections.

Africa

Tunisia: Elections here have now been delayed from the original July to October by the country’s independent electoral committee. Many political parties and the interim government are not supportive of the change, and talks continue to determine the finalized date.

Nigeria: This article tells the fascinating story of Steve Ugbah, an American university professor who returned to his native Nigeria to run for Governor of the state of Benue. He was arrested after claiming election fraud in the contest.

Zimbabwe: A long-known problem with voter rolls has been given some numbers by one the Institute of Security Strategies in South Africa. Among other findings, their report found the voter rolls include about 40,000 voters over 100 years old- 4x the number found in Great Britain.

Asia

Phillippines: If elections for destabilized Mindanao take place on the planned August 8th, they will have to be done manually. Debates over delaying the election delayed the acquisition of electronic voting machines. This is bad news in a region with somewhat illegitimate and violent elections already.

Japan: A new poll shows over half of Japanese votes want Prime Minister Kan out, at least after the nuclear crisis subsides. Opposition lawmakers plan to submit a vote of no confidence in parliament soon. Meanwhile, the Finance Minister claims that Kan will call a new election if the government moves toward increasing the consumption tax.

Thailand: With elections coming up in July, the ruling party has decided it is time to tackle rising food and fuel prices. Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has pledged to increase wages and cap the prices of food and diesel as the Bank of Thailand increases interest rates to combat inflation. The country faced electoral instability and violence after the coup of Thaksin Shinawatra in 2006. While he is in exile, his sister leads the opposition Pheu Thai Party.