Page 13 - Elections

French protesters standing up to far right ahead of snap elections

Anti-racism groups were joining French unions and a brand-new left-wing coalition in protests in Paris and across France on Saturday against the surging nationalist far right as frenzied campaigning is underway ahead of snap parliamentary elections. In Paris, those who fear that the elections will produce France's first far-right government since World War II will gather at Place de la Republique before marching through eastern Paris. The French Interior Ministry said 21,000 police and gendarmes would be deployed at protests across the country, with authorities expecting between 300,000 and 500,000 protesters nationwide. In the French Riviera city of Nice, protesters marched down Jean Mdecin Avenue, the city's main shopping street. An Associated Press journalist at the scene said she heard chants against the National Rally, its leader Jordan Bardella as well as against President Emmanuel Macron. Protest organisers said 3,000 took part, while the police put the number at 2,500. Nic

Khandu approves Rs 100 cr under CM's Social Security Scheme in Arunachal

Hours after being sworn in, Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Thursday signed his first official document, approving the release of Rs 100 crore under the Chief Minister's Social Security Scheme (CMSSS) which will benefit approximately 80,000 people across the state. The CMSSS, a state flagship programme, provides pensions to elderly persons above 60 years, widows, and divyang jan (differently abled). "Considering the fact that preparations for the state budget has been delayed due to the general elections, it is necessary that the benefits under CMSSS reach the needy beneficiaries at the earliest," he said. Guided by the principles of Antyodaya, the state government is dedicated to the most vulnerable and marginalised sections of society, an official communiqu said. In the last financial year, Rs 90 crore was allocated under the scheme benefiting 56,030 elderly persons, 8,782 widows and 3,950 differently abled. The Khandu government had launched the scheme in 2019 a

South Africa political parties form unity govt amid Prez election deadline

South African lawmakers are expected to elect the country's president on Friday after being sworn in at the first sitting of Parliament that will also reveal the kind of unity government the ruling African National Congress has managed to cobble together after losing its majority for the first time since 1994. The lawmakers are also expected to elect Parliament's new speaker and deputy speaker, choices that will be determined by negotiations that have taken place between the ANC and opposition parties since the country's election results were declared nearly two weeks ago. Parties are under pressure to conclude negotiations by Thursday to fulfil the constitutional requirement to swear in lawmakers and elect the president within 14 days of election results being declared. The African National Congress won 40 per cent of the national vote during the country's highly contested elections, followed by the Democratic Alliance with just over 21 per cent and the newly formed uMkhonto weSizw

Who is Mohan Charan Majhi? Key details about Odisha's 15th Chief Minister

Replacing former BJD CM Naveen Patnaik, Mohan Majhi was named the Chief Minister of Odisha after BJP swept the 2024 Assembly polls in Odisha

US presidential election prime target for foreign disinformation: Officials

US officials who track disinformation campaigns say they have issued more warnings to political candidates, government leaders and others targeted by foreign groups in recent months as America's adversaries seek to influence the outcome of the 2024 election. Without giving specifics, an official from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence said Wednesday that the number is higher, at least in part, because presidential elections draw more attention from our adversaries. The increase in warnings, which began last fall, could also reflect a growing threat or the government's improved detection capabilities or both, said the official, who was one of several to brief reporters on condition of anonymity under ground rules set by the office of the director. Lawmakers from both parties have voiced worries about the nation's preparedness for foreign disinformation during the presidential election and the corrosive impact it has on voter confidence and trust in democratic ...

