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BARCELONA, Spain (AFP) — Catalan separatist parties looked set to win back their absolute majority in a crucial vote Thursday, though anti-independence Ciudadanos had scored the best individual result, a partial count showed. Together, the pro-independence Together for Catalonia, leftist ERC and radical left CUP parties were on course to take 70 seats — an absolute majority in a 135-seat parliament. Those results at 2120 GMT were based on a count of just over 65 percent of […]
by Marianne Barriaux Agence France Presse BARCELONA, Spain (AFP) — Catalans take their independence struggle to the polls Thursday in a hotly-contested election that could mark a turning point for their region just two months after a secession bid ended in failure. The vote pits leaders of the wealthy northeastern region’s separatist movement against parties that want to remain in Spain, and opinion polls suggest both sides’ leading candidates are neck-and-neck. Will voters again hand […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US Senator John McCain will miss a key vote on the Republican tax bill, further narrowing the already-thin margin of support for the controversial measure, US media reported Sunday. The legislation, which will slash corporate taxes as well as cutting those for individuals, has been criticized as primarily benefiting the wealthy. The measure is President Donald Trump’s last shot at a major legislative accomplishment in his first year in office. […]
SANTIAGO, Chile (AFP) — Chilean voters will decide their next president on Sunday in a run-off election whose outcome is far from certain after an unexpectedly strong surge for the left. Sebastian Pinera, a conservative billionaire former president who ruled from 2010-2014, is trying for a comeback to succeed center-left incumbent leader Michelle Bachelet, who is constitutionally excluded from standing again. But his plan could be upset by Alejandro Guillier, a senator and veteran TV presenter who […]
CARACAS, Venezuela (AFP) — Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro announced Sunday that leading opposition parties will be barred from taking part in next year’s presidential vote after they boycotted mayoral polls, in a move set to further consolidate his grip on power. That includes the groups of key figures who have led street protests against his rule such as Henrique Capriles, Leopoldo Lopez and others, Maduro told reporters after casting his vote in the municipal polls. “That’s what […]
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AFP) — Thousands of Hondurans took to the streets in protest against “electoral fraud” Sunday, as vote counting resumed a week after President Juan Orlando Hernandez and opposition candidate Salvador Nasralla went head to head in the polls. Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) president David Mataramos announced a review of 1,006 votes presenting inconsistencies — despite the opposing Alliance Against the Dictatorship calling for 5,173 votes to be scrutinized. “We feel that the Honduran […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga sharply criticized the role of Western diplomats and election observers in the recent presidential vote and warned Thursday that the country is moving toward “outright dictatorship.” Odinga boycotted the presidential election held in September and has termed it a “sham.” Incumbent Uhuru Kenyatta secured 98 percent of the vote. Eight days before the election, “the chairman of the electoral commission publicly, on live television, said he was not […]
MONROVIA, Liberia (AFP) — Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf said Tuesday that democracy was “under assault” in her nation as several political parties accuse the electoral commission of fraud, delaying the selection of her successor. A runoff vote also due on Tuesday was supposed to represent Liberia’s only democratic transfer of power in seven decades, securing Sirleaf’s legacy as she steps down after 12 years, but the process has now been indefinitely delayed. “At this moment our […]
by Hazel Ward Agence France-Presse NAIROBI, Kenya (AFP) — Kenya was once again left waiting Tuesday, as embattled opposition leader Raila Odinga prepared to lay out his strategy following a boycott of last week’s protest-hit elections that handed President Uhuru Kenyatta a landslide win. Thursday’s contest saw Kenyatta winning a decisive victory with 98 percent of the vote, hailing the result as a vindication of his victory in an initial August poll which was later overturned by […]
by Tristan McConnell with Nicolas Delaunay in Kisumu Agence France-Presse NAIROBI, Kenya (AFP) — At least four people were killed Thursday in clashes over Kenya’s election re-run, prompting officials to delay the vote in four counties and further tarnishing the credibility of a deeply divisive poll. As counting began after a day marked by bloodshed and poor voter turnout, President Uhuru Kenyatta was heading for a landslide victory after his rival Raila Odinga pulled out. But estimated […]
by Hazel Ward with Nicolas Delaunay in Kisumu Agence France-Presse NAIROBI, Kenya (AFP) — A divided Kenya heads to the polls on Thursday in a bitterly disputed presidential re-run that has sparked fears both at home and abroad for the stability of the east African powerhouse. It will be the second time in three months that Kenyans vote after the August victory of President Uhuru Kenyatta was overturned by the Supreme Court in an unprecedented ruling that unleashed […]
SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Twitter on Tuesday announced steps to make it easier to see who is behind political ads and who they are targeting as social media giants try to thwart skullduggery. The moves include launching an online center with details about advertisers and their messages, according to general manager of revenue and product engineering Bruce Falck. Twitter also plans to adopt stricter ad policies and improve controls, amid heightened scrutiny […]
