Page 2 - Presidential Election

Ranil Wickremesinghe announces candidacy for Sri Lanka's presidential race

Wickremesinghe said that it was love for his country that drove him to take up the task of rebuilding Sri Lanka, which was in chaos and on the brink of bankruptcy

Iran's Presidential election heads to 2nd round amid voter apathy, tensions

The first round of voting, held on June 28, saw none of the initial candidates securing the required majority of over 50 per cent of the vote

Masoud Pezeshkian, a heart surgeon, running to be Iran's next president

After the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini, Iranian lawmaker Masoud Pezeshkian wrote that it was unacceptable in the Islamic Republic to arrest a girl for her hijab and then hand over her dead body to her family. Days later as nationwide protests and a bloody crackdown on all dissent took hold, he warned that those insulting the supreme leader ... will create nothing except long-lasting anger and hatred in the society." The stances by Pezeshkian, now a 69-year-old candidate for Iran's next president, highlight the dualities of being a reformist politician within Iran's Shiite theocracy always pushing for change but never radically challenging the system overseen by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. After Iran's June 28 presidential election saw the lowest turnout in history, Pezeshkian now must convince a public angered by years of economic pain and bloody crackdowns to go vote in a runoff poll on Friday even though a majority of them earlier decided not to cast ballots at all. We

Iran's presidential candidates debate sanctions, nuclear deal before runoff

Iranian presidential candidates on Tuesday discussed the impact of economic sanctions imposed on their country by the United States and other Western nations and presented their plans about reviving a nuclear deal with world powers. It was the second, and last, live debate on state television pitting little-known reformist Masoud Pezeshkian and Saeed Jalili, a hard-line former nuclear negotiator, ahead of Friday's runoff election aimed at choosing a successor for the late President Ebrahim Raisi, who died last month in a helicopter crash. Pezeshkian said that sanctions imposed by the West have badly hurt Iran's economy. He cited a 40 per cent inflation over the past four years and the increasing poverty rates. We live in a society in which many are begging on the streets," he said. Pezeshkian, a cardiac surgeon, said his administration would immediately work towards trying to get sanctions lifted and vowed to repair the economy. He also said he would find a solution to revive a ...

Iran's presidential candidates spar over lack of solutions before runoff

Iran's presidential candidates on Monday accused each other of having no solution for the country's problems ahead of Friday's runoff election aimed at choosing a successor for the late President Ebrahim Raisi, who died last month in a helicopter crash. During a more than two-hour debate on public TV, reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian attacked his competitor, Saeed Jalili, a hard-line former nuclear negotiator, for his lack of experience, saying: Tell me, what single company have you ever managed to make you capable of running the country? Jalili, who is known as the Living Martyr after losing a leg in the 1980s Iran-Iraq war and is famous among Western diplomats for his haranguing lectures and hard-line stances, defended himself highlighting his career and several positions held, including that of top nuclear negotiator. Pezeshkian further questioned his opponent on what plans he would have for reaching a nuclear deal, with Jalili responding he would approach it "based on ...

Iran votes to replace Prez killed in chopper crash, but apathy remains high

Iranians were voting Friday in a snap election to replace the late President Ebrahim Raisi, killed in a helicopter crash last month, as public apathy has become pervasive in the Islamic Republic after years of economic woes, mass protests and tensions in the Middle East. Voters face a choice between hard-line candidates and a little-known politician who belongs to Iran's reformist movement that seeks to change its Shiite theocracy from within. As has been the case since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, women and those calling for radical change have been barred from the ballot while the vote itself will have no oversight from internationally recognised monitors. The voting comes as wider tensions have gripped the Middle East over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. In April, Iran launched its first-ever direct attack on Israel over the war in Gaza, while militia groups that Tehran arms in the region such as the Lebanese Hezbollah and Yemen's Houthi rebels are engaged in the fight

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

Mexico elects Claudia Sheinbaum as country's first female president

Pollster Parametria forecast Sheinbaum winning a landslide 56 per cent of the vote, according to their exit polls

