Presidential Election

Takeaways from report on Democrats lining up for 2028 presidential race

Democrats' political jockeying for the 2028 presidential contest appears to be playing out earlier, with more frequency and with less pretense than ever before. It's only 2025, but several potential candidates are already taking steps to get to know voters in the states that will matter most in the nomination process. And with no clear Democratic front-runner, upwards of 30 high-profile Democrats could ultimately enter the 2028 primary. Here are highlights from The Associated Press' reporting on possible hopefuls' moves in traditional early voting states: South Carolina hot in July Over the span of 10 days this month, three Democratic presidential prospects are scheduled to campaign in South Carolina. The state is expected to host the Democratic Party's opening presidential primary contest in early 2028, although the calendar hasn't been finalized. California Gov. Gavin Newsom was referred to as a presidential candidate at one stop last week, although he insisted he was there sim

Colombia prez bypasses lawmakers, issues decree for vote on labour reform

Colombian President Gustavo Petro on Wednesday bypassed legislative opposition and signed a decree summoning voters to the polls in August to decide changes to the country's labour laws, including whether work days should be limited to eight hours. The decree fulfilled Petro's threat to Congress to put his labour system overhaul before voters should senators not approve the 12-question referendum themselves. He issued the measure in a tense political climate following the Saturday shooting of opposition senator and presidential candidate Miguel Uribe Turbay during a public event. The referendum has become the crux of long-running tensions between the executive and legislative branches. After Congress rejected Petro's labour reform twice, most recently in March, he sent lawmakers a 12-question referendum proposal on May 1 as Colombian law requires that the Senate rule on the advisability of referendums. The legislative body two weeks later voted 49-47 against the measure, prompting .

S Korea holds snap presidential election on Tuesday; here's what to know

After months of political turmoil, South Korea will elect a new president this week to succeed conservative Yoon Suk Yeol, who was ousted over his brief but shocking imposition of martial law. Surveys suggested liberal Lee Jae-myung is heavily favored to win Tuesday's snap election, riding on a wave of public disappointment of Yoon's martial law debacle in December. The main conservative candidate, Kim Moon Soo, wants a come-from-behind victory, but observers say his refusal to directly criticise Yoon made it difficult for him to narrow the gap with Lee. The winner will be sworn in as president on Wednesday without the typical two-month transition period. The new leader faces the urgent tasks of trying to heal the deep domestic divide over Yoon's action as well as focusing on US President Donald Trump's America-first policy and North Korea's advancing nuclear programme. Who is running for the presidency? Lee, who represents the main liberal Democratic Party, is the favourite to win

Poland holds presidential runoff, which Trump had sought to influence

Poland's presidential election has come down to a stark ideological choice: a liberal pro-European mayor versus a staunch nationalist conservative. They are polling so close that the outcome is impossible to predict in the run-off round on Sunday. It's not just a domestic affair. President Donald Trump has thrown his weight behind the nationalist candidate, Karol Nawrocki, and dangled the prospect of closer military ties if Poles choose him over liberal Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski. A contest with global implications Trump met with Nawrocki earlier this month at the White House and sent his Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to a meeting of the conservative pressure group CPAC in Poland, where she offered a strong endorsement. Noem even dangled the prospect of closer US-Polish military ties in the event of a Nawrocki win with the implied warning that a Trzaskowski victory could jeopardize Poland's security. At stake is not only Poland's domestic course but also the ...

Liberal mayor, conservative historian to face off in Poland election

Liberal Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski and a conservative historian, Karol Nawrocki, emerged as the front-runners in Poland's presidential election Sunday, according to an exit poll, putting them on track to face off in a second round in two weeks. A late exit poll by the Ipsos institute released early Monday showed Trzaskowski with an estimated 31.2% of the votes and Nawrocki with 29.7%. That suggested the runoff on June 1 could be very tight. Official results are expected on Monday or Tuesday. Trzaskowski is a liberal allied with Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who speaks foreign languages and holds pro-European Union views. His support is strongest in cities, where many like his secular views and support for LGBTQ+ rights. Nawrocki is a conservative historian with no prior political experience who was backed by the national conservative Law and Justice party. The head of a state historical institute, he has positioned himself as a defender of conservative values and national ...

