Ankara, Turkey | AFP | Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday rejected a challenge from the main opposition party’s presidential candidate to hold televised debates ahead of snap polls on June 24. Muharrem Ince, the Republican People’s Party (CHP) candidate running against Erdogan, earlier on Monday urged the president …
Read More »UN chief urges DR Congo to lift ban on demonstrations
United Nations, United States | AFP | UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday urged the Democratic Republic of Congo’s government to lift a ban on demonstrations that threatens to scupper chances for credible elections. The December 23 elections in the vast resource-rich country are to pave the way to a …
Read More »Dozens of casualties in blast at Afghan voter registration centre: officials
Khost, Afghanistan | AFP | A blast at a voter registration centre in Afghanistan’s restive east on Sunday killed or wounded at least 30 people, officials said, capping a bloody week in the war-torn country. The bomb had been placed in a tent being used to register voters on the …
Read More »When politicians are unrecognizable in campaign Posters
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | A female candidate for a local position in Taipei, Taiwan, recently became the butt of social media jokes, after people noticed that she looked nothing like the woman on her campaign posters. The difference between real-life Wang Zhiya and her depiction on campaign posters …
Read More »Iraq journalist who threw shoes at Bush stands for parliament
Baghdad, Iraq | AFP | The Iraqi journalist who grabbed headlines around the world by hurling his shoes at then US president George W. Bush is pitching for a seat in parliament at upcoming elections. “My ambition is to throw all the thieving politicians in prison, make them regret what …
Read More »Zimbabwe’s Mnangagwa launches election campaign
Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Friday called for his ruling ZANU-PF party to “humbly” appeal for votes as he launched his campaign ahead of elections expected in July. The election will be the first without Robert Mugabe in power since the country won independence from …
Read More »Burundi kicks off campaign for controversial referendum
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Burundi on Tuesday launched the official campaign for a referendum on constitutional change that could enable President Pierre Nkurunziza to stay in power for another 16 years. Twenty-six parties, most of them aligned with the ruling CNDD-FDD party, have been authorised to campaign for the …
Read More »On the backfoot, British PM braces for election test
London, United Kingdom | AFP | With Prime Minister Theresa May on the ropes over her Brexit strategy and immigration policy, Britain’s main opposition Labour Party hopes to deliver a further blow in local elections on Thursday. Labour is targeting traditional strongholds for May’s Conservatives such as Wandsworth, south London, …
Read More »Comoros president eyes controversial second term
Moroni, Comoros | AFP | Comoros President Azali Assoumani is considering announcing and contesting nationwide elections in 2019 if a controversial constitution-altering referendum is passed in July, one of his advisers said Monday. Assoumani is believed to be seeking to consolidate his power with the constitutional changes so that he …
Read More »Facebook privacy drive may crimp some political campaigns
Washington, United States | AFP | Facebook’s new focus on protecting private user data is likely to change the game for many campaigns, making it harder to deliver highly targeted, personal political messages. The changes unveiled by the huge social network following an outcry over the hijacking of data on …
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