Page 20 - Election

Ecuador arrests 6 in prez candidate Villavicencio assassination case

The six men arrested as suspects in the assassination of an anti-corruption Ecuadorian presidential candidate are Colombian nationals, a police report said Thursday as authorities investigated the motive for a crime that shocked a nation already reeling from a surge in drug-related violence. The six men were captured hiding in a house in Quito, Ecuador's capital, said the report, which was reviewed by The Associated Press. Officers also seized four shotguns, a 5.56-mm rifle, ammunition and three grenades, along with a vehicle and a motorcycle, it said. Fernando Villavicencio, 59, who was known for speaking up against drug cartels, was assassinated in Quito on Wednesday, less than two weeks before a special presidential election. He was not a front-runner, but his death deepened the sense of crisis around organised crime that has already claimed thousands of lives and underscored the challenge that Ecuador's next leader will face. Ecuador's interior minister, Juan Zapata, had earlier

Govt lists bill in Rajya Sabha to regulate appointment of CEC, ECs

The government has listed a bill for introduction in the Rajya Sabha to regulate the appointment, conditions of service and term of office of the Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners. The Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners (Appointment Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Bill also seeks to set up a procedure for transaction of business by the Election Commission. Though the contents of the Bill were not immediately available, the Supreme Court had in March delivered a landmark verdict aimed at insulating the appointment of Chief Election Commissioner and election commissioners from the Executive's interference. It had ruled that their appointments will be done by the President on the advise of a committee comprising the prime minister, leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha and the Chief Justice of India. A five-judge constitution bench headed by Justice KM Joseph, in a unanimous verdict, held that this norm will continue to ho

Ecuadorean presidential candidate Villavicencio shot dead in Quito at event

Ecuadorian presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio was shot and killed on Wednesday by an unidentified gunman while at a political rally in the country's capital of Quito, President Guillermo Lasso said. The killing comes amid a startling wave of violence in the South American nation, with drug trafficking and violent killings on the rise. I assure you that this crime will not go unpunished, Lasso said in a statement. Organized crime has gone too far, but they will feel the full weight of the law. Videos on social media appear to show the candidate walking out of the event surrounded by guards. The video then shows Villavicencio entering a white truck followed by gunfire. The politician, 59, was the candidate for the Build Ecuador Movement. He was one of eight presidential candidates for the late August election. He was one of the most critical voices against corruption, especially during the government of former President Rafael Correa from 2007 to 2017. He filed many judic

Chhattisgarh: Farm loan disbursement goal nears 100% in election year

The state had set a target of disbursing farm loans worth Rs 6,100 crore to the farmers in the current kharif marketing season

Gehlot admin releases transfer orders for 22 IAS, 24 IPS, 15 IFS officers

61 officers were given transfer orders, while five others were given additional charges in light of the new districts formed in Rajasthan

Lack of values among voters encourage money culture during polls: Experts

Lack of moral values among voters is the key factor which encourages money culture during elections in India, experts in diverse fields observed during a media conclave here on Saturday. They were also of the opinion that the government-appointed Election Commission of India (ECI) failed to perform its duty as a neutral body for which the menace of money culture during elections has become common. "Political analysts agree that without money, democracy cannot run and the ghost of running an election or to become a candidate is not possible without money, said Toko Tatung, secretary general of Arunachal Chamber of Commerce and Industries (ACCI), during the conclave conducted by Arunachal Electronic and Digital Media Association (AEDMA) on the topic Money culture in elections' to mark its 11th foundation day. Tatung said approximately Rs 600 billion was spent during the 2019 election by political parties. Stating that money culture in elections is a simple economics of supply and ...