Romanians await results as polls close in high-stakes presidential runoff

Romanians braced for the results of their closely-watched presidential election rerun after polls closed Sunday evening, in a race between a hard-right nationalist and a pro-European Union centrist that could determine the geopolitical direction of the NATO member country. The vote pitted front-runner George Simion, the 38-year-old leader of the hard-right Alliance for the Unity of Romanians, or AUR, against incumbent Bucharest Mayor Nicusor Dan. The rerun was held months after the cancellation of the previous election plunged Romania into its worst political crisis in decades. When voting closed at 9 pm (1800 GMT), 11.6 million people or about 64 per cent of eligible voters had cast ballots, according to official electoral data. About 1.64 million Romanians abroad, who have been able to vote since Friday at specially set-up polling stations, participated in the vote. Turnout was significantly higher in Sunday's runoff and is expected to play a decisive role in the outcome. In th

Supporters of Bolivia's Morales clash with police to secure his candidacy

Hundreds of supporters of ex-President Evo Morales marched toward Bolivia's top electoral court on Friday to push for their leftist leader's candidacy in presidential elections later this year, a rally that descended into street clashes as police tried to clear out a group of demonstrators. The confrontations come in response to a ruling by Bolivia's Constitutional Court that blocks Morales, the nation's first Indigenous president who governed from 2006 until his ouster in 2019, from running again in Aug 17 elections. The turmoil escalates political tensions as Bolivia undergoes its worst economic crisis in four decades. As the march arrived in Bolivia's capital of La Paz, protesters seeking to register Morales' candidacy surged toward the Supreme Electoral Tribunal, chanting, Comrades, what do we want? For Evo to come back! Security forces barricading a road to the court held them back. Police reported that the clashes between rock-throwing protesters and tear gas-lobbing police .

Poland votes for new president on Sunday as worries grow about future

A war next door in Ukraine. Migration pressure at borders. Russian sabotage across the region. Doubts about the US commitment to Europe's security. In Poland's presidential election Sunday, security looms large. So do questions about the country's strength as a democracy and its place in the European Union. One of the new president's most important tasks will be maintaining strong ties with the US, widely seen as essential to the survival of a country in an increasingly volatile neighbourhood. A crowded field, a likely runoff Voters in this Central European nation of 38 million people will cast ballots to replace conservative incumbent Andrzej Duda, whose second and final five-year term ends in August. With 13 candidates, a decisive first-round victory is unlikely. Some have appeared unserious or extreme, expressing openly pro-Putin or antisemitic views. A televised debate this week dragged on for nearly four hours. There are calls to raise the threshold to qualify for the race. A

Will Trump get a third term as US Prez? Republican proposes constitutional change

Currently, the 22nd Amendment limits US Presidents to two terms, barring Trump or any other former president from seeking a third term

Mozambique faces chaos as Frelimo's 49-yr rule, disputed polls spark row

The death toll has risen to more than 200 since the unrest began on Oct. 21, according to data from Decide Platform, a local monitoring group, and local authorities

Uruguay's presidential front-runners to face off in second round of voting

The leading contenders in Uruguay's presidential election on Sunday said voters in the small South American nation had sent the race to a run-off in November. An early count of the general elections showed Uruguay's moderate leftist alliance leading over the conservative governing coalition with more than 60 per cent ballots tallied. The leftist former mayor, Yamandu Orsi, and the ruling party candidate, Alvaro Delgado, told crowds of cheering supporters after midnight that they would face off in a second round of voting on November 24. Uruguayans will decide whether to return the long-dominant centre-left coalition to power or continue the mandate of centre-right President Luis Lacalle Pou. Electoral officials reported a turnout of 89 per cent of 2.7 million eligible voters in Uruguay, long considered a model democracy and bastion of stability where voting in presidential and congressional contests is compulsory. Voters in the small South American nation of Uruguay waited anxious

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

Dissanayaka leads in Sri Lanka's presidential vote defeating Premsada

Anura Kumara Dissanayake, the leader of the Marxist JVP's broader front National People's Power (NPP), has consolidated his lead to be declared the winner in just concluded Sri Lanka's crucial presidential election. On Saturday, Sri Lankans voted to elect a new president for the first election since the economic meltdown in 2022. The voter turnout in the presidential election was around 75 per cent. Lower than the 83 per cent polled in the previous presidential election held in November 2019. In the cumulative vote count declared by 7 am on Sunday, 56-year-old Dissanayake amassed 727,000 votes or 52 per cent against his nearest rival 57-year-old Sajith Premadasa, the main opposition leader who received 333,000 votes at 23 per cent. The incumbent Ranil Wickremesinghe, 75, was trailing way behind with 235,000 votes at 16 per cent. Dissanayake won 21 of the 22 postal district votes while bagging several results declared thus far from the 168 geographical parliamentary seats from ...

