Foreign Elections

Israel Braces for a Wild Election

March 2, 2019 at 9:39 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Israelis were confronted with a rude new reality on Friday: a prime minister running for re-election while facing indictment for corruption,” the New York Times reports.

“While there were hints that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could be losing support, his right-wing allies appeared to be sticking with him and no one was foolish enough to write off a politician who still retains a strong base and has shown Houdini-like skill in escaping seemingly impossible jams before.”

“The only certainty was that Israel was in for a wild ride between now and the April 9 ballot, with analysts predicting that the country’s political scene — loud, fractious and heated at the best of times — would become only more divisive as Mr. Netanyahu, who is seeking a fourth consecutive term, fights for his political life.”

Justin Trudeau Embroiled In Scandal

March 2, 2019 at 9:30 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada promised a fresh approach to politics, one that was based on openness, decency and liberalism,” the New York Times reports.

“Now he is embroiled in a scandal involving accusations of back-room deal-making and bullying tactics, all to support a Canadian company accused of bribing the Libyan government when it was run by the dictator Muammar el-Qaddafi.”

“Canadian newspapers are filled with outrage and opposition parties are calling for a resignation. Elections are still seven months away, but some members of Mr. Trudeau’s own governing party fear the scandal has armed opposition parties with rich campaign fodder against its leader, who promised ‘sunny ways’ in politics.”

Netanyahu’s New Rival Surges In Polls

February 26, 2019 at 6:15 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“In April, Israeli voters will head to the polls to elect a new government. Despite corruption charges, surveys have shown Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud Party with a comfortable lead over the largely fragmented opposition,” the Washington Post reports.

“Yet in the past two weeks, Benny Gantz, a former Israel Defense Forces chief of staff with no political experience, has surged in the polls. After joining forces with Yesh Atid, Israel’s second-largest opposition party, Gantz has emerged as Netanyahu’s principal rival for leadership of the country.”

Netanyahu Challengers Unite In Bid to Defeat Him

February 21, 2019 at 7:08 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Two of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s strongest challengers in April elections have announced a centrist alliance in a bid to defeat him,” the BBC reports.

“Ex-army chief Benny Gantz and centrist politician Yair Lapid agreed to rotate as prime minister if they win.”

“Separately, Mr Netanyahu forged an alliance with several far-right parties to try to shore up votes. His right-wing Likud party leads the polls despite an investigation into corruption allegations against him.”

Axios: “The joint list does not have a common political platform — and, on many issues, there are big differences between the factions. However, the main issue they all agree on is the need to replace Netanyahu.”

Netanyahu Makes Deal with Racist Far-Right Party

February 20, 2019 at 3:39 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“After two weeks of efforts, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu succeeded in forming a united ultra right-wing party that will run in the April 9 elections, paving the way for Jewish supremacists from the ‘Jewish Power’ party to make it into the next Knesset,” Axios reports.

“This is an unprecedented development in Israel’s history and is equivalent to a U.S. president cutting a political deal with David Duke, the former KKK leader. The prime minister and the ruling Likud Party are legitimizing a racist, xenophobic and homophobic fringe party in hopes of bolstering a right-wing bloc after the elections.”

‘Electoral Coup’ Charged In Congo Election

January 10, 2019 at 9:21 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Felix Tshisekedi has won DR Congo’s presidential election, the BBC reports.

“The announcement, made overnight, sparked accusations of an ‘electoral coup’ from runner-up Martin Fayulu.”

“If confirmed, Mr Tshisekedi will be the first opposition challenger to win since the DR Congo gained independence in 1960. Current President Joseph Kabila is stepping down after 18 years in office.”

A Big Moment for Global Democracy

January 6, 2019 at 8:09 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Axios: “The leadership of roughly a quarter of the world will be decided as three of the seven largest countries by population — Nigeria, Indonesia and India — will hold general elections in the next four months. They follow Bangladesh, the eighth largest, which went to the polls last Sunday.”

New Evidence Highlights Bannon’s Role In Brexit

November 17, 2018 at 8:41 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Jane Mayer: “For two years, observers have speculated that the June, 2016, Brexit campaign in the U.K. served as a petri dish for Donald Trump’s Presidential campaign in the United States. Now there is new evidence that it did.”

