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  Sun, May 06, 2012
Belgian television defying French presidential election reporting rules (updated)
Belgian French-language public broadcaster RTBF is once again reporting on the outcome of today's presidential election in neighboring France - in open defiance of the latter country's election reporting rules, which expressly forbid such activities until 8:00 PM CEST (2:00 PM EDT).

posted by Manuel Álvarez-Rivera : 05/06/2012 12:37 | permanent link

  Wed, Mar 21, 2012
Certificado el MUS de Puerto Rico como partido inscrito
(This posting is also available in English.)

La Comisión Estatal de Elecciones de Puerto Rico certificó en el día de ayer al Movimiento Unión Soberanista (MUS) como partido inscrito por petición para las elecciones generales que se celebrarán en en la Isla el próximo 6 de noviembre.

Históricamente, la política en Puerto Rico ha girado en torno al asunto del status - la relación política de la Isla con los Estados Unidos. Desde 1968, dos partidos principales se han alternado en el poder: el Partido Popular Democrático (PPD), que ha procurado la retención del status actual de Estado Libre Asociado de los E.E.U.U., y el Partido Nuevo Progresista (PNP), que desea convertir a la Isla en el estado No. 51 de la nación americana. Una minoría reducida - entre un dos y un cinco porciento de los votantes - apoya al Partido Independentista Puertorriqueño (PIP), que aboga por la independencia de Puerto Rico de los E.E.U.U.

Puerto Rico también contó con cuatro partidos a nivel Isla para las elecciones de 2008, cuando Puertorriqueños por Puerto Rico (PPR), de orientación ambientalista, logró inscribirse. Sin embargo, en dichas elecciones tanto el PPR como el PIP perdieron su condición de partido por petición, dado que ni uno ni el otro cumplió con los requisitos establecidos por ley en aquel momento para quedar inscrito, a saber por lo menos un siete por ciento del total de votos depositados para todas las insignias de partidos; o por lo menos tres por ciento del total de papeletas íntegras depositadas para todos los partidos en la papeleta para Gobernador y Comisionado Residente; o al menos cinco por ciento del total de votos depositados para todos los candidatos a Gobernador.

No obstante, el PIP se reinscribió como partido por petición a principios de 2009, y el PPR pudiera también reinscribirse como partido por petición, toda vez que ha recogido 48,000 de las aproximadamente 58,000 peticiones actualmente requeridas por ley para inscribirse. Por otra parte, el nuevo Partido del Pueblo Trabajador (PPT) ha radicado 30,000 endosos. De convertirse el PPR y el PPT en partidos inscritos, habría por primera vez desde 1972 seis partidos en la papeleta electoral puertorriqueña.

Elecciones en Puerto Rico tiene mayor información sobre los procesos electorales de la Isla, y resultados de elecciones a partir de 1920.

posted by Manuel Álvarez-Rivera : 03/21/2012 14:47 | permanent link

Puerto Rico's MUS certified as a registered party
(Esta entrada está disponible también en español.)

The Commonwealth Elections Commission of Puerto Rico certified yesterday the Sovereigntist Union Movement (MUS) as a registered party by petition for the Island's upcoming November 6 general election.

Historically, Puerto Rican politics have revolved around the status issue - the question of the island's relationship with the United States. Since 1968, two major parties have alternated in power: the Popular Democratic Party (PPD), which has sought retention of the existing U.S. Commonwealth status, and the New Progresive Party (PNP), which wants to turn the island into America's 51st state. A small minority - around two to five percent of voters - backs the Puerto Rican Independence Party (PIP), which advocates Puerto Rico's independence from the U.S.

Puerto Rico also had four islandwide parties for the 2008 general election, when the environmentalist-oriented Puerto Ricans for Puerto Rico (PPR) secured its registration. However, both PPR and PIP lost their party by petition status in the election, as neither fulfilled the requirements set forth by law at the time to remain registered, namely at least seven percent of the total number of votes cast for all the party insignias; or at least three percent of the total number of straight ballots cast for all the parties; or at least five percent of the total number of votes cast for all the candidates for Governor.

