Page 8 - Elections

Iraq's Kurdish region votes amid flagging economy, political infighting

Residents of Iraq's semi-autonomous northern Kurdish region went to the polls in long-awaited parliamentary elections Sunday under the shadow of ongoing rivalries, economic instability, and unresolved disputes with Baghdad. The primary competitors are the two dominant Kurdish parties: the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan. Historically, these two parties have controlled different parts of the region, with the KDP overseeing Irbil and Dohuk, and the PUK governing Sulaymaniyah. This division has frequently led to political deadlock. The parliamentary elections, originally set for 2022, were postponed several times amid disputes over the election law and procedures. Ministry of Interior personnel and peshmerga forces the regional military voted in special elections Friday, with the general public voting Sunday. In Friday's special election, the KDP secured a significant lead, capturing 60 per cent of the votes, while the PUK got around 30 per cent. The

Maharashtra Assembly polls: Mahayuti, MVA race to announce seat-sharing

The party led by Eknath Shinde group is expected to contest 85-90 seats, while Ajt Pawar may get 50 seats with the remaining seats will be contested by the BJP

Aim to restore smiles in both Jammu and Kashmir divisions: Omar Abdullah

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday said his government will not be run on the voting pattern witnessed in the assembly elections as he wants to see the "missing smiles" back on the faces of the people in both the divisions of the Union Territory (UT). Abdullah, who assumed the charge of the new government in Srinagar on Wednesday, was accorded a rousing reception on reaching the National Conference (NC) headquarters in the winter capital. The BJP swept the polls in Jammu to emerge as the second largest party. In the recently held JK assembly polls, results of which were declared on October 8, the BJP won 29 of the 90 seats on which elections were held and garnered 25.64 per cent vote share. This was the first visit of Abdullah to Jammu after becoming the chief minister with his party winning 42 seats and bagging 23.43 per cents votes. Its alliance partner Congress won six seats and CPI(M) one. "When the election results were out, some people started spreadin

Akhilesh to visit Maha, seek more seats to contest polls with 'INDIA'

Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday said he would visit Maharashtra on Friday and seek more seats to contest the upcoming Assembly elections there as part of the opposition INDIA bloc. The 288-member Maharashtra Assembly will got to the polls in a single phase on November 20, and the results will be out on November 23. In 2019, the Samajwadi Party contested seven seats in Maharashtra, winning two and losing its deposit in the remaining five, according to Election Commission figures. "I am going to Maharashtra tomorrow. Our effort is to ensure that the INDIA bloc wins. In Maharashtra, the INDIA bloc parties include the one led by Sharad Pawar Ji, the former CM's (Uddhav Thackeray) party (Shiv Sena-UBT), and others including Samajwadi Party," Yadav told reporters. "With two MLAs in Maharashtra, we have sought some seats to fight the polls alongside the INDIA bloc. We will continue to stand by the INDIA bloc with all our strength," the former Uttar Pradesh chief minis

SC notice to Centre, EC on fresh plea against freebies during elections

The Supreme Court has sought response from the Centre and the the Election Commission on a fresh plea against the practice of political parties promising freebies during elections. A bench of Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra issued notices to the Union of India and the poll panel on a petition filed by Bengaluru resident Shashank J Sreedhara. The petition filed by advocate Srinivasan has also sought a direction to poll panel to take effective steps to restrain political parties from making promises of freebies during the pre-election period. "The unregulated promise of freebies imposes a significant and unaccounted financial burden on the public exchequer. Further, there exists no mechanism to ensure the fulfilment of pre-poll promises on which votes were secured," the plea said. The top court tagged the matter with other pleas on similar issue. The apex court had earlier agreed to list for hearing pleas against the practice of political par

Qatar to hold referendum for abandoning elections to Shura Council

Qatar's ruling emir said Tuesday his small, energy-rich nation will hold a referendum on ending a short-lived experiment in electing members of the country's advisory Shura Council. Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani offered no immediate timeline for the referendum in an annual address to the Shura Council, which drafts laws, approves state budgets, debates major issues and provides advice to the ruler. The body does not have sway over matters of defence, security and the economy. However, it marks yet another rollback in the hereditarily ruled Gulf Arab states in its halting steps to embrace representational rule, however tentative, following efforts by the United States to push harder for democratic reforms in the Middle East after the Sept 11, 2001, attacks and hopes for democracy in the region rose in the wake of the 2011 Arab Spring. From its perspective, Qatar saw the one-time 2021 vote likely as increasing tensions between tribes and families in the country just months after a .

