Tag: vote

Tens of thousands march in Belarus capital despite crackdown

  by Tatiana Kalinovskaya Agence France Presse MINSK, Belarus (AFP) — Tens of thousands of opposition supporters marched through Minsk Sunday, calling for an end to strongman Alexander Lukashenko’s rule amid a heavy security presence and despite dozens of arrests. Belarus protests have entered a third week since the disputed presidential election on August 9 in which Lukashenko claimed victory. Opposition rival Svetlana Tikhanovskaya says she was the true winner, meanwhile. An AFP journalist and […]

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Trump gets Republican nomination and claims election being rigged

  by Brendan Smialowski with Sebastian Smith in Washington Agence France Presse CHARLOTTE, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump opened his bid for a second term after securing the Republican nomination Monday, with his party launching its national convention as the US president claims Democrats want to “steal” the election that polls currently show him losing. Minutes after the party completed the nomination vote confirming Trump as the candidate on November 3, he […]

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New Zealand opposition picks ‘Crusher’ to challenge Ardern

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AFP) — New Zealand’s opposition has installed a conservative veteran nicknamed “Crusher” as leader as it regroups for the daunting task of trying to oust Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in a September general election. The center-right National Party selected Judith Collins in a caucus vote late Tuesday, hours after her predecessor Todd Muller unexpectedly quit, saying the pressure of the role was too much. Collins is best known to New Zealanders for […]

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Malawi’s new president inaugurated, calls for national sacrifice

LILONGWE, Malawi (AFP) — Malawi’s new president Lazarus Chakwera called for national sacrifice to transform his country as he was inaugurated on Monday, completing a remarkable turnaround after losing last year’s election. That vote was annulled by Malawi’s top court over “widespread and systematic” irregularities and a re-run election was held on June 23. Chakwera, 65, comfortably beat Peter Mutharika with 58.5 per cent of the vote, marking the first time in African history that […]

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Malawi braces for historic presidential election re-run

by Jack McBRAMS LILONGWE, Malawi (AFP) — Malawi goes to the polls on Tuesday in a historic presidential re-run after a court overturned last year’s elections and ordered a fresh vote. Citing “grave” and “widespread” rigging, the country’s constitutional court ruled in February that President Peter Mutharika had not been duly elected, and mandated a new poll within 150 days. The landmark verdict, which reverberated across African politics, made Malawi the second country south of […]

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Japan ex-justice minister arrested in vote-buying scandal

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japanese prosecutors on Thursday arrested the country’s former justice minister — a close ally of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe — and his lawmaker wife over allegations of vote-buying during her electoral campaign last year. The scandal is the latest headache for Abe, who has seen his approval ratings sink over his handling of the coronavirus crisis and faced criticism over alleged attempts to name a favoured candidate to the role of […]

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Ex-North Korean diplomat wins parliamentary seat in South

SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — A former senior North Korean diplomat won a parliamentary seat in Seoul Thursday, becoming the first defector to be directly elected by South Korean voters. Thae Yong Ho, who was Pyongyang’s deputy ambassador to London before fleeing to the democratic South in 2016, shed a tear as he sang South Korea’s national anthem after his win was confirmed in the early hours. He stood for the main conservative opposition United […]

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South Koreans back Moon in pandemic poll

by Sunghee Hwang Agence France Presse SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — South Korean voters turned out in force Wednesday to back President Moon Jae-in’s handling of the coronavirus epidemic, putting on compulsory face masks and gloves to give his Democratic party a parliamentary majority according to exit polls. South Korea was among the first countries with a major virus outbreak to hold a national election since the global pandemic began, and a raft of safety […]

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South Koreans head to polls despite global pandemic

by Sunghee Hwang Agence France Presse SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — Temperature checks on voters, separate booths for those with fevers, and special polling times for the quarantined: South Koreans headed to the polls Wednesday with a big turnout expected despite the coronavirus threat. South Korea is among the first countries with a major virus outbreak to hold a national election since the global pandemic began, and a raft of safety measures were in place […]

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Sanders wins North Dakota caucus: US media

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders has won the Democratic presidential caucus in North Dakota, his first victory in a night of losses to frontrunner Joe Biden, US media reported Wednesday. NBC News and CNN said Sanders won with 53.3 percent of the vote to 39.8 for Biden, who earlier cemented a commanding lead in the overall race for the Democratic nomination with victories in Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri and Idaho. A sixth […]

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Biden racks up new primary wins over Sanders

by Michael Mathes DETRIOT, United States (AFP) — Joe Biden took another big step closer to clinching the Democratic nomination to challenge President Donald Trump, with wins projected Tuesday over leftist rival Bernie Sanders in Mississippi and Missouri, two of six states holding primaries. The Mississippi win, projected by US networks, confirmed crucial and overwhelming support from African American voters for Biden, the former vice president under the first black US president, Barack Obama. Results […]

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Indicted Netanyahu claims victory in Israel vote

by Joe Dyke JERUSALEM, Undefined (AFP) –Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed victory in Israel’s general election Monday, with exit polls putting the indicted premier in a strong position to form the next government. The election, Israel’s third in less than a year, was called after inconclusive votes in April and September plunged the Jewish state into political stalemate. The surveys conducted by three Israeli networks gave Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud party between 36 and 37 seats […]

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