Tag: election

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India News

99% polling for Presidential elections


There were two contesting candidates — Draupadi Murmu and Yashwant Sinha for the 16th Presidential election…reports Asian Lite News

A total of 11 states and one union territory including Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Puducherry, Sikkim, Mizoram and Tamil Nadu recorded 100 per cent voting on Monday in polling for the election of the 15th President of India.

Polling concluded successfully in free, fair and transparent manner at the Parliament House on Monday and in each of the 30 places of poll in State Legislative Assemblies including Legislative Assembly of NCT of Delhi and UT of Puducherry.

There were two contesting candidates — Draupadi Murmu and Yashwant Sinha for the 16th Presidential election.

As per the Election Commission, of a total of 771 Members of Parliament entitled to vote (5 vacant), and similarly out of total 4,025 Members of the Legislative Assemblies entitled to vote (6 vacant and 2 disqualified), over 99 per cent cast their vote on Monday.

However 100 per cent voting by MLAs was reported from Chattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Puducherry, Sikkim, Mizoram and Tamil Nadu.

The Election to the office of President is one of the most important elections, which the Election Commission conducts vide the mandate of Article 324 of the Constitution. Polling was held between 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in 31 locations.

As per Article 54 of the Constitution, the President of India is elected by the Members of an Electoral College consisting of the elected members of both Houses of Parliament, and the elected members of the Legislative Assemblies of all States (including National Capital Territory of Delhi and the Union Territory of Puducherry).

The Members nominated to either House of Parliament or the Legislative Assemblies of States, including NCT of Delhi and Union Territory of Puducherry, are not eligible to be included in the Electoral College.

The Election Commission is required to maintain a list of members of the Electoral College.

The list contains the names of elected members of the Rajya Sabha, Lok Sabha and the elected members of the Legislative Assemblies of States, NCT of Delhi and UT of Puducherry.

Two members including Anant Kumar Singh and Mahendra Hari Dalvi were not eligible to vote in the election on Monday, owing to disqualification under Section 8 of R.P. Act, 1951 subsequent to judgement of competent court.

Further, there are 5 vacancies in Rajya Sabha and 6 vacancies in State Legislative Assemblies.

Therefore, there were a total of 4,796 electors in the list of Electoral College for this Presidential Election to participate in the election.

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India News Politics

‘2024 general elections will not be for selection but for rejection’

She denied that there was violence in West Bengal after the 2021 assembly polls. “This is all propaganda by the BJP and its confidant media groups…reports Asian Lite News

The 2024 Lok Sabha polls will not be an election to select a new government at the Centre but to reject the BJP, West Bengal Chief Minister and All India Trinamool Congress president Mamata Banerjee said on Monday.

Speaking at a conclave here, the Chief Minister referred to the recent trend of “bulldozer politics,” and said that the people of India will pay back the BJP in the same coin by bulldozing them out of power.

“The misuse of power by the BJP is bulldozing people and democracy. But in 2024, the people of India will bulldoze them out of power. The 2024 Lok Sabha polls will not be between BJP and the opposition, rather it will be BJP versus people of India. That is why I am saying that those polls will not be the election for selection but election for rejection of BJP,” she said.

She also took a jibe at the BJP over the latter’s frequent attacks against her for encouraging dynasty politics by promoting her nephew and Trinamool Congress’ national general secretary, Abhishek Banerjee. “Why is Abhishek targeted? Did not Sheikh Hasina take over the baton from her father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman? Haven’t people of Uttar Pradesh accepted Akhilesh Yadav after his father Mulayam Singh Yadav?” she questioned.

Banerjee alleged that it was something more than financial considerations that the BJP offered to the rebel Shiv Sena MLAs used for toppling the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maharashtra government. “I will not spell out more details. It can be ‘M’ and it can be ‘W’. Now it is for all to understand. I have all the information but I will not say anything more. At times silence speaks more. Everything will be revealed at some point of time or the other,” she said.

She denied that there was violence in West Bengal after the 2021 assembly polls. “This is all propaganda by the BJP and its confidant media groups. Of the 21 people killed in violence, 16 of them were Trinamool Congress activists. Four of them were killed in BSF firing. Now all these have been included in the post-poll violence. The BJP’s national president J.P. Nadda is responsible for spreading such lies.”

Reacting to her allegations, BJP’s spokesman in West Bengal Shamik Bhattacharya said that the chief minister is actually scared of the growing popularity of the BJP throughout the country. “That is why she says such things. The 2024 Lok Sabha polls will prove that the public support is with the BJP on a much larger scale,” he said.