WFI elections on Aug 12, Maharashtra declared ineligible for participation

The much-delayed elections of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) will be conducted on August 12, it was announced on Friday, but the state of Maharashtra will not be part of the poll process as Returning Officer Justice MM Kumar declared that both rival factions were ineligible for participation. The ad-hoc panel had scheduled the elections for July 6 but it was forced to reschedule the polls to July 11 after disaffiliated state bodies from Maharashtra, Haryana, Telangana, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh approached it for a hearing, claiming that their dismissal was not appropriate. Panel heard the aggrieved representatives of the state bodies but the polls could not go ahead even on July 11 with Gauhati High Court staying the elections after Assam Wrestling Association (AWA) sought right to participate in the poll process. The Supreme Court then paved the way for elections on Tuesday after staying the Gauhati High Court order. The electoral college will now have 48 members wit

UK Conservatives suffer big defeats but avoid wipeout in special elections

Britain's governing Conservative Party avoided a drubbing Friday in a trio of special elections, managing to hold onto former premier Boris Johnson's seat in suburban London. Though the main opposition Labour Party and the smaller centrist Liberal Democrats overturned massive Conservative majorities to win a seat apiece, the Conservatives found some crumbs of comfort in their narrow success in Uxbridge and South Ruislip in west London. Labour won the seat of Selby and Ainsty in northern England while the Liberal Democrats took Somerton and Frome in southwest England, with voters from both parties clearly backing the party most likely to beat the Conservative candidate. Facing this level of tactical voting by voters, the defeats will leave many Conservative lawmakers rattled ahead of the likely national vote next year. The defeats don't mean a change of government, since the Conservatives still have a big majority in the House of Commons. Opinion polls have been giving Labour a ...

Reform momentum likely to pick up after Lok Sabha elections next year: S&P

Reform momentum is likely to pick up only after the Lok Sabha elections next year and a little bit of boost to the expenditure in an election year would not adversely impact India's fiscal deficit target, S&P Global Ratings Director Andrew Wood said on Wednesday. "Our expectation is major reforms in the country are probably unlikely right up to the election cycle and until 2024 Parliamentary elections are over. After that perhaps, reform momentum could pick up, particularly if there is a very strong mandate for the next government," Wood said. S&P anticipates that the central government will meet its modestly lower fiscal deficit target and also state governments will be consolidating their finances gradually overtime. "Even if we see a little bit of boost to the expenditure in an election year, in the run up to the elections, revenue growth also remains healthy in India and that has been supporting the gradual pace of fiscal consolidation," Wood said. He was replying to a ...

Thai court suspends PM candidate, to rule whether he broke election law

Thailand's Constitutional Court on Wednesday agreed to suspend Move Forward Party leader Pita Limjaroenrat, a candidate to become prime minister, from his duties as a member of Parliament pending its ruling on whether he violated election law. The court's announcement came on the verge of a likely second vote in Parliament whether to confirm Pita as prime minister. His party was the top finisher in May's general election and assembled an eight-party coalition that won 312 seats in the House of Representatives. However, the coalition failed to win enough support in an initial vote last week from the Senate, which votes together with the lower house to name the new prime minister. The court's announcement still would allow Pita's nomination and selection as prime minister, at least until a ruling. Thailand's state Election Commission had referred Pita's case to the court, saying there was evidence he had violated election law over his alleged undeclared ownership of media company ...

Sealed ballot boxes recovered from high school in West Bengal's Gajol

Three sealed and uncounted ballot boxes were recovered from a high school at Gajol in West Bengal's Malda district on Tuesday morning. Sources said the boxes were kept in a classroom which was converted into a counting centre for the recently concluded rural elections. Reacting to the recovery of the ballot boxes, Congress leader Pradip Bhattacharya said it only proves that the panchayat polls have been a farce in the name of democracy. He said the sealed boxes should have been under the supervision of a returning officer, which is ideally the BDO. "I demand strict action against the officer concerned as results have already been declared without counting the votes in those three boxes," Bhattacharya said. Echoing the Congress leader, CPI(M) leader Tanmoy Bhattacharya also said the panchayat polls was a farce. He said it shows the desperation of the ruling Trinamool Congress to wrest power in the rural countryside. The TMC secured a massive victory in the July 8 panchayat ...

