· March, 2012

Stories about Elections from March, 2012

Brazil: Irregularities Denounced in the Council of Representatives of Emigrants

  30 March 2012

Founded at the end of 2012, the Conselho de Representantes de Brasileiros no Exterior [Council of Representatives of Brazilians Abroad], or the CRBE, linked to the Ministry of External Affairs, has provoked the indignation of expatriate Brazilians owing to allegations of irregularities in the election process for its representatives.

Guinea-Bissau: Constitutional Limits on the Presidential Elections

  30 March 2012

Claims of widespread fraud during the presidential elections in Guinea Bissau, on 18 March, allows for the possibility that the April ballot will take place with a single candidate – Carlos Gomes Jr. His concurrent Kumba Ialá, refuses to participate in the second round, and the Constitution doesn't allow the replacement of candidates.

Ghana: Social Media Use in 2012 General Eelections

  30 March 2012

As Ghanaians are getting ready for presidential and parliamentary elections that will be held on 7 December 2012, BloggingGhana community has lauched a social media initiative that seeks to train activists, political groups and students to use social media tools for election monitoring and reporting.

This Week in the Caribbean Blogosphere

  29 March 2012

Again this week, the regional blogosphere was dominated by talk of Pope Benedict XVI's visit to Cuba. With reports of repression at an all-time high, Cuban bloggers were dismayed by the outcome of the trip.

Algeria: 2012 Election Watchdog launched by Internet Activists

  28 March 2012

With the upcoming Algerian Legislative Election scheduled for May 10, 2012, one of the many elections taking place in 2012 [fr] within the continent of Africa, a collaborative website called Nahrag [ar] has just been launched by internet activists. Putting the case for more transparency in an election threatened with...

Armenia: US Ambassador urges free, fair and credible elections

  28 March 2012

Ambassador Heffern's Video Blog's comments on the upcoming parliamentary elections in Armenia. Posted on the U.S. Embassy's YouTube Channel, the American diplomat stresses the need for free and fair elections, details some of the changes introduced in the electoral code, and urges the government, opposition and civil society to ensure...

Trinidad & Tobago: Bloggers Question Relevance of “Congress of the People”

  27 March 2012

The Congress of the People began as a break-away party from the United National Congress, but the two entities came together to contest the 2010 parliamentary elections - and won. But with the recent defection of San Fernando Mayor Marlene Coudray to the UNC camp, two political bloggers in Trinidad and Tobago are questioning the continued viability of the Congress of the People as a separate entity.

Senegal: The Provisional Tally of the Presidential Elections

  27 March 2012

The provisional tally of the second round of the presidential elections were published on March 27: The incumbent candidate Abdoulaye Wade is projected to have obtain 999,556 votes which is about 34.2% of the votes. Macky Sall was elected with about 1,909,244 votes which amount to 65.8%. The percentage of...

Armenia: Ushahidi deployed for parliamentary elections

  27 March 2012

Georgia was the first country in the South Caucasus to deploy a bespoke crowd-sourcing and crisis mapping platform for its local elections in May 2010, but Armenia will be the first to use Ushahidi to monitor the conduct of national elections in the form of the upcoming May 2012 parliamentary...

Egypt: The Abou Ismail Poster Frenzy

Preparations are in full swing for the presidential elections in Egypt, set for May 23 and 24, 2012, with candidates' election posters already up on the streets. But when it comes to Hazem Salah Abou-Ismail, he sure beats all the rest in the poster frenzy. His posters are almost seen almost everywhere. Netizens grasp the opportunity to make fun of the poster bonanza.

Ghana: #GhanaDecides Launched

  26 March 2012

Ghana Decides is a BloggingGhana initiative meant to introduce NGOs, Civil Society Organisations, students (especially first time voters), political groups and the general Ghanaian public to the importance and benefit of use of social media tools in elections in Ghana.

Australia: Mining Magnate's Bizarre Claim of CIA Coal Conspiracy

  22 March 2012

In a “bizarre” outburst, mining magnate Clive Palmer joined the ranks of the CIA conspiracy theorists this week during the Queensland State election campaign. Australian bloggers have revelled in his accusations that the CIA funds Green candidates and organisations such as Greenpeace.