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Arab News

Ballot boxes distributed in Lebanon for parliamentary elections

Ballot boxes distributed in Lebanon for parliamentary elections

Authorities in Lebanon have distributed thousands of ballot boxes all over the country for Sunday’s much-awaited parliamentary elections…reports Asian Lite News

Thousands of soldiers have deployed near the polling stations to ensure a smooth electoral process and maintain peace and security during the elections, reports Xinhua news agency.

“The security situation is under control, and a tight security plan has been developed to guarantee the protection of centres and the integrity of the electoral process,” Minister of Interior and Municipalities Bassam Mawlawi said late Saturday night.

A total of 718 candidates, including 118 females, are running for the 128-seat Lebanese Parliament.

Ahead of Sunday’s polls, the first round of voting for the Lebanese expats took place on May 6 in nine Arab countries and Iran, and the second phase began on May 8 in 49 countries across Asia, Africa and Europe.

ALSO READ: Lebanon starts second phase of expat voting in parliamentary elections

Lebanon’s sectarian power-sharing system allocates seats for its mosaic of religious sects in its Parliament, including Sunni and Shia Muslims, various Christian denominations, and the Druze.

The president must always be a Maronite Christian, the Prime Minister a Sunni and the Speaker of Parliament a Shia.

The elections come amid an unprecedented economic crisis that emerged about three years ago, leading to the currency to lose more than 90 per cent of its value since 2019, while also plunging over 70 per cent of the population into poverty.

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Arab News

Lebanon starts second phase of expat voting in parliamentary elections

The second phase of Lebanese expatriates voting in parliamentary elections kicked off in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and 48 other countries on Sunday…reports Asian Lite News

More than 25,000 Lebanese voters residing in the UAE are eligible to vote and long queues were reported outside polling stations, Xinhua news agency reported, citing Lebanese news platform L’Orient Today.

According to the official Lebanese National News Agency (NNA), a total of 194,348 Lebanese expatriates have registered to cast their votes in the ballot boxes in Lebanese embassies and consulates in Canada, the US, Australia, and other countries in Europe, Africa, Latin America and Asia.

Lebanon’s President Michel Aoun visited Sunday the Foreign Ministry to inspect its monitoring of the second phase of expat parliamentary elections that got underway in the morning, noting he hoped “the elections will end without any problems or objections.”

The first phase of expatriates’ voting took place on Friday in 10 countries, namely Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Iraq, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain and Iran.

The voter turnout in the 10 countries was 59.49 per cent on Friday, Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib was quoted by the NNA as saying.

ALSO READ: Lebanon Gears Up For Polls

The Lebanese elections, which are slated for May 15 at home, come amid an unprecedented economic crisis that emerged about three years ago, leading to the currency collapse and plunging over 70 per cent of the population into poverty.

Holding the elections is among the many requirements from the international organizations and donor countries for extending their support to the crisis-hit country.

Parliamentary elections are held in Lebanon every 4 years, and a total of 718 candidates, including 118 females, are running for the elections of the 128-seat Lebanese parliament scheduled for May 15.

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-Top News Europe

No respite for Macron as Parliamentary elections loom

France’s unemployment rate dropped to its lowest in 13 years during Macron’s first mandate, and its economy outperformed other big European countries as well as the broader euro zone…reports Asian Lite News

French President Emmanuel Macron enjoyed no respite from his political opponents on Monday as, hours after he won re-election by defeating the far-right’s Marine Le Pen, radical parties called on voters to deny him a parliamentary majority.

Macron, who pledged to work harder as a unifying force in a divided country, said his second mandate would be different after his sometimes high-handed manner alienated many voters during his first term in office.

But he will now need to win again in legislative elections in June. If he fails to do that, he will struggle to push forward with his pro-business agenda, including unpopular plans to push back the retirement age.

Senior politicians on the far left and far right urged the electorate to put a stop to those reforms.

“Don’t leave all the power in Emmanuel Macron’s hands,” said Jordan Bardella, a close Le Pen ally, urging voters to back the far-right National Rally in the two-stage parliamentary vote on June 12 and 19.

“If you want men and women who will … protect you from the brutality of Emmanuel Macron’s policies, you must elect hordes of National Rally lawmakers,” Sebastien Chenu, a spokesman for Le Pen, told BFM TV.

France’s unemployment rate dropped to its lowest in 13 years during Macron’s first mandate, and its economy outperformed other big European countries as well as the broader euro zone.

But his pro-business and security reforms triggered much discontent, and Macron acknowledged in a low-key victory speech that many had voted for him mainly to thwart his far-right challenger..

