Tag: vote

Iceland votes for second time in turbulent year as economy booms

by Jeremie Richard Agence France Presse REYKJAVIK, Iceland (AFP) — Iceland on Saturday holds its second snap election in just a year after a slew of scandals ensnaring its politicians in a nation whose economy is thriving thanks to tourism. Prime Minister Bjarni Benediktsson of the conservative Independence Party called the vote last month after a junior member of the three-party centre-right coalition quit the government over a legal scandal involving the prime minister’s father. […]

Typhoon leaves five dead after lashing Japan on election day

  by Kyoko Hasegawa Agence France Presse TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — A powerful typhoon left five dead, one missing and scores injured in Japan Monday, moving northward off the Pacific coast after millions struggled to the polls for a national election. Authorities advised thousands living in coastal areas or near rivers to evacuate to shelters before Typhoon Lan, described as “very large and very strong”, hit Tokyo and surrounding regions early Monday morning. The typhoon […]

Argentina’s Macri wins crucial mid-term poll

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AFP) — Argentina’s President Mauricio Macri’s center-right coalition swept crucial midterm elections Sunday and emerged with a strengthened hand to carry through pro-market economic reforms, according to nearly completed count results. Ex-president Cristina Kirchner took a seat in the Senate, marking a return to the political stage she dominated for 12 years before stepping down in 2015, and guaranteeing herself parliamentary immunity from a string of corruption charges. “We did not win as a party; […]

Abe targets N. Korea after storming to ‘super-majority’ vote win

by Richard Carter/ Miwa Suzuki  © Agence France-Presse TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Prime Minister Shinzo Abe stormed to a landslide “super-majority” in snap Japanese elections, near complete projections showed Monday, with the hardline nationalist immediately pledging to “deal firmly” with North Korea. Abe’s conservative coalition is on track to win at least 312 seats with only a handful left to call, according to public broadcaster NHK, giving him a coveted two-thirds majority in the lower house of […]

Abe: Nationalist blueblood at home, shrewd diplomat abroad

by Shingo ITO Agence France Presse TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Shinzo Abe, on course to become Japan’s longest-serving leader after Sunday’s election win, is seen as a pragmatic and canny diplomat who has cozied up to Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin while pushing a nationalist agenda at home. Groomed for power from birth, the 63-year-old is often viewed as arrogant but has also shown a self-deprecating sense of humour, dressing up as video game icon […]

Government wins landslide in Venezuela state elections

CARACAS, Venezuela (AFP) — President Nicolas Maduro’s government won a landslide victory in closely watched regional elections in Venezuela on Sunday, according to official results that the opposition said were “suspicious.” Maduro’s socialist party won governorships of 17 of the 23 states with the opposition Democratic Union Roundtable (MUD) coalition taking only five, according to the results announced by the National Elections Council. The official turnout was 61.14 percent. Maduro said his government had scored an […]

Abe on course for landslide win in Japan vote: poll

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is on track for a landslide win in Japan’s upcoming election, the latest survey suggested Monday, as a new party founded by Tokyo’s popular governor loses momentum. Abe’s conservative Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) is projected to win as many as 303 of the 465 seats up for grabs in the October 22 election, according to a poll by the Mainichi Shimbun. Its junior coalition partner Komeito is […]

Merkel- Complicated times ahead

BERLIN, Germany (Reuters) — Germany’s conservative chancellor Angela Merkel may have won her fourth consecutive national election on Sunday (September 24), but she faces a huge challenge in trying to forge a three-way alliance between parties far apart on the political spectrum. Speaking to her supporters, Merkel said the coming weeks would not be easy. Despite winning most votes, Merkel’s bloc slumped to its worst result since 1949 and, just as significant in terms of […]

UK govt wins parliament vote to ease its Brexit agenda

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — After navigating the first hurdle of a key Brexit bill, British Prime Minister Theresa May on Tuesday won another parliamentary vote which will help prevent opposition MPs from blocking future legislation. MPs in the House of Commons voted by 320 to 301 in support of a government motion to guarantee that it holds the majority of places on public bill committees. The move by the ruling Conservative party was aimed […]

Rwanda’s Kagame in landslide poll win with around 98% of votes

by Stephanie AGLIETTI Agence France Presse KIGALI, Rwanda (AFP) — Rwandan President Paul Kagame sailed to a third term in office with a tally hovering around a whopping 98 percent of votes, partial results showed Saturday. There had been little doubt that the 59-year-old would return to the helm of the east African nation which he has ruled with an iron fist since the end of the 1994 genocide. With 80 percent of results counted, […]

Kagame poised for third-term win in Rwanda election

by Stephanie Aglietti Agence France Presse KIGALI, Rwanda (AFP) — Rwandans began voting Friday in a presidential election widely expected to return strongman Paul Kagame to office for a third term at the helm of the small east African nation. Across the country dubbed “the Land of a Thousand Hills,” voters trooped to polling stations covered in the blue, yellow and green colours of the national flag to cast their ballots in the third election […]

Venezuela braces for new protests after vote

by Maria Isabel Sanchez CARACAS, Venezuela (AFP) — Venezuela braced for new protests Monday after a controversial election for an assembly to rewrite the constitution unleashed a wave of unrest that left 10 people dead. Opponents of embattled President Nicolas Maduro vowed another day of nationwide marches, defying an intensifying crackdown on protests that have left more than 120 people dead in four months. Flouting international condemnation — including the threat of new sanctions by United States President […]