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Electoral authorities in Guinea on Saturday declared President Alpha Conde winner of Sunday's election with 59.49% of the vote, defeating his main rival Cellou Diallo.
Some people went to the streets to protest immediately after the announcement. Such demonstrations have occurred for months after the government changed the constitution through a national referendum, allowing Conde to extend his decade in power.
Opposition candidate Cellou Diallo received 33.50% of the vote, the electoral commission said. Voter turnout was almost 80%.
Political tensions in the West African nation turned violent in recent days after Diallo claimed victory ahead of the official results. Celebrations by his supporters were suppressed when security forces fired tear gas to disperse them.
They accuse the electoral authorities of rigging the vote for incumbent president Alpha Conde.
At least nine people have been killed since the election, according to the government. The violence sparked international condemnation by the U.S. and others.
``Today is a sad day for African democracy,'' said Sally Bilaly Sow, a Guinean blogger and activist living abroad. The government should take into account the will of the people who have a desire for change, he said.
ICC warning
The International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor warned on Friday that warring factions in Guinea could be prosecuted after fighting erupted.
“I wish to repeat this important reminder: anyone who commits, orders, incites, encourages and contributes in any other way to crimes … is liable to prosecution either by the Guinean courts or the ICC,” she said.
#ICC Prosecutor #FatouBensouda: "I wish to repeat this important reminder: anyone who commits, orders, incites, encourages or contributes, in any other way, to the commission of #RomeStatute crimes, is liable to prosecution either by #Guinean courts or by the #ICC."
— Int'l Criminal Court (@IntlCrimCourt) October 23, 2020
On Friday, internet and international calls were cut off across the West African nation in anticipation of the election results, according to locals and international observers in the capital, Conakry.
This was the third time that Conde matched-up against Diallo. Before the election, observers raised concerns that an electoral dispute could reignite ethnic tensions between Guinea's largest ethnic groups.
\t On Friday, internet and international calls were cut off across the West African nation in anticipation of the election results, according to locals and international observers in the capital, Conakry.
\t This was the third time that Conde matched-up against Diallo. Before the election, observers raised concerns that an electoral dispute could reignite ethnic tensions between Guinea's largest ethnic groups.
As Burundi holds elections, the UN's human rights body says the country fails to meet conditions for free and credible polls.
As elections were taking place, DW talked to Doudou Diene, president of the Commission of Inquiry on Burundi at OHCHR, the United Nations body mandated to promote and protect human rights.
The commission has been tasked to investigate human rights violations and abuses in Burundi since 2015.
Burundi has a history of the highest level of violence and the violations of human rights in the context of electoral process.
This is why we had to put it in our [Commission of Inquiry 2019] report to call upon the authorities of Burundi to prove to the internal community that there is change and that human rights will be respected and elections will be held in a credible and a free conditions.
In April 2010, Bashir easily won Sudans first multi-party elections since 1986, with 68% of the vote. Several opposition parties boycotted the election, and international observers questioned the fairness of it, citing ballot-box stuffing and other allegations of fraud. Bashirs supporters cite the marked improvement in infrastructure completed during his presidency—new schools, hospitals, and roads. All are products of the oil boom.
Salva Kiir, head of the Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement, was reelected president of the semi-autonomous South, taking 93% of the vote. A referendum on Southern independence is scheduled for January 2011. President Bashir has vowed to honor the results of the vote. Many fear renewed violence if the referendum passes, as the South is home to about 90% of the countrys oil.
Task is Once Begun By Antjuan Seawright, 7thEpiscopal District Legend tells us that once upon a time, an old country preacher for a small AME [...]
There will be no extension of the presidential mandate under the cover of coronavirus in the Central African Republic.
This was the final verdict issued by the constitutional court in Bangui, ending a wrangle between the ruling party and the opposition last week.
The government had intended to continue its mandate due to the prevailing coronavirus outbreak arguing that the country will not be ready to hold an election by the end of the year.
A Bangui resident said he was shocked by the decision: “This verdict surprised us because we thought that the constitutional court should give a favorable verdict to those who initiated this project in partial modification of the constitution going in the direction of the extension of the mandate of the president of the republic and that of the MPs.”
A number of African countries are expected to hold elections later this year.
by Najee El-Amin - In 2016, Mississippi’s voter turnout rate took a nosedive as 70,000 eligible citizens did not show up to cast a ballot. Activists have been trying to figure out why this happened and how to get African Americans, a powerful voting bloc, energized and back to the polls. Their efforts are coming […]
POLLING PLACE APP EMPOWERS AMERICANS TO BREAK FREE FROM VOTING BARRIERS WASHINGTON, DC … September 16, 2020 – Election day on November 3rd is quickly approaching and Americans across all 50 states are already trying to plan out how they can vote, who will babysit their kids, and how much time they can afford to […]
The post Saving Democracy… Now There's an App for That! appeared first on Milwaukee Community Journal.
Senegal is easing some restrictions that had been imposed to aid curb the spread of the Covid 19 pandemic.