Polling begins in Sri Lanka, island nation to elect next president

Polls opened on Saturday in Sri Lanka's crucial presidential election -- the island nation's first major electoral exercise since its worst economic meltdown in 2022. Some 17 million people are eligible to vote at over 13,400 polling stations. Over 200,000 officials have been deployed to conduct the election which will be guarded by 63,000 police personnel. Voting started at 7 am and will continue till 5 pm. Results are expected by Sunday. Voters will choose among 38 presidential candidates. Incumbent President Ranil Wickremesinghe, 75, is seeking re-election for a five-year term as an Independent candidate, riding on the success of his efforts to pull the country out of the economic crisis, which many experts hailed as one of the quickest recoveries in the world. The three-cornered electoral battle will see Wickremesinghe facing stiff competition from Anura Kumara Dissanayake, 56, of the National People's Power (NPP), and Sajith Premadasa, 57, of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) a

US Presidential Polls: Trump refuses another debate with Kamala Harris

The former president claimed that subjects like immigration and inflation were covered "in great detail" both in Tuesday night's discussion with Harris and in his June debate with President Biden

Tamil party's support to Lanka's oppn presidential candidate in dispute

A dispute has been brewing among the leaders of Sri Lanka's main Tamil party over its support to the main opposition challenger Sajith Premadasa in the September 21 presidential election. The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) on September 1 decided to back Premadasa in the election. The decision was taken at the central committee meeting of Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK), the main constituent of the TNA. However, the party's president, S Sritharan, who was in the UK at the time, said there was no such decision and they would be backing the Tamil common candidate P Ariyanethiran. Mavai Senathirajah, another party leader, told reporters on Wednesday that a party meeting held in Vauniya, with the participation of 10 executive committee members, decided to hold back the final decision on the matter until September 15. Senior TNA leader M A Sumanthiran, however, said: ITAK decision to back Premadasa was final and is not under review. The TNA had traditionally backed the main opposition

Tim Walz, Bill Clinton headline DNC day 3, focus on 'fight for freedoms'

Vice presidential nominee Tim Walz and former President Bill Clinton are headlining the Democratic National Convention's third day on Wednesday, as the party hopes to build on the momentum that Kamala Harris has brought since joining the race a month ago. Walz, the Minnesota governor who has become known among supporters as a folksy, Midwestern teacher, football coach and dad, will introduce himself to the rest of the country. He's also become the target of Republican criticism over how he's portrayed his National Guard service and his personal story. Organizers have dubbed Wednesday night a fight for our freedoms," with the programming expected to focus on abortion access and other rights that Democrats want to center in their campaign against Republican nominee Donald Trump. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries will speak along with everyday Americans whom convention organizers describe as people who ..

Record number of candidates in fray for Sri Lankan presidential election

A total of 39 candidates, including three minority Tamils and two Buddhist monks, are in the fray for next month's presidential election in Sri Lanka, the election commission announced here on Thursday. However, there was not a single woman candidate among the 39 presidential aspirants for the September 21 election. In the last presidential election in 2019, there were 35 candidates while there were only six candidates in the first-ever presidential election held in October 1982. On the last day to file papers on Thursday, nominations were accepted from 9 am to 11 am local time after Wednesday's closure of paying deposits to the contest. There were 40 deposits paid but one of them has chosen not to file nominations. R M A L Rathnayake, the election commission chief, said there were three objections against three candidates, which were rejected by the commission. There were more than 17 million eligible voters in the 22 electoral districts throughout the island nation. Besides ..

Opposition in Venezuela demands presidential election results be overturned

Thousands of people rallied in the streets of Venezuela's capital Saturday, waving the national flag and singing the national anthem in support of an opposition candidate they believe won the presidential election by a landslide. Authorities have declared President Nicols Maduro the winner of last Sunday's election but have yet to produce voting tallies to prove he won. Instead, the government arrested hundreds of opposition supporters who took to the streets in the days after the disputed poll, and the president and his cadres have threatened to also lock up opposition leader, Mara Corina Machado, and her hand-picked presidential candidate, Edmundo Gonzlez. On Saturday, supporters chanted and sang as Machado arrived at the rally in Caracas. Machado, who has been barred by Maduro's government from running for office for 15 years, had been in hiding since Tuesday, saying her life and freedom are at risk. Masked assailants ransacked the opposition's headquarters on Friday, taking ...

Harris addresses herself an underdog, touts her campaign as people powered

Kamala Harris, the presumptive presidential nominee of the Democratic party, has called herself the underdog in the race to the White House but expressed confidence that she would win in November due to her people-powered campaign. In her first fundraiser since becoming her party's candidate for president, Harris told supporters that this year's election was a choice between two visions for the country one looking toward the future and one that wants to undo the country's progress. "We are the underdogs in this race. Level set, ok. We are the underdogs in this race, but this is a people-powered campaign," Vice President Harris said, addressing a group of 800 fundraisers in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. "This is a people-powered campaign and we have momentum," Harris, 59 said. During the fundraiser on Saturday, she raised USD 1.4 million as against the original goal of USD 400,000. Amidst loud applause from the audience, she said that her campaign has "earned the support of enough ..