Nevertheless, PIP re-registered as a party by petition in early 2009, and PPR may also re-register as a party by petition, as it has collected 48,000 of the approximately 58,000 petitions currently required by law for registration. On the other hand, the new Working People's Party (PPT) has filed 30,000 endorsements. Should PPR and PPT become registered parties, there would be six parties on the Puerto Rican election ballot for the first time since 1972.

Elections in Puerto Rico has more information on the island's electoral processes, and election results since 1920.

posted by Manuel Álvarez-Rivera : 03/21/2012 14:40 | permanent link

  Mon, Mar 19, 2012
France 2012 presidential election official list of candidates
The Constitutional Council of France announced today the official list of candidates for the April 22, 2012 presidential election, which stands as follows:

- Madame Eva JOLY,

- Madame Marine LE PEN,

- Monsieur Nicolas SARKOZY,

- Monsieur Jean-Luc MÉLENCHON,

- Monsieur Philippe POUTOU,

- Madame Nathalie ARTHAUD,

- Monsieur Jacques CHEMINADE,

- Monsieur François BAYROU,

- Monsieur Nicolas DUPONT-AIGNAN,

- Monsieur François HOLLANDE.

The full text of the Council's decision is available in French here.

French newsdaily Le Monde has profiles of the ten presidential candidates.

posted by Manuel Álvarez-Rivera : 03/19/2012 23:28 | permanent link

  Tue, Sep 27, 2011
Spain's government calls an early general election
(Esta entrada está disponible también en español.)

The government of outgoing Spanish prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero approved yesterday the decree to dissolve the Cortes - Spain's bicameral legislature - and hold an early general election on Sunday, November 20, 2011.

Elections to the Spanish Congress of Deputies has detailed information about Spain's electoral system, and the Official State Gazette (BOE) has the full (Spanish-language) text of Royal Decree 1329/2011, of September 26, of dissolution of the Congress of Deputies and the Senate and call to elections.

Concerning the redistribution of Congress of Deputies seats, only Madrid will have an extra seat in the lower house of the Spanish Cortes, at the expense of Cádiz, which will lose one. Had the 2008 general election taken place under the new distribution of Congress seats, the opposition People's Party (PP) would have had one seat fewer in Cádiz, but would have won the newly-added seat in Madrid. Otherwise, the ten parties represented in Congress would have obtained the same number of seats they won in the last election.

posted by Manuel Álvarez-Rivera : 09/27/2011 16:04 | permanent link

Gobierno de España convoca a elecciones generales adelantadas
(This posting is also available in English.)

El gobierno del presidente (primer ministro) español saliente José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero aprobó en el día de ayer el decreto para disolver las Cortes - la legislatura bicameral de España - y celebrar elecciones generales adelantadas el domingo, 20 de noviembre de 2011.

Elecciones al Congreso de los Diputados de España tiene información detallada sobre el sistema electoral español, y el Boletín Oficial del Estado (BOE) tiene el texto completo del Real Decreto 1329/2011, de 26 de septiembre, de disolución del Congreso de los Diputados y del Senado y de convocatoria de elecciones.

En lo tocante a la redistribución de escaños en el Congreso de los Diputados, solamente Madrid contará con un escaño adicional en la cámara baja de las Cortes Españolas, a expensas de Cádiz, que perderá uno. Si las elecciones generales de 2008 se hubiesen llevado a cabo bajo la nueva distribución de escaños en el Congreso, el opositor Partido Popular (PP) hubiera contado con un escaño menos en Cádiz, pero hubiera conseguido el recien añadido escaño de Madrid. Por lo demás, los diez partidos representados en el Congreso hubieran obtenido el mismo número de escaños que ganaron en las pasadas elecciones.

posted by Manuel Álvarez-Rivera : 09/27/2011 16:04 | permanent link

  Wed, Apr 20, 2011
Finland 2011 Parliamentary Election Results Update
Updated national- and constituency-level results of last Sunday's parliamentary election in Finland, published today on the Ministry of Justice's elections website, are now available in Elections to the Finnish Eduskunta (Parliament). The updated results also have electorate totals published by Statistics Finland, which include Finnish citizens residing abroad.

The inclusion of Finnish expatriate voters lowers the 2011 election voter turnout rate from 70.5% to 67.4%.

posted by Manuel Álvarez-Rivera : 04/20/2011 19:52 | permanent link

  Sun, Feb 07, 2010
Enlace a resultados de elecciones generales de 2010 en Costa Rica
(This posting is also available in English.)