US election: Texas man runs for President as 'Literally Anybody Else'

A US citizen from Texas, formerly called Dustin Ebey, has legally changed his name to "Literally Anybody Else" in hopes to take on presidential frontrunners Joe Biden and Donald Trump

Indonesia's defence minister, accused of abuses, is declared poll winner

Indonesian Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto was announced the winner of the presidential election in the world's third-largest democracy on Wednesday over two former governors who vow to contest the result in court over alleged irregularities. Subianto, who was accused of abuses under the past dictatorship and chose the son of the popular outgoing president as his running mate, won 58.6 per cent of the votes. Former Jakarta Gov. Anies Baswedan received 24.9 per cent and former Central Java Gov. Ganjar Pranowo got 16.5 per cent, the General Election Commission said. It posted polling stations' tabulation forms on its website, allowing for independent verification. Subianto said he will respect those who made different choices in the vote. We call on all Indonesian people to look to the future together," he told a news conference. "We must unite and join hands because our challenges as a nation are very big. Subianto has received congratulatory messages from other Southeast Asian .

Ukraine launches far-ranging drone attacks on last day of Russia's election

Ukraine launched a new massive wave of drone attacks Sunday as Russians cast ballots on the final day of a presidential vote set to extend President Vladimir Putin's rule for another six years. The Russian Defence Ministry reported downing 35 Ukrainian drones overnight, including four in the Moscow region. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said there were no casualties or damage. According to the Defence Ministry, another two drones were shot over the Kaluga region just south of the Russian capital and the Yaroslavl region northeast of Moscow. The attacks on the Yaroslavl region, which is located about 800 kilometres (500 miles) from the Ukrainian border, were some of the farthest launched by Ukraine so far. More Ukrainian drones were downed over the Belgorod, Kursk and Rostov regions that border Ukraine and the southern Krasnodar region, the Defence Ministry said. The attacks followed a series of other Ukrainian drone raids and other attacks over the past few days that Putin describe

Ukrainian shelling killed 2 in border city while thwarted incursion: Russia

Ukrainian shelling of the Russian city of Belgorod killed two people, officials said on Saturday, while Russia claimed to have thwarted a new attempt by saboteurs to cross the border. Saturday's attacks occurred as Russians entered the second day of voting in a presidential election that is all but certain to extend Vladimir Putin's rule by another six years after he crushed dissent. A man and a woman died in the attack and three other people were wounded, regional Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov said on the Telegram messaging app. It was the latest in exchanges of long-range missile and rocket fire in Russia's war on Ukraine. Five people were also wounded when a Ukrainian drone hit a car in the village of Glotovo, some 2 kilometers (1.25 miles) from the Ukrainian border, Gladkov said. Russia's Defence Ministry also said Saturday that it had thwarted attempts by Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance groups to enter the country from Ukraine's Sumy region. That followed an armed incursion ..

'Not afraid of any trial': Bolsonaro over claims he plotted to remain prez

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said Saturday he was not afraid of any trial, a day after documents released by the Supreme Court revealed that two top military leaders said the populist plotted to remain in power after losing the 2022 election. Bolsonaro avoided commenting on the content of any of several investigations targeting him, but claimed he was a victim of persecution for causing trouble for the country's political left. Authorities in February confiscated Bolsonaro's passport. I could very well be in another country, but I decided to come back here at all costs. I'm not afraid of any trial, as long as the judges are impartial, Bolsonaro said in Rio de Janeiro, speaking at a campaign event in the city's mayoral race. The court documents released Saturday included testimony from Bolsonaro's former Army and Air Force commanders to police, who said they refused the former leader's demands and would arrest him if he tried to stay in power. The testimonies include th

Drama in Russia's poll all about what Putin will do with another term

As Vladimir Putin heads for another six-year term as Russia's president, there's little electoral drama in the race. What he does after he crosses the finish line is what's drawing attention and, for many observers, provoking anxiety. The voting that concludes on Sunday is all but certain to allow Putin to remain in office until 2030, giving him a full three decades of leading Russia as either president or prime minister. The heft of that long tenure and the thorough suppression of effective domestic opposition voices gives Putin a very strong and perhaps unrestrained hand. That position is bolstered by the Russian economy's surprising resilience despite wide-ranging Western sanctions following the invasion of Ukraine. It's also strengthened by Moscow's incremental but consistent battlefield advances in recent months, flagging support for military aid to Kyiv from the United States and other quarters, and growing skepticism in some Western countries over more progressive social .