S African political party led by Zuma seeks to halt election of president

South Africa's third biggest political party, led by former president Jacob Zuma, has filed legal papers seeking to halt the first sitting of Parliament scheduled for Friday to elect the country's president. Zuma's uMkhonto weSizwe Party has said none of its 58 newly elected lawmakers will attend the sitting. The party earlier filed objections with the Independent Electoral Commission alleging widespread irregularities in national elections last month. The party received just over 14% of the vote. The party, also known as MK, has not publicly offered evidence to back up its allegations. The commission has said it has addressed all objections. The legal challenge now asks the Constitutional Court to set aside the commission's decision to declare the election free and fair, and to order the president to call another election. The election saw the ruling African National Congress party lose its majority in parliament for the first time since taking power three decades ago at the end o

From trade to climate, five takeaways from the European Union election

The EU assembly will also need to approve the next president of the European Commission - most likely incumbent Ursula von der Leyen for a second term - and their 26 other commissioners

Prem Singh Tamang takes oath as Sikkim CM for second consecutive term

Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya administered the oath of office and secrecy to Prem Singh Tamang and his Council of Ministers during the swearing-in ceremony at Paljor Stadium

France enters election mode post far-right win in European Parliament vote

Macron's unexpected decision, which amounts to a roll of the dice on his political future, could hand major political power to the far-right after years on the sidelines

Poland's PM Tusk strengthened by EU election win, populists close behind

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk's centrist party clinched its first electoral victory over a right-wing populist party in a decade by taking the most votes in the European Parliament election, official results released Monday showed. Many viewed Tusk's return to power last year as a rare case of a democratic party prevailing over populist and authoritarian forces. However, while Sunday's win solidified his position, the results also showed that his lead is small, and that support for the far right is rising. His Civic Coalition took 37.1 per cent of the votes. The nationalist Law and Justice party, which held power from 2015 until last year and is led by Jaroslaw Kaczynski, followed closely with 36.2 per cent, underscoring the continued attraction of its conservative worldview to many Polish voters, despite corruption scandals during its years in power. Two Law and Justice candidates Former Interior Minister Mariusz Kaminski and his former deputy, Maciej Wasik won seats in the

EU elections: Huge voter turnout expected; surveys predict shift to right

Voters are heading to the polls for the European Union's election super Sunday amid concern that a likely shift to the political right will undermine the ability of the world's biggest trading bloc to take decisions as war rages in Ukraine and anti-migrant sentiment mounts. Citizens in 20 countries, from the Alpine nation of Austria to the Mediterranean island of Cyprus, will cast ballots to elect 720 members of the European Parliament. Seats in the assembly are allocated based on population, ranging from six in Malta or Luxembourg to 96 in Germany. Official results of the elections, which are held every five years and began in the Netherlands on Thursday, cannot be published before the last polling stations in the 27 EU nations close those in Italy at 11 p.m. (2100 GMT). Unofficial estimates are due to trickle in from 1615 GMT. An unofficial exit poll on Thursday suggested that Geert Wilders' anti-migrant hard right party should make important gains in the Netherlands, even thoug

Politics, exit polls, market and retails investors

Are retail investors reading the market better than institutional investors? Are they getting smarter?

Here's what's at stake in European Parliament election that ends Sunday

Nearly 400 million European Union citizens have been going to polls this week to elect members of the European Parliament, or MEPs, in one of the biggest global democratic events. Far-right parties are seeking to gain more power amid a rise in the cost of living and farmers' discontent, while the wars in Gaza and Ukraine stay on the minds of voters. One of the biggest questions is whether European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will remain in charge as the public face of the EU. Here is a look at the election and the biggest issues at stake: WHEN IS THE VOTE? EU elections are held every five years across the 27-member bloc. This year marks the 10th parliamentary election since the first polls in 1979, and the first after Brexit. The elections started Thursday in the Netherlands and finish on Sunday, when most countries hold their election. Initial results can only be revealed in the evening after polling stations have closed in all member states. HOW DOES VOTING WORK?

