Via the BBC: Haiti election valid despite ‘irregularities’, says OAS.
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By Steven L. Taylor
By Steven L. Taylor
And, in this case, the convergence of royal weddings and a referendum. Via the Daily Express: LIB DEMS FEAR ROYAL WEDDING DATE WILL SCUPPER VOTE REFORM FIGHT
By Steven L. Taylor
In the aftermath of the 1994 “Republican Revolution” there were a further handful of Democrats in the Congress that decided that being in the minority stinks, so went on to switch parties (Senators Richard Shelby of AL and Ben Nighthorse Campbell of CO come to mind). Now the same phenomenon is taking place in Alabama at the state level. I noted a few weeks back that the GOP finally captured control of the state legislature for the first time since Reconstruction. That victory has now lead to some Democrats to jump to the Republican Party (again: being in the minority stinks). Via the Montgomery Advertiser: Former Democrats bolster GOP power
By Steven L. Taylor
Via the BBC: Brazil votes for new president, Rousseff tipped to win. This is the second round of a two-round process, and Worker’s Party (PT) candidate Dilma Rousseff is the clear favorite after coming within shouting distance of an absolute majority in the first round. The other candidate is Jose Serra of the Social Democratic Party. Rouseff had a 14 point advantage over Serra in the first round. A win for Rousseff will mean a continuation in the presidency of the PT which has held the office for two terms (eight years) under President Lula da Silva. Rousseff will also be the first female president of Brazil and will join Latin American neighbors Argentina, Chile, Nicaragua and Panama as having had female presidents. By Steven L. Taylor
Via the BBC: Brazil presidential hopefuls clash in TV debate. Not that it is a surprise if one knows the politics of the region, but I was struck as to how much this could have been from a debate between US candidates:
Dilma Rousseff is the PT (Workers Party) candidate, and the favorite going into the second round. Jose Serra is the Social Democratic Party candidate.
The polls show:
By Steven L. Taylor
From me @ OTB: O’Donnell Uses Palin Playbook By Steven L. Taylor
From me @OTB: By Steven L. Taylor
Some post on the convergence of clowns and politics this week: From [email protected]: From the “You Can’t Make This Stuff Up” File Also from [email protected]: Speaking of Politics and Clowns… And, from Matthew Shugart: Grumpy about the Brazilian election By Steven L. Taylor
Via the BBC: Rousseff falls short of outright win in Brazil election
With a 14 gap between the top voter-getter and the second place finisher, the results of the final round are basically a foregone conclusion. This is certainly a good example of where the use of an instant run-off would have saved time and expense (or several other variations). There is little doubt that Rouseff is a shoe-in for final victory. As the BBC puts it:
In other, as I like to say, unless she shoot a man in Reno (or in this case, Rio) just to watch him die, she’s in. My question would be: who are the analysts not included in the “many” above who think that there is a chance of any other outcome? You can get our complete 642-832 exam pass resources including our latest 646-046 and 156-915.71 training courses. testking 642-637 and ccna security dumps are also playing vital role in IT world. By Steven L. Taylor
Via the BBC: Chavez foes advance in election
This is interesting for a variety of reasons. One is that there has not been a relevant opposition in some time in Venezuela, so it will be interesting to see if this outcome actually produces an active and significant bloc within the legislature. Along those lines it is worth noting that the opposition boycotted the 2005 elections, which instead of damaging the legitimacy of those elections simply gave the PSUV more power. The second noteworthy element here is that we do again see elections in Venezuela that appear to be genuine. This is not to say that there are not a variety of serious problems with the quality of democracy in Venezuela, but the fact of the matter remains it is not the simple autocracy that many like to paint it. I say this, by the way, as a critic and a skeptic regarding Hugo Chávez’s overall interest in democracy. I will further present the following caveat to the point in the previous paragraph: the issue of Venezuela’s qualified democracy and how it should be viewed, described, and evaluated is a more complicated issue that an early morning blog post can tackle. A few more things worth noting:
This will be interesting to watch, especially as it pertains to the question of whether especially dramatic legislation is passed. Also, the role of the electoral rules are of interest:
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