The hard left’s Jean-Luc Melenchon, who came third, just behind Le Pen, in the presidential election’s first round, said Macron had been elected “by default.”

“Don’t give up,” he told his supporters. “You can beat Macron (in the parliament elections) and choose a different path.”

In recent French legislative ballots, the president’s party has always won a majority in parliament.

Should the outcome be different this time, Macron would have little choice but to name a prime minister from another party, ushering in what has traditionally been a tense period of cohabitation during which presidential powers are severely curbed.

During a cohabitation, the president remains the head of the armed forces and retains some foreign policy influence but the government has responsibility for most other day-to-day matters of state and policy.

“The recomposition of the French political landscape is not over. The majority that emerges from the parliamentary elections will be decisive for economic policy,” said Amundi Chief Investment Officer Vincent Mortier.

Final results of Sunday’s runoff showed Macron won 58.54% of the vote. While a clear win, the result also gave the far right its biggest share of the presidential ballot on record.

Macron and his allies pledged to govern differently and listen more to voters, hoping it will help them win a majority in parliament.

“Many in this country voted for me not because they support my ideas but to keep out those of the far-right. I want to thank them and know I owe them a debt in the years to come,” Macron said his late-night speech.

“We will have to be benevolent and respectful because our country is riddled with so many doubts, so many divisions.”

After a first mandate in which many criticised Macron’s sometimes abrasive style, the message on Monday was that things would be different this time.

“Our first job will be to unify,” parliament leader Richard Ferrand, a close ally of Macron, told France Inter, saying lawmakers would involve voters more in their decision-making.

Macron’s margin of victory was well below the 66.1% he scored against Le Pen in 2017.

The conservative daily Le Figaro wrote in its main editorial on Monday: “In truth, the marble statue is a giant with feet of clay. Emmanuel Macron knows this well … he will not benefit from any grace period.”

That also means Macron can likely expect more of the protest rallies that marred some of his first mandate.

“He’s not going to do another five years of the same mandate, that’s clear. We won’t let him do it,” said 63-year-old administrative worker Colette Sierra.

“If he does, I think people are ready to take to the streets if there isn’t the right kind of coalition government.”

But some voters were genuinely happy with Macron’s win.

“I’m very happy about the result because this president has already steered us through several challenges,” said 65-year-old lorry driver Lucien Sozinho. “He has shown courage, and there you have it, that’s the result.”

ALSO READ-UAE leaders congratulate Macron on re-election

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-Top News UK News

Boris says he will fight next election

The Prime Minister Boris Johnson views a static display of cross agency aircraft and then gives speech on small boats and immigration. Lydd Airport. Picture by Tim Hammond / No 10 Downing Street

Opponents say he repeatedly lied to parliament last year when he said all guidelines had been followed…reports Asian Lite News

Boris Johnson said on Wednesday he would seek to be reelected prime minister at the next election and could not think of any circumstances under which he would resign.

Opposition parties and some of Johnson’s own Conservative lawmakers have said the prime minister must go, after police fined him for breaking his own stringent coronavirus lockdown rules. read more

Johnson apologised to parliament on Tuesday, saying he did not know a gathering in his Downing Street office to celebrate his birthday had been against the rules.

Opponents say he repeatedly lied to parliament last year when he said all guidelines had been followed.

The prime minister flew to India on Wednesday for a two-day visit. Asked by reporters on the plane whether he will fight the next election, Johnson replied, “Of course.”

Asked if he saw any circumstances where he could resign, he said: “Not a lot springs to mind at the moment.”

Johnson has said it is time to focus on other pressing international and domestic issues.

“The best thing we can all do is to focus on things that can really change and improve the lives of voters and stop talking about politicians,” he told reporters.

Lawmakers will on Thursday vote on a motion put forward by the opposition Labour Party which, if passed, would refer Johnson to parliament’s Committee of Privileges to consider whether his conduct amounted to contempt of the House of Commons.

But the government is seeking to delay the decision until after the police investigation into lockdown breaches has concluded, and a long-awaited report into the matter by a senior civil servant has been published.

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-Top News Europe UK News

FREXIT?

Incumbent Emmanuel Macron, who is slightly ahead in opinion polls, held a rally in Marseille as he tries to convince left-wing voters to pick him on April 24

Thousands of anti-far right protesters marched across France on Saturday as opponents of presidential candidate Marine Le Pen seek to form a united front to prevent her from winning an election runoff against incumbent Emmanuel Macron on April 24.

Macron, a pro-European Union centrist, won the presidency in 2017 after easily beating Le Pen when voters rallied behind him in the runoff to keep her far-right party out of power.