Govt laying process of development beyond election cycles: Vaishnaw

The government is laying the process of development which is 'beyond the cycle of elections' for India to be able to grow six to seven times the current level to become a developed nation by 2047, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Tuesday. Addressing a symposium by the Indian Foundation for Quality Management (IFQM), the Minister for Railways, Information and Broadcasting, and Electronics & IT, said one of the key elements of the government's goal of a developed nation is having "a very inclusive and harmonious society". For India to become a developed nation by 2047, the target for measurable parameters is "USD 18,000 per capita income and USD 30 trillion nominal GDP", he said. "Today, we are just shy of USD 4 trillion nominal (GDP), just shy of about USD 3,000 nominal per capita. It means we have a path where we need to grow about '6x' '7x' in the next 25 years," Vaishnaw asserted. Sharing the government's approach to meet the target, the minister said, "It needs a very ...

Haryana poll verdict: Region-wise results & how BJP overcame caste barriers

The argument that Jat vs non-Jat was a dominant factor in elections doesn't hold ground when one looks at the caste arithmetics of the Haryana poll verdict

Haryana polls updates: BJP has laid road for infrastructural development in Haryana, says PM Modi

Election Results 2024 updates: PM Modi thanked the people of Haryana for giving clear majority to BJP in the Assembly election

J-K poll results: Ex-JKPCC chief Rasoo, J-K BJP prez Raina among key losers

Many key candidates and bigwigs, including former ministers, lost the maiden assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370, as the National Conference (NC) emerged the single largest party with 42 seats. Among the prominent names who lost the polls are former minister and ex-JKPCC president Vaqar Rasool, J-K BJP president Ravinder Raina, former minister and JKPCC working president Raman Bhalla, and former ministers Altaf Bukhari, Usman Majid, Chowdhary Lal Singh, Manohar Lal Sharma, Chowdhary Zulfiqar Ali, Harsh Dev Singh, Ghulam Nabi Lone, Ghulam Hassan Mir, Chowdhary Mohammad Ramzan, and Asiea Naqash. Ghulam Mohammad Saroori, Hakeem Mohammad Yaseen, Sajad Kichloo, Nasir Aslam Wani, Imran Ansari, Mula Ram, Zahoor Mir, Mohammad Ashraf Mir, Taj Mohiuddin, Syed Basharat Bukhari, and Abdul Gaffar Sofi are the other former ministers who lost the election. PDP leaders and former MLAs Mohammad Sartaj Madni and Mehboob Beg, Mehbooba Mufti's daughter Iltija ...

RBI to be less hawkish at October policy, says DBS Bank economist

Meanwhile, the recent escalation in tensions in the Middle East is being watched, Rao said, but they are unlikely to impact foreign investments into Indian government bonds

BJP to win 35 seats in J-K, will form govt with like-minded parties: Raina

Jammu and Kashmir BJP chief Ravinder Raina on Monday asserted that his party will emerge as the single largest party in the region by securing 35 seats and will form government with the help of like-minded and independent candidates. He also said that the nomination of five MLAs by the Lieutenant Governor is being carried out as per the Reorganisation Act. "We are confident of winning 35 seats in Jammu and Kashmir, and with the support of independents and like-minded groups, who will secure around 15 seats, we will cross the majority mark of 50 to form the government," Raina told reporters here. "The people have voted for us, endorsing our vision for development and peace", he said. He said the BJP is set to perform exceptionally well and "the overwhelming public support for our party, demonstrated by the large crowds at rallies by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah clearly indicates that people have voted for the BJP". The Congress would suffer a "crushing

Haryana Assembly polls record 67.90% voter turnout, inches closer to 2019

Haryana has recorded a voter turnout of 67.90 per cent with Ellenabad assembly seat in Sirsa district witnessing the highest polling percentage at over 80 per cent, according to the updated figures of the Election Commission on Sunday. The polling for the 90-member state assembly was held on Saturday. In the 2019 assembly polls, the state had recorded 68.31 per cent turnout while in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections for 10 seats, the percentage was 64.8. Poll panel data available at 11:55 pm Saturday showed the turnout was 66.96 per cent. Officials had said it would increase once all information comes in. There were more than 2.03 crore eligible voters in the state. Among the districts, the highest 75.36 per cent voting was recorded in Sirsa and the lowest 56.49 per cent in Faridabad district, Chief Electoral Officer Pankaj Agarwal said on Sunday. The BJP, the Congress, the INLD-BSP and the JJP-Azad Samaj Party alliances, and the Aam Aadmi Party were the key poll contestants. However,

