#GERMANY: Berlin Court Orders Re-Do Of City's 2021 Elections

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Berlin’s constitutional court has ruled that elections for the state parliament as well as all 12 district councils must be repeated, according to a spokesperson for the court.

The ruling confirms a preliminary assessment by the judges that numerous electoral errors could have affected the distribution of mandates and thus the composition of the city-state’s parliament, the Tagesspiegel newspaper reported.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#HONGKONG: Former Student Leader Arrested For Sharing Facebook Post

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Former Hong Kong student leader Owen Au was arrested by the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) at 7 a.m. on Tuesday for allegedly violating the Elections (Corrupt and Illegal Conduct) Ordinance, according to HKFP sources.

Over seven months ago, Au shared a post by self-exiled democrat and former lawmaker Ted Hui on Facebook, which encouraged the public to cast blank votes in the first “patriots only” Legislative Council election last December.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#HONDURAS: Winner Finally Declared In November 38 Election

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The National Electoral Council of Honduras announced the victory of the Freedom and Refoundation Party (Free) in the parliamentary elections held on November 28. 

With the triumph, the political force of the elected president Xiomara Castro it managed to significantly increase its representation in Parliament but will not have a majority.

Xiomara Castro’s party got 50.2% of the votes. Second was the ruling candidate (National Party), Nasry Asfura with 36.3% of the votes.

The ruling party will have 50 deputies in the 128 member unicameral assembly, 20 more than in the current period.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#LIBYA: Parliamentary Committee Delays Elections Until Jan. 24

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Libya’s electoral board has suggested that this week’s presidential election should be postponed by a month to January 24.

The statement by the High National Electoral Commission (HNEC) on Wednesday came after a parliamentary committee tasked with overseeing the electoral process said it was “impossible” to hold the first round of presidential polls on Friday, as originally scheduled.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#CANADA: Conservative Senator Seeks "Review" Of Party Leader O'Toole

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Conservative Saskatchewan Senator Denise Batters is calling on the Conservatives to hold a review of Erin O’Toole’s leadership within the next six months.

In a video statement, Batters launched a petition for Conservative members to seek a referendum on O’Toole’s leadership, accusing him of causing division within the party. 

“On behalf of Conservative activists and members from coast to coast, we started this petition because we don’t want to see the party ripped apart again,” said Batters.

Batters excited the poor results of the 44th general election held earlier this year in which Prime Minister Justin Trudeau won re-election. O'Toole has come under fire for running on "moderate" positions during the campaign, such as supporting a carbon tax.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#CZECHREPUBLIC: Three Parties Form Coalition Gov't

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The Czech Republic gained a new government Monday after two party coalitions that garnered a sizeable chunk of votes in the country's parliamentary election last month signed a power-sharing deal.

A three-party, liberal-conservative coalition dubbed Together, composed of the Civic Democratic Party, Christian Democrats and the TOP 09 party, led the election with a 27.8% share of the vote.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#QATAR: Amir Appoints Two Women To Legislature

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Two women have been appointed to Qatar's legislative assembly, two weeks after an election selected 30 members, all men.

Qatar’s Amir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, appointed the remaining 15 Shura Council members, completing the country’s legislative body.

The amir also issued a decree inviting the Shura Council to hold its first ordinary session on 26 October.

According to the list released by the Qatar News Agency, the new Shura Council will include two women.

The decision was made almost two weeks after eligible citizens voted in 30 members of the Shura Council in the country’s first-ever judicial body.

The Shura Council, consisting of 45 members, has now been concluded. Thirty were elected, and 15 now appointed. Two hundred thirty-three candidates across 30 districts ran in which there was a high voter turnout (63.5%).

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#JAPAN: PM Dissolves Parliament For Oct 31 Snap Election

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Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida dissolved parliament Thursday for a general election on Oct. 31, as the lower house comes to the end of its four-year term. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its junior coalition partner, Komeito, are seeking to maintain their dominance in the Diet despite political headwinds.

Kishida, elected as LDP leader last month, has said that the goal of the coalition is to retain a simple majority. While it may lose seats, the party hopes a fresh face will lift the party's public support even as the economy remains sluggish amid the COVID pandemic.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#GERMANY: Social Democrats Open Coalition Talks With Left-Leaning Parties

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Nearly a month after Germany's federal election, official coalition talks finally got underway on Thursday. Leading figures from the center-left Social Democrats (SPD), business-focused Free Democrats (FDP) and the Greens met in Berlin in the hopes of forming a government as soon as possible.

With divergent platforms and a promise to have a new government before Christmas, the Social Democrats, Greens and business-focused Free Democrats have their work cut out for them.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#IRAQ: Shi'ite Party Wins Majority In Parliamentary Election

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Turnout in Iraq's parliamentary election earlier this month reached 43%, the nation's electoral commission said, a small increase from preliminary results but lower than that in the last election in 2018.

More than 9.6 million people cast their ballots in the Oct. 10 vote, the commission said.

Populist Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr said his movement secured the biggest number of seats in the parliament adding that he would not challenge the results.

He led an insurgency against American forces after the war that deposed Saddam Hussein.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#CANADA: NDP Leader Says Party May Withhold Votes From Liberals

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Fresh off national elections that left the ruling Liberal Party in the minority, relying on other parties to get its legislation through Parliament, Canadian New Democratic Party Leader Jagmeet Singh is signalling a tougher approach to co-operation with the Liberal government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Singh says his caucus is prepared to “withhold votes” if Trudeau presses ahead with legislation it does not agree with.