La web de nacion.com tiene resultados en vivo de las elecciones generales celebradas hoy en Costa Rica.

Elecciones Generales en Costa Rica incluye ahora una descripción del sistema electoral del país centroamericano, así como los resultados de las elecciones presidenciales y legislativas celebradas entre 1953 y 2006.

posted by Manuel Álvarez-Rivera : 02/07/2010 23:48 | permanent link

Costa Rica 2010 general election results link
(Esta entrada está disponible también en español.)

The nacion.com website has live results in Spanish of today's general election in Costa Rica.

General Elections in Costa Rica now includes a description of the Central American country's electoral system, as well as results of presidential and legislative elections held between 1953 and 2006.

posted by Manuel Álvarez-Rivera : 02/07/2010 23:48 | permanent link

  Sat, Feb 06, 2010
Czech Republic's general election set for next May 28-29
Czech President Václav Klaus announced yesterday that elections to the Chamber of Deputies - the lower house of the Central European country's bicameral Parliament - will be held next May 28 and 29.

In March of last year, the Czech Republic's center-right coalition government of Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek collapsed after losing a parliamentary vote of confidence, and the country was to hold an early legislative election the following October. In the meantime, President Klaus appointed an interim government headed by Jan Fischer, the non-party chairman of the Czech Statistical Office.

I wrote a piece for Global Economy Matters about the cabinet crisis, titled Topolánek's toppling leads to early Czech election, but as it was the early vote never materialized: last September, the Constitutional Court struck down the law which reduced the length of the Chamber's term. Both houses of Parliament then passed a constitutional amendment to allow an early election to be held the following November, but the dissolution vote failed after the main opposition party, the Czech Social Democratic Party (ČSSD) had a change of heart and decided to oppose it, along with the Communists and the Greens.

Parliamentary Elections in the Czech Republic - Elections to the Chamber of Deputies has an overview of the Czech electoral system, as well as lower house election results since 1996.

posted by Manuel Álvarez-Rivera : 02/06/2010 21:11 | permanent link

  Tue, Jan 26, 2010
Ukraine 2010 presidential election update
Presidential and Parliamentary Elections in Ukraine has updated results of the first round of Ukraine's 2010 presidential election, published yesterday by the Central Election Commission of Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Serhij Vasylchenko now has 2010 presidential election maps by raions and cities of Ukraine on his personal website. Finally, 2010 presidential election maps are also available at Ukraine Election Map (2004 to 2010).

Update-on-the-update

Presidential and Parliamentary Elections in Ukraine now has detailed results of the February 7 presidential runoff election, published on Wednesday, February 10, 2010 by the Central Election Commission of Ukraine

posted by Manuel Álvarez-Rivera : 01/26/2010 21:16 | permanent link

  Fri, Jan 22, 2010
Hungary's general election to be held next April 11 and 25
Portfolio.hu reports that Hungarian President László Sólyom has set the date of Hungary's regularly scheduled parliamentary election to April 11 and 25. An election campaign is now underway in the Central European country, and recent polls indicate that Hungary's main opposition party, the right-of-center Fidesz remains set to score a landslide victory over the ruling, post-communist Hungarian Socialist Party (MSZP) - which has been in deep trouble for most of the past four years, as I've noted in my previous blog postings on Hungary over at Global Economy Matters (available here and here).

Hungary's 386-seat unicameral National Assembly is elected by one of the world's most complicated electoral systems, combining French-style runoff voting in single-member constituencies with regional-level party-list proportional representation and a cumbersome top-up national list that partially compensates parties for the disparities between votes and seats introduced by runoff voting at the constituency level and (to a lesser degree) PR at the county level. Nonetheless, if opinion poll figures hold, Fidesz's already enormous popular vote would in all likelihood translate into a parliamentary supermajority of two-thirds or more.

Elections to the Hungarian National Assembly has detailed results of parliamentary elections in Hungary since 1990, as well as a review of Hungary's electoral system; see also my comments on a discussion of electoral reform in Hungary at Fruits and Votes.

posted by Manuel Álvarez-Rivera : 01/22/2010 13:52 | permanent link