Spain's early poll could put far right in power for 1st time since Franco

Spain's general election on Sunday could make the country the latest European Union member swing to the populist right, a shift that would represent a major upheaval after five years under a left-wing government. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called the early election after his Spanish Socialist Workers' Party and its small far-left coalition partner, Unidas Podemos ("United We Can"), took a beating in local and regional elections. The center-right Popular Party emerged from the May 28 elections with the most votes. Polls for the general election have consistently put the PP in first place but likely needing support from the far-right Vox party to form a government. Such a coalition would return a far-right force to the Spanish government for the first time since the country transitioned to democracy following the 1975 death of Gen. Francisco Franco, the dictator who ruled Spain for nearly 40 years. The Popular Party and Vox have agreed to govern together in some 140 cities and tow

2024 LS Polls: Amid changing political climate NDA to counter Oppn today

The regional parties which have been rivals sta the state level and have been splintered at the national level are now looking seeking refuge in BJP or the Opposition

Shehbaz Sharif to step down as Pak PM before next month; all you must know

Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif said that he will hand over power to a caretaker government on August 14, paving the way for general elections

There will be relentless fight against growing violence in Bengal: WB guv

The decision to hold re-polling followed widespread allegations of ballot box tampering and violence, resulting in losing at least 19 lives

WB Panchayat elections: Counting begins at 696 booths after re-polling

All counting venues will be manned by armed state police personnel and central forces, with prohibitory orders under Section 144 of CrPC being imposed outside the venue to avoid any untoward incidents

CBIC issues SoP to check use of freebies to lure voters during elections

The CBIC has come out with detailed instructions for tax officers to implement the directions of the Election Commission with regard to the use of freebies, illicit cash, liquor and drugs to lure voters, and asked them to share information with other enforcement agencies. The GST and Customs officials will also be required to monitor the distribution of coupon-based or free fuel or cash for alluring prospective voters under the new Standard Operating Procedure (SoP). The officials would also monitor fuel consumption by candidates and parties and keep a tab on expenditure on food, hotels, parties, tent house etc. The GST officers would keep an extensive check on restaurant/eateries, marriage hall/ farm houses/ slaughter house/ meat house in the poll-bound area, said a detailed SoP issued by the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC). The GST and Customs officials would also set up "flying squads and static surveillance teams" for the effective conduct of road and transit

Repolling underway in 700 booths; BJP, TMC in war of words over violence

No major incident was reported as fresh polling was underway in nearly 700 booths in 19 districts of West Bengal where voting for the panchayat elections was declared void, officials said. The repolling was ordered in 696 booths by the State Election Commission (SEC) on Sunday evening amid allegations of tampering with ballot boxes and the violence that left 15 people dead, they said. The repolling started at 7 am amid tight security with four central forces personnel deployed in each booth, besides state police. Till 1 pm, 30.54 per cent voter turnout was recorded. Voting started late in a few booths as ballot boxes did not reach on time, officials said. These booths will be given extra time to complete the polling, they said. "No major untoward incidents were reported from the districts where repolling is underway. A couple of stray incidents happened and those were managed by the police," an SEC official said. In Malda, locals blocked a booth in Dogachi in Raniganj panchayat i

West Bengal voters happy with re-poll under heavy security arangements

"Today, it feels like an election day. We can see the central forces today", said Anamika Mandal, who came to cast her vote at Tikiapara Primary High School in the Murshidabad district

Repolling begins in 19 districts of WB where elections were declared void

Repolling began at 7 am on Monday in 696 booths across 19 districts of West Bengal where voting for the panchayat elections was declared void amid allegations of tampering with ballot boxes and the violence that left 15 people dead, officials said. The repolling will be held till 5 pm amid tight security with four central forces personnel deployed in each of those booths, besides state police, they said. Among the districts where repolling was being held, violence-hit Murshidabad has the highest number of booths at 175, followed by Malda with 109, they added. Repolling was also being held at 89 booths in Nadia, followed by Cooch Behar (53), North 24 Parganas (46), Uttar Dinajpur (42), South 24 Parganas (36), Purba Medinipur (31) and Hooghly (29), officials said. No repolling was ordered in Darjeeling, Jhargram and Kalimpong districts, they said. The decision for repolling in these 696 booths was announced by the State Election Commission (SEC) on Sunday evening after reviewing rep