“Newly surfaced e-mails show that the former Trump adviser Steve Bannon, and Cambridge Analytica, the Big Data company that he worked for at the time, were simultaneously incubating both nationalist political movements in 2015.”

Merkel to Step Down as Party Leader

October 29, 2018 at 7:12 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“German Chancellor Angela Merkel has announced she will give up leadership of her center-right Christian Democrat Union (CDU) party after 18 years in the post,” CNN reports.

“Merkel announced during a meeting with officials that she will not seek to run for re-election at the party’s convention in December. But she made clear that she wanted to remain as chancellor, a position she has held since 2005… The announcement is a sign of Merkel’s weakened power within her own party, and waning popularity in the country.”

Bloomberg: “The unexpected reversal by Merkel, 64, signals the beginning of the end of an era during which her command of Germany put its stamp on Europe and beyond for more than a decade. Even so, Merkel’s term as chancellor runs until 2021 and Merkel has said she intends to serve it out.”

Brazil Poised to Elect Far-Right President

October 28, 2018 at 10:23 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Voters in Brazil, the world’s fourth-largest democracy, appear poised to elect a far-right populist as president in a runoff election on Sunday that could signal the biggest political shift in the country since the end of the military dictatorship in 1985,” the New York Times reports.

BBC: “While polls have been narrowing, Mr Bolsonaro remains in the lead.”

“The election has been over-shadowed by corruption scandals and a knife attack on Mr Bolsonaro in which he lost 40% of his blood and needed emergency surgery.”

Bannon Heads to Europe

July 23, 2018 at 7:55 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Stephen Bannon told the Daily Beast that he “is setting up a foundation in Europe called The Movement which he hopes will lead a right-wing populist revolt across the continent starting with the European Parliament elections next spring.”

“The non-profit will be a central source of polling, advice on messaging, data targeting, and think-tank research for a ragtag band of right-wingers who are surging all over Europe, in many cases without professional political structures or significant budgets.”

Philippines Leader Will Resign If Given Proof Of God

July 7, 2018 at 11:51 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte, “who recently sparked outrage for calling God stupid, has courted new controversy in his largely Roman Catholic country by saying he will resign if anybody can prove that God exists,” the AP reports.

Leftist Wins Mexico Presidency In Landslide

July 1, 2018 at 11:09 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Riding a wave of populist anger fueled by rampant corruption and violence, the leftist Andrés Manuel López Obrador was elected president of Mexico on Sunday, in a landslide victory that upended the nation’s political establishment and handed him a sweeping mandate to reshape the country,” the New York Times reports.

“Mr. López Obrador’s win puts a leftist leader at the helm of Latin America’s second-largest economy for the first time in decades, a prospect that has filled millions of Mexicans with hope — and the nation’s elites with trepidation.”

”The outcome represents a clear rejection of the status quo in the nation, which for the last quarter century has been defined by a centrist vision and an embrace of globalization that many Mexicans feel has not served them.”

Leftist Far Ahead In Mexico

June 30, 2018 at 8:01 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

New York Times: “As corruption and violence gnaw at Mexico’s patience, voters have turned to a familiar face in Mr. López Obrador, a three-time candidate for president who once shut down Mexico City for months after a narrow loss, refusing to accept defeat.”

“Brandishing a deep connection with the poor, built over more than a decade of visits to every corner of this country of 120 million, he has managed a staggering lead ahead of Sunday’s vote.”

“If the poll numbers bear out on Election Day, Mr. López Obrador — who has promised to sell the presidential plane and convert the opulent presidential palace into a public park — could win by a landslide, putting a leftist leader in charge of Latin America’s second-largest country for the first time in decades.”

Erdogan Claims Victory In Turkey

June 24, 2018 at 5:32 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey claimed victory on Sunday in the country’s presidential election, sending tremors that will be felt not just in Turkey but in Western and regional capitals — if it holds up,” the New York Times reports.

“The official results showed him with just under 53 percent of the vote, enough to spare him from going to a second round against his nearest challenger, Muharrem Ince.”

BBC: “Under Turkey’s new constitution, due to come into force after the election, the president will hold considerable power.”