ElectionGuide
IFES

Mongolia (Jul 02, 2008)
Angry over the opposition Democratic Party's apparent loss in Sunday's parliamentary elections, opposition supporters in Mongolia's capital, Ulan Bator, set fire to the headquarters of the ruling Mongolian People’s Revolutionary Party on Tuesday. While the Mongolian electoral authority has yet to release official results of Sunday's vote, preliminary results suggest that the ruling party won a healthy majority of 46 of the 76 seats in parliament, leaving the opposition with a minority of 27 seats. However, the day after the election, vague allegations that the ruling party had committed electoral fraud began to circulate and triggered two days of post-election riots that left five people dead. While the opposition party has denounced the violence, it has refused to accept the preliminary results and claims to have won the election. To clamp down on the post-election violence, Mongolian President Nambaryn ENKHBAYAR declared a four-day state of emergency late Tuesday night, which effectively bans protests, and authorizes security forces to employ force to deal with rioters.

Colombia (Jun 28, 2008)
Colombian President Alvaro URIBE called on Congress late Thursday night to authorize a referendum on whether to organize a rerun of the country's 2006 presidential elections, the legitimacy of which had been questioned by Colombia's Supreme Court. Earlier that day, the Supreme Court ruled that former Congresswoman Yidis MEDINA was guilty of having accepted favors in return for voting for the constitutional amendment that permitted URIBE to seek reelection in 2006. That amendment lifted the one-term restriction in effect at the time, and allowed URIBE, first elected in 2002, to run for and win a second term in office, due to expire in 2010. In its decision, the Supreme Court asked the country's Constitutional Court to rule on the amendment's validity in light of the congresswoman's conviction. URIBE called the courts decision "an abuse of power" and called on congress to mandate a referendum on a new presidential election, which some analysts predict may allow him to extend his term in office beyond 2010. URIBE currently enjoys approval ratings of over 70 percent and would likely win any election re-run.   

Cambodia (Jun 26, 2008)
Cambodian political parties kicked off their campaigns for the upcoming parliamentary elections to be held on July 27. Large gatherings and marches are usually severely restricted by Cambodian authorities, but such activities are permitted during the month-long campaign period, allowing political parties an opportunity to rally supporters. To kick off the campaign, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun SEN called on the country's political parties to compete with honesty and honor, and to accept election's results as a manifestation of the will of the country's voters. Election observers monitoring the preparations for next month’s election, which will be Cambodia's fourth democratic election since its first in 1993, report a decline in election-related violence and an improvement of the general pre-election atmosphere as compared to previous elections.

Cote d'Ivoire (Jun 26, 2008)
Yesterday police in Cote D'Ivoire stated in a report that child abductions could increase in the lead-up to the November general elections. The Ivoirian police department’s child protection unit reports that the practice of child sacrifice always increases around election time, as political hopefuls seek to improve their showing at the polls by turning to traditional myths of human sacrifice. Authorities noted that the problem of child abductions has already reached worrying proportions, with the police currently registering an average of three new abduction cases each day. Cote D'Ivoire is home to a significant market for stolen children who are trafficked for illegal adoptions, sexual slavery, harvesting transplant organs, or human sacrifices. The Ivorian ministry of family, women and children issued a statement that further measures against child abduction would be announced soon.

Zimbabwe (Jun 25, 2008)
On Monday, Zimbabwe's Electoral Commission (ZEC) declared the opposition’s withdrawal from this Friday’s run-off election unconstitutional. During a briefing with observers and other stakeholders, ZEC chairperson, Justice George CHIWESHE, explained, "The legal position according to the Zimbabwean Electoral Act is that the situation of a candidate for the run-off or the second election is not a voluntary exercise; one gives that consent when he/she contests the first election." According to the Commission's interpretation of the electoral law, having won sufficient votes in the first round to participate in the June 27 run-off, opposition leader Morgan TSVANGIRAI is legally obligated to participate in the electoral process until its conclusion. TSVANGIRAI formally withdrew himself from the upcoming run-off election on Tuesday, but the ZEC maintains that it will hold Friday's election as planned.