Global Geopolitics & Political Economy / IPS By Jim Lobe* WASHINGTON, Jun 6, 2011 (IPS) – The United States should seek cooperative relations with Peruvian President-elect Ollanta Humala, a number of Andean specialists urged here Monday. "Humala all along has said he wants to maintain good relations with the U.S. government, and he sent nothing [...]
Taiwanese Ponder Democracy Deficit
May 29, 2011 By
Global Geopolitics & Political Economy / IPS By Dennis Engbarth TAIPEI, May 29, 2011 (IPS) – A coalition of Taiwan social activists has warned that the island country’s democracy is now in a state of ”stagnation” after three years of government under the Chinese Nationalist Party (Kuomintang or KMT) administration of President Ma Ying-jeou. During [...]
TAIWAN: East Asia May Get its First Woman President
May 3, 2011 By
Global Geopolitics & Political Economy / IPS By Dennis Engbarth TAIPEI, May 3, 2011 (IPS) – Taiwan may become the first country in East Asia with a female head of state if opposition Democratic Progressive Party Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen wins the island country’s fifth presidential election next Jan. 14. "Gender equality in Taiwan is fairly [...]
NIGERIA: Uneasy Finale to General Elections
April 26, 2011 By
Global Geopolitics & Political Economy / IPS By Mustapha Muhammad KANO, Apr 25 (IPS) – Nigerians will return to the polls Tuesday to elect state legislators and governors. Government at this level plays a key role in delivering services and infrastructure, but in northern states the choice of credible leaders could be overshadowed by lingering [...]
ELECTIONS-PERU: Humala and Fujimori in Final Stretch
April 11, 2011 By
Global Geopolitics & Political Economy / IPS By Ángel Páez LIMA, Apr 11, 2011 (IPS) – If retired military officer Ollanta Humala wins the Jun. 5 presidential runoff in Peru, he will have to govern with a highly fragmented Congress. And if lawmaker Keiko Fujimori triumphs, her most notable move may be the release of [...]
/UPDATE*/Violence Threatens Nigerian Elections
April 5, 2011 By
Global Geopolitics & Political Economy / IPS By Sam Olukoya LAGOS, Apr 4 (IPS) – Nigeria’s staggered general elections have been postponed after the Independent National Electoral Commission was unable to deliver voting materials to polling stations in time. Campaigning for the polls was overshadowed by pre-election violence including bombings and gun attacks on campaign [...]
‘Democratic’ Poll Cloaks Kazakh Autocracy
April 5, 2011 By
Global Geopolitics & Political Economy / IPS By Robin Forestier-Walker * Credit: Robin Forestier-Walker/Al Jazeera ASTANA, Apr 4, 2011 (IPS/Al Jazeera) – Kazakhstan’s nine million registered voters went to the polls Apr. 3. Incumbent Nursultan Nazarbayev is not expected to lose. Observers have already given the country’s election commission poor marks for allowing a questionable [...]
SRI LANKA: Latest Elections Reinforce Status Quo
March 31, 2011 By
Global Geopolitics & Political Economy / IPS By Amantha Perera COLOMBO, Mar 30, 2011 (IPS) – The latest elections in Sri Lanka serve as yet another reminder that despite all its follies, President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s government is unshakable. In the Mar. 17 elections for 234 local government bodies, the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) led [...]
ZAMBIA: Young Voters Push Grassroots Issues to the Fore
March 22, 2011 By
Global Geopolitics & Political Economy / IPS By Lewis Mwanangombe Lusaka, Mar 22, 2011 (IPS) – Concina Haajila was only a year old in 1991 when Zambia turned from 27 years of autocracy and dictatorship to political pluralism and democratic governance. During the past 20 years she and millions of her peers have grown to [...]
High Turnout Marks ‘Orderly’ Egypt Vote
March 20, 2011 By
Global Geopolitics & Political Economy / IPS By Evan Hill * CAIRO, Mar 20, 2011 (IPS/Al Jazeera) – Long lines, orderly queues and a mostly calm and jubilant atmosphere marked Egypt’s first nationwide vote since a popular uprising forced Hosni Mubarak, Egypt’s long-time president, to step down in February, leaving the country without a constitution [...]