The NDP is the fourth largest party in Parliament after the election, with 25 seats. Trudeau's liberals say they are seeking to work with other parties like the Greens to get their agenda passed.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#RUSSIA: Opposition Communist Party Protests Duma Election's Use Of Online Voting

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More than 1,000 Russian demonstrators, angered by the official tally from online voting during last week's parliamentary elections, defied warnings from authorities on September 25 to protest in central Moscow.

The protest was organized by several Russian politicians, most of them Communists, who said they were cheated of victory by an online voting system.

Calling for the online voting system to be scrapped, the protesters held up posters with slogans, such as "bring back the elections."

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#GERMANY: Merkel Era Ends As Social Democrats Win Election

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Germany's center-left Social Democrats (SPD) have claimed victory in the federal election, telling the party of outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel it should no longer be in power.

SPD leader Olaf Scholz said he had a clear mandate to form a government, while his conservative rival Armin Laschet remains determined to fight on.

The two parties have governed together for years. But Scholz says it is time for a new coalition with the Greens and liberals.

Such a coalition is likely to continue dismantling Germany's nuclear and coal fired plants in favor of arguably less reliable renewable energy sources.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#CANADA: Conservatives Debate O:Toole's Future After Election Loss

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Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole's failure to end Justin Trudeau's government is inspiring some frustrated partisans to call for his replacement.

O'Toole promised to make inroads in the Greater Toronto Area and fell well short of the mark; the party actually lost seats in this vote-rich region. O'Toole's attempt to shift the party closer to the political centre also alienated some more right-wing small-c conservative supporters — some of whom voted for the People's Party of Canada (PPC).

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#CANADA: Trudeau Re-Elected, Will Lead Minority Gov't

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Justin Trudeau’s Liberals won a third straight election on Monday, but fell short of the majority they sought in the snap vote and will return to government with what will effectively be a status quo Parliament.

The Liberal victory left Erin O’Toole’s leadership of the Conservative Party in jeopardy. The Tory leader rose to the helm of the party last year promising to deliver in seat-rich Ontario but he struggled in the campaign with questions on how he would handle the pandemic and wavered on key platform pledges.

The People's Party of Maxime Vernier also failed to take off, despite crippling lockdowns that angered many Canadians.

As of Tuesday morning, the Liberals were leading or elected in 158 ridings, the Conservatives were at 119, the Bloc Québécois at 34, the NDP at 25 and the Green Party was at two seats.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#CANADA: Gender & Equality Minister Loses Seat, Called Taliban "Our Brothers"

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A Liberal Party cabinet minister who had called the Taliban "our brothers" in a news conference lost her seat in Parliament in Monday's election.

Conservative candidate Michelle Ferreri is now projected to defeat Liberal Minister Maryan Monsef, after 130 polls being counted.

The now-former Liberal Minister for Gender Equality received major backlash after she referred to the Taliban as "our brothers" during a press conference providing updates on the situation in Afghanistan, just days after the election was called.

Monsef, an Afghan Canadian, said: "I want to take this opportunity to speak to our brothers the Taliban; we call on you to ensure the safe and secure passage of any individual in Afghanistan out of the country. We call on you to immediately stop the violence, the genocide, the femicide, the destruction of infrastructure, including heritage buildings."

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#GERMANY: Social Democrat Leader Scholz Holds Lead After Strong Debate Performance

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Who will succeed Angela Merkel as Germany's chancellor? The candidates to become Germany’s next leader faced off in a TV debate, and Social Democrat Olaf Scholz produced a solid performance to maintain his hold as the front-runner. 

Early snap polls suggested that Scholz did enough in the three-way debate to maintain a slim but solid lead over his rivals in the final debate of the election campaign. 

Just moments after the 90-minute debate ended on Germany's public broadcasters, an Infratest dimap poll found that 41% of the 1,500 viewers asked found Scholz the most convincing, a long way ahead of the Christian Democratic Union's (CDU) candidate Armin Laschet and the Green party's Annalena Baerbock, on 27% and 25% respectively. 

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#CANADA: Trudeau Defends Calling Election During Pandemic

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Responding to critics, Liberal Party Leader Justin Trudeau said he “absolutely” does not regret calling the federal election during the COVID-19 pandemic, and he pledged to be “ferocious” in the last week of the campaign, as his main competitor, Erin O’Toole, pitched a changed Conservative Party ready to earn voters’ trust.

The leaders began their final bids for votes on Friday, a day after the last leaders’ debate and with just 10 days to the Sept. 20 election.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#MOROCCO: Half Of Registered Voters Head To Polls

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Moroccan voters have headed to the polls to choose a new parliament and local leaders in elections that have been reshaped by the pandemic, amid widespread disillusionment with the political system. Only about half of registered voters appeared at polling stations.

About 18 million people cast their ballots on Wednesday, the third time since a new constitution was introduced in 2011 in the wake of the February 20th Movement, the local version of the Arab Spring.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#CANADA: Conservatives Open 5-Point Lead Over Trudeau's Liberals

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The Conservative Party has opened a five-point lead and Party Leader Erin O’Toole has surpassed Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau in popularity among voters, giving the Conservatives clear momentum going into the holiday weekend, according to nightly tracking conducted by Nanos Research for CTV News and the Globe and Mail.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.