Haiti PM hospitalised days after being selected to lead nation: Official

Haiti's newly selected prime minister, Garry Conille, was hospitalised late Saturday in the capital of Port-au-Prince just days after arriving in the country, an official told The Associated Press. It wasn't immediately known why Conille was hospitalised. Louis Grald Gilles, a member of the transitional presidential council that recently chose Conille as leader of the troubled Caribbean country, said he was en route to the hospital and did not have further information. A spokesman for Conille did not immediately return a message for comment. AP journalists observed high-ranking officials entering the hospital, including Frantz Elb, director of Haiti's National Police. Also present was Bruno Maes, UNICEF's representative in Haiti. They both declined comment. A handful of curious onlookers gathered outside the hospital as authorities blocked the street with tinted-glass SUVs. Conille was chosen as prime minister May 28 after a convoluted selection process. He faces an arduous task

EU Parl elections: Here are some key races to watch in 27-nation bloc

It's easy to get overwhelmed by the EU elections. Voters are casting ballots in two dozen languages in 27 countries with scores of different campaign issues. So here's a look at some key places to watch in the June 6-9 elections for a new European Parliament. HUNGARY Long-serving Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbn is expected to extend his party's nearly 15-year streak of election victories when the Central European country votes in European Parliament elections on Sunday, but is facing one of the most formidable challenges of his career from a former ally. Orbn's right-wing populist Fidesz party has taken more than 50 per cent of the vote in the last three EU elections, and looks poised to take the most votes again this year. But a new opposition force, headed by a former Fidesz insider turned Orbn critic, has in a matter of weeks grown to become Hungary's largest opposition party, and will likely cause Fidesz to lose at least one seat in the parliament. Pter Magyar, a 43-year-

Don't see myself contesting another Lok Sabha election: Shashi Tharoor

Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Friday said if the next Lok Sabha polls take place five years down the line, he does not see himself contesting another election for the Lower House as he believes that one needs to know when to step aside for the younger blood to come in. In Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha seat, Tharoor beat Union Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar by 16,077 votes to register his fourth straight victory from the constituency. Asked if this election was his electoral politics swansong, Tharoor told PTI, "Not electoral politics but certainly Lok Sabha. I think I have done my bit and I honestly feel that at some point, we all need to know when to step aside for younger blood to come in and have a crack at it." "The Lok Sabha is certainly a very important institution. I have done my very best for my constituents and I will continue doing so but there are ways of serving in public life without necessarily havin

Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders may join our party, claims Sanjay Shirsat

Shiv Sena MLA Sanjay Shirsat on Friday claimed that a few leaders of the rival Shiv Sena (UBT) will join his party over the next few days. He also blamed Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut for being the cause of the Uddhav Thackeray-led faction's downfall. "Some important people (from the Sena (UBT)) will be joining our party before June 10," Shirsat told reporters. Following the results of the Lok Sabha elections where the opposition alliance outperformed the ruling coalition in Maharashtra, some Sena (UBT) leaders have claimed that five-seven MLAs of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena would soon switch sides. Shirsat dared them to disclose the names of these MLAs. "This news was spread to stop their MLAs from leaving the party," he added. Reacting to Shirsat's claims, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sachin Ahir said the Lok Sabha election was only a "trailer" of what was to come. Not just MLAs of Shinde-led Sena but some legislators of the Ajit Pawar-led NCP too were in touch with the Se

MNS candidate Abhijeet Panse withdraws ahead of Maharashtra council polls

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) candidate Abhijeet Panse has withdrawn from the fray for the upcoming state legislative council election from the Konkan Graduates' constituency, a party leader said on Friday. The party had last month announced filmmaker Panse's candidature for the legislative council elections slated to be held on June 26. "Panse will not be in the fray from the Konkan Graduates' constituency," said party spokesperson Sandeep Deshpande. The development comes after Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis met MNS chief Raj Thackeray last week. BJP MLC Niranjan Davkhare currently represents the constituency, and the party has renominated him. The biennial elections to four legislative council seats Mumbai Graduates, Konkan Graduates, Mumbai Teachers and Nashik Teachers became necessary as the terms of sitting members are expiring in July. The last date for filing the nominations is June 7. Voting will be held on June 26, and results will be declared o

The elections signal course correction

Voters have made it clear they want inclusive growth and a break from polarising politics

This is how foreign media reacted to India's 2024 Lok Sabha poll results

Election results 2024: Most foreign press noted that Narendra Modi's third term will be riddled with challenges as the party has failed to cross the majority mark single-handedly