Venezuela sets prez election for July 28 as Oppn candidate remains barred

Venezuela's highly anticipated presidential election will take place July 28 the birthday of the country's late fiery leader Hugo Chvez officials announced Tuesday, plowing ahead with a tight campaign season that deepens doubts over the participation of the opposition's leading candidate as well as of international observers. President Nicols Maduro is widely expected to run for reelection. His government initially negotiated details of the election with a faction of the opposition backed by the United States government, but differences between the sides have grown over the past two months. The date announced by National Electoral Council President Elvis Amoroso did, however, meet at least one opposition demand that the election be held in the second half of the year. When that broad timeframe was agreed upon by Maduro and his adversaries in October, the intervening months were meant to allow campaigns to mobilize, officials to update voter rolls, and international electoral ...

Pakistan to elect president on March 9, Asif Ali Zardari likely to win

Pakistan's election commission on Friday announced that the polling for the presidential election will take place on March 9, with former president Asif Ali Zardari almost certain to bag the top constitutional post again after nearly 11 years. In a notice, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) said that the presidential election would be held on March 9 at the National Assembly and all the provincial assemblies from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, Geo News reported. According to the schedule issued by the top electoral body, candidates for the office can submit nomination papers by Saturday before noon with the presiding officers in Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar and Quetta. The scrutiny of the papers by the returning officers will be done on March 4, the ECP said, adding that the candidature can be withdrawn the next day. The commission will publish the list of validly nominated candidates on the same day, and March 6 has been fixed as the date for retirement, the report said. Former preside

New York Times quarterly revenue hit by weak advertisement spending

The publisher reported revenue of $676.2 million for the quarter, missing estimates of $679.24 million. Adjusted profit of 70 cents per share beat expectations

Belarus' Prez gives himself immunity from prosecution, limits challengers

President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus signed a new law on Thursday that gives him lifelong immunity from criminal prosecution and prevents opposition leaders living abroad from running in future presidential elections. The law theoretically applies to any former president and members of his or her family. In reality, it only is relevant to the 69-year-old Lukashenko, who has ruled Belarus with an iron fist for almost 30 years. The new measure appears aimed at further shoring up Lukashenko's power and eliminating potential challengers in the country's next presidential election, which is due to take place in 2025. The law significantly tightens requirements for presidential candidates and makes it impossible to elect opposition leaders who fled to neighboring countries in recent years. Only citizens of Belarus who have permanently resided in the country for at least 20 years and have never had a residence permit in another country are eligible to run. Belarus was rocked by mass

Putin officially registered as candidate for Russian presidential election

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday presented documents to Russia's Central Election Commission to register as a candidate in the 2024 presidential election. He submitted them, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian state media. Supporters of Putin on Saturday formally nominated him to run in the 2024 presidential election as an independent candidate. The nomination by a group of at least 500 supporters, under Russian election law, is mandatory for those running not on a party ticket. Independent candidates also need to gather at least 300,000 signatures of support from 40 regions or more. The group that nominated Putin included top officials from the ruling United Russia party, prominent Russian actors and singers, athletes and other public figures. Putin has used different tactics over the years. He ran as an independent in 2018 and his campaign gathered signatures. In 2012, he ran as a nominee of the Kremlin's United Russia party, so there was no need for ...

Meet Javier Milei, Argentina's President-elect who promised radical changes

Known as 'Argentina's Trump', Milei secured a landslide victory in the presidential election and promised radical changes