This year, the first round of voting last Sunday set up the same battle, but Macron is facing a much tougher challenge.

In central Paris, thousands of people gathered chanting anti-far right slogans and warning of democratic upheaval if Le Pen were to win. One banner read: “Against the far-right. For justice and equality, not Le Pen at the Elysee,” referring to the French president’s official residence.

“If the far-right is in power we will see a major collapse of the democratic, anti-racism and progressive camps,” Dominique Sopo, president of SOS Racism, which along with dozens of rights groups, unions and associations called for the protests, told Reuters.

“People need to realize that despite their anger toward Emmanuel Macron and his policies, there is no equivalence between a liberal, conservative candidate and a far-right candidate.”

Police had warned of possible incidents as demonstrators convened in some 30 cities, but the protests ended peacefully.

Macron, who held a rally in Marseille as he tries to convince left-wing voters to pick him on April 24, is slightly ahead in opinion polls.

“The far-right is a risk to our country,” he told supporters overlooking the Mediterranean port city, which put far-left candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon first on April 10. “Don’t heckle them! Beat them!,” he said.

Prior to the first round of the election Le Pen successfully tapped into anger over the cost of living and a perception that Macron is disconnected from everyday hardships. That saw her finish with 23.1 percent of votes compared to 27.85 percent for Macron.

However, she has appeared more rattled this week as the focus has turned to her manifesto and opinion polls have shown Macron extend his lead. An IPSOS-Sopra-Steria poll on Saturday showed the president winning the runoff with 55.5 percent of votes.

He has won backing from former presidents Nicolas Sarkozy and Francois Hollande. Hundreds of celebrities and sporting figures have also endorsed him to block Le Pen coming to power.

Le Pen, whose stance is anti-immigration and euroskeptic, has sought in recent years to soften her image and that of her National Rally party. Opponents, including Macron, have said her program is full of lies and false promises — an accusation Le Pen has rejected.

Speaking to reporters on a campaign stop in southern France, Le Pen dismissed the planned protests as undemocratic.

“The establishment is worried,” she said. “That people are protesting against election results is deeply undemocratic. I say to all these people just go and vote. It’s as simple as that.”

With the electorate fragmented and undecided, the election will likely be won by the candidate who can reach beyond his or her camp to convince voters that the other option would be far worse.

For decades, a “republican front” of voters of all stripes rallying behind a mainstream candidate has helped to keep the far right out of power.

But Macron, whose sometimes abrasive style and policies that veered to the right have upset many voters, can no longer automatically count on that backing.

Highlighting how, for some voters, picking Macron is no easy decision, one banner read in Paris: “Neither Le Pen, neither Macron.”

Climate change activists from Extinction Rebellion had earlier forced the closure of a main square and avenue in the capital, protesting the environmental programs of both candidates.

“This election leaves us no choice between a far-right candidate with repugnant ideas … and a candidate who during five years cast the ecology issue aside and lied,” Lou, 26, a history teacher, who joined the Extinction Rebellion movement two years ago, told Reuters.

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-Top News News PAKISTAN

Shehbaz Sharif elected as new Prime Minister of Pakistan

PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif was on Monday elected as the 23rd Prime Minister of Pakistan with 174 lawmakers voting in his favour after the MNAs of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf boycotted the election, Dawn reported…reports Asian Lite News

Earlier, PTI MNAs had walked out of the Assembly, with Shah Mahmood Qureshi, who was the party’s candidate for the top post, announcing that they would be resigning en masse from the National Assembly.

PML-N’s Ayaz Sadiq presided over the session after Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri said his conscience did not allow him to conduct the session.

Announcing the results, Sadiq reminisced that he had also chaired the session during which PML-N supremo and Shehbaz’s elder brother, Nawaz Sharif, was elected as the Prime Minister.

“And today, I have the honour of chairing the session for Shehbaz Sharif’s election,” he said.

“Mian Mohammad Shehbaz Sharif has secured 174 votes,” he announced, adding: “Mian Mohammad Shehbaz Sharif has been elected as the Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.”

As soon as Sadiq announced the results and said Shehbaz is the new Prime Minister of Pakistan, lawmakers began shouting slogans in favour of Shehbaz and Nawaz.

The Speaker asked Shehbaz to move to the seat of the Prime Minister in the House and he shifted to the treasury benches amid cheers, with other members of the former joint opposition following suit.

Shehbaz said it is the first time in Pakistan’s history that a no-confidence motion against a Prime Minister has been successful.

ALSO READ: Will new govt rescue debt-ridden Pakistan?