In a televised address, president Macky Sall said the country’s state of emergency and curfew which were imposed on March 23 will be lifted as of Tuesday 11pm local time.
President Sall said of the country’s death stats: “The case fatality rate in Senegal is 1.5%, compared to an African average of 2.5% and a global average of 5.2%.
Senegal has a recovery rate of 64.8%, compared to an African average of 48% and a global average of 50%.”
The West African nation has 6,793 confirmed cases of coronavirus as of June 30 with 108 deaths, 4,431 recoveries.
Mr. Keith Lowenfield, the Chief Election Officer, has been notoriously delinquent and culpable in executing his job responsibilities and should be replaced urgently.
His responsibility has been to present the total votes deemed “valid” at the end of the recount process by the officers of GECOM.
Mr. Lowenfield simply has had to present the summary of these numbers; it is not within his purview to interpret what may be questionable or disputable.
If the process has been deemed fraudulent by any entity, including the CEO, it must be taken to the court as an election petition.
Since Mr. Lowenfield has failed so ignominiously, the Chairman of GECOM should fire him immediately for not fulfilling his duties.
Malawi's governing party has called for a third presidential election, citing irregularities and intimidation in this week's re-run vote as unofficial tallies show incumbent President Peter Mutharika losing to the opposition leader.
As the country continues to fight tirelessly to control the spread of Covid-19, a total of 5 million children are set to benefit from the three phase program of World Vision aimed at mitigating the after-effects of the pandemic in the vulnerable community.
The Government together with World Vision on Wednesday launched the second phase response program where it dispersed USD 3.3 million (Shs 15 billion), that will be used to buy reading materials for children and facilitating radio programs in 38 districts.
According to World Vision national director Mr Jason Evans, the expanded response will focus on support for children impacted by Covid-19 through education, child protection, food and livelihoods.
With this phase two response program here in Uganda, world vision aims to support 5 million Ugandan children, their families and communities to adapt and thrive during and after the Covid-19 pandemic,\" Mr Evans said.
According to the Mr Evans, the program will include supporting learning continuity for school age children, ensuring effective reporting and referral mechanisms for child protection are maintained, increasing food and nutrition security of the most vulnerable households during and post Covid-19 as well as facilitating radio station teachings programs for children.
New Findings Reveal Stark Racial Disparities and Barriers to the Ballot
WASHINGTON, DC –Leading civil rights organizations today released a new analysis that reveals stark racial disparities and troubling patterns in voter turnout during Wisconsin’s April 7, 2020 primary, held during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The analysis, “COVID-19 Silence Voters of Color in Wisconsin,” was conducted by data experts from Demos and All Voting Is Local, a project of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.
Reviewing voter data from last month’s Wisconsin primary, the groups found significant gaps in voter participation across the state – exposing existing flaws in our election system and the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on Black and brown voters who already face significant structural barriers at the ballot box.
“Our analysis shows how COVID-19 has exaggerated problems in our election system,” said Dr. Megan A. Gall, All Voting is Local’s national data director, “We know African Americans and Latinos have long faced barriers to the ballot.
The analysis further highlights that for wards with higher Black and Hispanic populations in Milwaukee, average voter turnout was 30 percent lower than the average voter turnout in white wards.
A new political entity — Jamaica Progressive Party (JPP) — has applied to the Electoral Commission of Jamaica (ECJ) to be registered as Jamaica's fourth political party.
The party, said the ECJ, is now provisionally registered, having fulfilled the requirements of the Seventh Schedule of the Representation of the People (Amendment) Act 2014.
“The Electoral Commission is in the process of conducting investigations pertained the party's submissions and invites members of the public having probable cause, so to do, to register objections to the registration of the applicant party.
Registered political parties are eligible to contest future elections and will have their finances monitored by the ECJ.
Presently, the nation's three registered political parties are the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), the People's National Party (PNP), and the United Independents' Congress, which was registered in 2019.
Parliament amended Cameroons constitution in April 2008 to allow President Biya to run for a third seven-year term in 2011. He won the 2011 election in a landslide, taking 78% of the vote. His opponents and international observers alleged the election was unfair.
“With his Club Quarantine parties, Derrick has created a space where folks can come together from living rooms and basements all over the world to let off some steam, dance it out and just enjoy each other’s company,” Obama, who referred to Jones as her friend, said.
“Partying with a purpose…his turntables have provided a soundtrack for so many of our volunteers, helping us reach more than 400,000 eligible voters throughout our recent couch parties,\" she added.
In late March, Club Quarantine partnered with Obama's organization When We All Vote to encourage those tuning in to register to vote, as Blavity previously reported.
Memphis Urban League Young Professionals (MULYP) will partner with the Memphis Urban League and the US Census Bureau to host a Voter Registration/Census Caravan and Neighborhood Clean Up on Saturday (Sept. 19). The event, which begins at noon, will feature a caravan through one of the lowest Census count areas of Memphis (South of the […]
Biden has already had an advantage with Black voters in the primary elections, especially over his former opponent Bernie Sanders.
Biden swept the Black vote in states like South Carolina, while Sanders lost them by a large margin.