Haryana Assembly polls 2024 highlights: Voting ends with 65% turnout by 6 pm

Haryana Assembly election Polls 2024 Live Updates: Catch all the latest Haryana election updates here

When do political parties split? Answer lies in diverging voter interests

When voter interests diverge, parties split. If space allows, both survive. If not, only one remains

After Nov polls, Sri Lanka to face third major election before 2024 ends

Amid continued economic troubles, Sri Lanka is to witness two more island-wide major elections before the end of the year, months after the recently concluded Presidential polls. The parliamentary election is scheduled for November 14 following the presidential election that was held on September 21 in the cash-strapped nation. Third would be the local council elections in December. Meanwhile, a one-off election scheduled for the southern province's Elpitiya local council will be held on October 26. Sri Lanka's independent Election Commission, in a statement late on Wednesday night, said arrangements would be made to hold the local election immediately after the parliamentary polls following the Supreme Court order of August 22. As per the order, the elections to 340 local councils are to be held between 30-35 days from November 14, meaning that it would be scheduled for the third week of December. The court ruled that the local council election should have been held at the earlie

J-K elections: Valmiki community votes for first time in Assembly polls

Long denied the right to vote, members of the Valmiki community exercised their franchise for the first time in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections on Tuesday and termed it as a "historic moment". The Valmikis were originally brought to J-K in 1957 from Punjab's Gurdaspur district for sanitation work by the state government. "I am a first-time voter at the age of 45. In my lifetime. We are thrilled and filled with enthusiasm to participate in J-K's assembly elections for the first time. It is like a big festival for us," Gharu Bhati, who voted at a polling station in Jammu, said. Bhati, who has led efforts for over 15 years to secure citizenship rights for his community said, "This is a festival for the entire Valmiki community. We have voters as old as 80 and as young as 18. Two generations before us were denied this right, but justice prevailed when Article 370 was abrogated, granting us citizenship of J-K." "For decades, our community, brought here for sanitation work, was

Who is Claudia Sheinbaum, scientist who will head Mexico as 1st female prez

Claudia Sheinbaum takes office Tuesday as Mexico's first female president in the nation's more than 200 years of independence. The 62-year-old former Mexico City mayor and lifelong leftist campaigned on a promise of continuity, of protecting and expanding the signature initiatives of her mentor, former President Andrs Manuel Lpez Obrador. In the four months between her election and inauguration she held that line, backing Lpez Obrador on issues big and small. But Sheinbaum is a very different person; she likes data and doesn't have Lpez Obrador's backslapping personal touch. Mexico now waits to see if she will step out of his shadow. What's Sheinbaum's background? Sheinbaum's background is in science. She has a Ph.D. in energy engineering. Her brother is a physicist. In a 2023 interview with The Associated Press, Sheinbaum said, I believe in science. Observers say that grounding showed itself in Sheinbaum's actions as mayor during the COVID-19 pandemic, when her city of some 9 mi

Japan's incoming PM Ishiba calls election for Oct 27, aims to unify party

Ishiba began picking government and party officials who will contest the upcoming general election with him

Austrian far-right Freedom Party takes lead in election, shows data

The far-right Freedom Party had a lead over the governing conservatives in Austria's national election on Sunday and was well-placed for its first win in a parliamentary vote, a projection showed. But its chances of governing were unclear. The projection for ORF public television, based on partial counting, put support for the Freedom Party at 29.1% in the parliamentary election and Chancellor Karl Nehammer's Austrian People's Party at 26.3%. The centre-left Social Democrats were in third place with 20.9%. Herbert Kickl, a former interior minister and longtime campaign strategist who has led the Freedom Party since 2021, wants to become Austria's new chancellor on the back of the first far-right national election win in post-World War II Austria. But to become Austria's new leader, he would need a coalition partner to command a majority in the lower house of parliament -- and rivals have said they won't work with Kickl in government. The voter has spoken. Change is wanted in our ..