“And good has prevailed over evil,” he said.

Shehbaz added that it is a “big day” for the entire nation when a “selected” Prime Minister has been sent packing in a legal and constitutional manner.

He said the US dollar’s value declining by Rs 8 signified the “happiness of the people”.

The newly-elected Prime Minister also thanked the Supreme Court for burying the doctrine of necessity forever.

“In the future, no one will be able to rely on it,” he said, Dawn reported.

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-Top News Europe

Macron ahead in first round of presidential election

Macron cast his vote in Le Touquet, a seaside town in Pas-de-Calais in northern France and urged voters to exercise their franchise. But he failed to sufficiently enthuse them…reports Asian Lite News

Notwithstanding a slightly low voter turnout, an opening estimate of the result of the first round of the French presidential election by pollsters Ipsos, gave the incumbent President Emmanuel Macron 28.1 per cent of votes, with Marie Le Pen of the far-right National Rally, better known as National Front, securing 23.3 per cent support.

The two now go through to a decisive second round of voting on April 24 for a re-match. Supporters of the finalists were planning parties in celebration of qualifying into the ultimate stage, which were predicted to continue late into the night.

Among the 12 candidates altogether, leftist JeanLuc Melenchon registered an impressive 20.1 per cent – which is likely to mostly transfer in favour of Macron in the second round. Eric Zemmour, an extreme rightist, posted 7.2 per cent – much of this will probably go to Le Pen in the second round. Valerie Pecresse of the traditional right-of-centre Republicans got only 7.2 per cent – she requested her voters to back Macron in the second round. Socialist Anne Hidalgo fared even worse with 2.1 per cent.

Macron cast his vote in Le Touquet, a seaside town in Pas-de-Calais in northern France and urged voters to exercise their franchise. But he failed to sufficiently enthuse them.

Turnout was down as compared to polling in the first round in 2017, but still around 75 per cent. French voters have not stayed away from casting their ballot in this manner, other than their apathy of 2002.

The low turnout is interpreted by commentators as a reflection of defiance and dissatisfaction among French people in the politics of the country, looked upon as a worrying trend.

Le Monde, the leading French daily, commented in an editorial piece: “Started in times of pandemic (Covid-19) and completed in times of war (in Ukraine), this presidential campaign suspended between two perils leads to a first round threatened by a double danger” – abstention and the rise in support for the far-right.

Reporting on Paris, the paper wrote: “Many voters hesitated a lot before deciding, sometimes even in front of the voting booth.”

In what was described as “the chic districts of Marseille” – a port city, founded in 600 BC and France’s oldest urban centre in the south-west of the country – some leaders of the Republicans reportedly led the way to vote for Macron of En Marche, a centrist formation established in 2016. “A conversion with a bitter taste for some voters,” Le Monde’s correspondent said.

In sandy Reunion Island, a French prefecture in the Indian Ocean, where 25 per cent of its 900,000 odd population are of Indian origin, the percentage of polling was also down from five years ago. Standing in bright sunshine, one local resident was quoted as saying: “Life is more pleasant here (on the beach) than in a voting booth!” Behind her the waters were an exotic turquoise blue.

In 2017, Macron won 24 per cent of the votes to Le Pen’s 21.3 per cent in the first round. But he went on to capture 66.1 per cent in the second ballot to Le Pen’s 33.9 per cent to be victorious quite comfortably. He is expecting this will be repeated two weeks from now to clinch for him a re-election.

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Africa News News

Tunisian President urges ISIE to conduct elections for December 17

Tunisian President

Tunisian President Kais Saied has urged the Independent High Authority for Elections (ISIE) to be ready to organise the legislative elections slated for December 17, according to a statement released by the presidency…reports Asian Lite News

During his meeting with ISIE Vice-President Farouk Bouasker on Monday, Saied said, “It is imperative to preserve the independence and the neutrality of the body.”

For his part, Bouasker highlighted the elections’ importance for the country’s political future and its stability, in addition to the ISIE’s critical role to ensure the elections’ success, Xinhua news agency reported.

ALSO READ: Tunisian President dissolves Parliament

Last week, the Tunisian President announced the dissolution of the Assembly of People’s Representatives, or the parliament.

Tunisia’s Islamist party Ennahdha (Renaissance) on Monday voiced its opposition to the dissolution of the Tunisian parliament.

According to a statement on its Facebook page, Ennahdha said the President’s decisions “are in violation of the provisions of the constitution”.

In December 2021, Saied announced a constitutional referendum will be held in July this year, followed by parliamentary elections at the end of 2022.