Biden is still liable to run into this same issue now that he’s going against Donald Trump in the general elections.
Although Black votes were generally low for Trump during the 2016 elections, Black voter turnout rates dipped for the first time in 20 years in a presidential election, according to the United States Census Bureau.
Black women came out in strong support for Hillary Clinton during the 2016 elections against Trump, according to exit polls.
VIDEO
Confirmed cases = 18,630
\t
\t\tActive cases = 4,467
\t\tRecoveries = 14,046
\t\tNumber of deaths = 117
Ghana Health Service stats valid as of July 1, 2020
June 25: 15,473 cases; mask arrests, apex court ruling
\tCase load as of today hit a total of 15,473 cases with 11,431 recoveries and 950 deaths, according to stats released Friday evening by the Ghana Health Service.
Confirmed cases = 15,473
\t\tActive cases = 3,947
\t\tRecoveries = 11,431
\t\tNumber of deaths = 95
John Hopkins Uni stats valid as of June 12, 2020
June 22: 14,154 cases; how recoveries jumped
\tGhana recorded a boom in recoveries over the weekend as over 6,000 patients were added to the tally which now stands at 10,473 according to authorities.
Confirmed cases = 14,154
\t\tActive cases = 3,596
\t\tRecoveries = 10,473
\t\tNumber of deaths = 85
John Hopkins Uni stats valid as of June 21, 2020
June 15: 13,203 cases; law enacted to penalize mask flouters
\tCase load hit a total of 13,203 cases with 4,548 recoveries and 70 deaths, according to stats released Friday evening by the Ghana Health Service.
Total confirmed cases = 12,193
Total recoveries = 4,326
Total deaths = 58
Active cases = 7,809
\tFigures valid as of close of day June 16, 2020
June 15: 11,964 cases; schools reopen, masks obligatory etc.
Confirmed cases = 11,964
\t\tNumber of deaths = 54
\t\tRecoveries = 4,258
\t\tActive cases = 7,652
\tJohn Hopkins Uni stats valid as of June 14, 2020
June 13: 11,118 cases, NDC advocates mass testing
\tGhana’s case load as of this morning stood at 11,118 cases with the disclosure of 262 new cases.
2. Citizen’s Review Board (Police Review)
Candidates seeking electoral positions in Uganda's general election due early next year will have to conduct their campaigns without physical contact as dictated by Covid-19 social and physical distancing, the Electoral Commission has announced.
The commission, which released a new roadmap of electoral activities, has set November 2 and 3, 2020 as nomination dates for Presidential candidates.
NO POSTPONING ELECTION
Article 61(2) of the Constitution provides that the \"Electoral Commission shall hold general presidential, parliamentary and local government council elections within the first thirty days of the last ninety days before the expiration of the term of the President.\"
Responding to questions about calls for postponing the election to give all candidates a fair chance in light of the Covid-19 disruption, Mr Byabakama said, \"The option of postponing the election has not even occurred to us as a commission because it is not in our mandate.
Mr Byabakama added that the commission's mandate is limited only to state (public) media which is required to give equal space to all presidential candidates.
Benin gears up to hold local elections without key opposition parties Sunday as the authorities push ahead with the vote despite the coronavirus threat and calls for a delay.
But critics say the health risks are too high for a vote that opponents of President Patrice Talon insist should not be happening in the first place.
Benin, traditionally seen as one of the region's most stable democracies, has been mired in a political crisis since a disputed parliamentary poll last April sparked mass protests.
Parties allied to the president won all the seats at the polls last year after opposition groups were effectively banned from standing.
Opponents have called on voters to boycott the poll over the political situation and the risks from coronavirus.
The UN-backed Libyan government's forces on Saturday said it took over three military camps from the rival eastern-based army in the south of the capital Tripoli, as the armed conflict between the two rivals continued.
\"Our forces took control of Al-Yarmuk, Hamza and the Missiles camps and are pursuing the fleeing militias of Khalifa Haftar (commander of the eastern-based army),\" Mohamed Gonono, spokesman of the UN-backed government's forces, said in a statement.
\"The military engineering teams are clearing mines laid by Haftar's militia,\" the statement said.
Lately, the UN-backed government's forces have been making significant progress against the eastern-based army, taking over military camps and cities in western Libya.
A war has been going on since April 2019 between the UN-backed government and eastern-based army, which is trying to take over Tripoli and topple the UN-backed government, despite repeated international calls for cease-fire.
While most of the world tries to slow the spread and limit the death toll of Covid-19, Burundi is expelling health experts.
This week, the government, which refuses to acknowledge the threat the virus presents, resorted to familiar tactics and declared the country representative of the World Health Organization (WHO) and three of its experts persona non grata without giving any reason.
Although restrictions on movement to address the health crisis are warranted when necessary and proportionate, to have fair elections, Burundi should ensure they are open to independent monitoring and accountability for crimes and abuses.
Burundi's elections risk effectively taking place behind closed doors, which may be just what authorities want.
Since a political crisis broke out in Burundi in 2015, authorities have stopped at nothing to eliminate space for dissenting voices.
