List of All Articles with Tag 'election'

Britain’s electoral watchdog says about 14,000 people were prevented from voting in last month’s local elections because of a new law requiring voters to show photo identification

Pro-government Cambodian lawmakers unanimously approved changes to the country’s election law on Friday that will ban anyone who fails to vote from running as a candidate in future elections, a move critics say is aimed at crippling the opposition’s chances in the polls. The measure was approved with minimal debate by all 111 lawmakers present in the National Assembly. All members of the assembly belong to Prime Minister Hun Sen’s Cambodian People’s Party. Hun Sen, who has been in power for 38 years, declared last week that the law would be amended ahead of July’s general election to compel candidates for public office to prove their civic responsibility. The amended law will take effect after approval by the Senate, a formality. Hun Sen’s critics say the action as his latest tactic to marginalize his political opponents, some of whom are considering an election boycott. He announced the plan less than a month after the main opposition party was barred from participating in the polls because it could not provide all of the paperwork required for registering. The Candlelight Party said it was unable to provide one document to the National Election Committee because it had been seized in a police raid several years ago. Cambodia’s Constitutional Council refused to overturn the election committee’s decision not to register the party, drawing widespread criticism that the election would not be fair without its participation. The ruling drew international condemnation. The U.S. State Department said it was “deeply troubled” by the decision to bar the Candlelight Party and urged the government “to reverse course to ensure its citizens can participate in a fair, multiparty democracy.” That action against the Candlelight Party was similar to what happened ahead of the 2018 general election, when the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party posed a serious challenge to Hun Sen’s party. It was dissolved months ahead of the polls by a controversial court ruling that alleged it had plotted the illegal overthrow of the government. The party’s disbanding enabled Hun Sen’s party to win all the seats in the National Assembly. Under the amended election law, prospective candidates must have voted in at least two elections to qualify as a candidate in elections at the commune, district, municipality, provincial and national levels. Most prominent opposition figures are in self-imposed exile to avoid being jailed on various charges they say are trumped up and unfair, and the amendment would prevent them from running in future polls without any further action needed to bar them. Opposition figures still inside the country who fail to vote would face the same consequences. The amended law would also discourage an election boycott by placing opposition figures who wish to contest future polls in the awkward position of appearing to be hypocrites if they urge people not to vote while they themselves cast ballots. It will also discourage boycotts by allowing the election committee to impose a fine of 5 million-20 million riels ($1,200-$4,800) on anyone who encourages people not to register or vote. Anyone who incites people to use threats or violence against candidates or political party officials can also be fined and disqualified as candidates for five years. Political parties that fail to remove disqualified candidates can be fined 10 million-30 million riels ($2,420-$7,270). Hun Sen, 70, is an authoritarian ruler in a nominally democratic state. He and his party hold all the advantages of incumbency in the election in terms of political organizing, personnel, finances and media influence. About 9.7 million Cambodians are registered to vote for the 125-seat National Assembly. Read More Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Cambodian leader says people who don't vote will be barred from being candidates in future elections Trump legal team gave tapes to Jack Smith as MAGA loyalists turn on each other – live Infighting among Putin's lieutenants seems to reveal signs of 'deep dysfunction'

Sen. Ted Cruz dazzled the crowd, a surging Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker delivered the keynote and Donald Trump was not yet a candidate for president when the Faith and Freedom Coalition held its annual Road to Majority conference in 2015.

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are set to join a trio of key reproductive rights activist groups to mark the one-year anniversary of the Dobbs Supreme Court decision Friday, highlighting what's expected to be a major Biden campaign plank for the 2024 presidential election.

Greeks heading to the polls Sunday for a second general election in five weeks, with conservative leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis expected to win reelection by a large margin

President Joe Biden’s campaign is banking on reproductive rights to be an early galvanizing issue for voters in the 2024 presidential election

A year after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, some of the Republican Party’s most powerful evangelical Christian voices are gathering to celebrate a ruling that sent shockwaves through American politics

A Virginia Republican who describes herself as “Trump in heels” has lost her latest election bid in the state. Incumbent state Senator Amanda Chase was narrowly defeated by Glen Sturtevant in the GOP’s Virginia state Senate primary. The race was called earlier this week for Mr Sturtevant, who previously served in the Virginia Senate until 2020, by The Associated Press. The race was required after redistricting in the state. Ms Chase, who attended the January 6 rally for former president Donald Trump in Washington DC, was previously censured by the state Senate for a string of incendiary remarks and election denials. She says she did not take part in the violent riot that followed and that she was driving home when it took place. But Ms Chase later praised those who attacked the US Capitol and breached the building, insisting they were not “rioters and looters.” “These were patriots who loved their country and do not want to see our great republic turned into a socialist country,” she said. “I was there with the people. I know.” The Justice Department has said that it believes more than 2,000 people were involved in the riot, and more than 1,000 defendants from all 50 states have been charged in connection with it. She was defeated for the Republican nomination for Virginia governor in 2021 and called for Mr Trump to declare martial law to prevent Joe Biden from being sworn in as president. She has also drawn attention for openly carrying a firearm during senate sessions, and becoming embroiled in an altercation with a Virginia Capitol police officer over a parking spot. Following her latest defeat, Ms Chase appears to be following the Trump playbook of questioning the legality of her loss. She told WWBT on Thursday that her campaign should have been allowed in the room to watch the certification of machines ahead of early voting.“Right now, we’re in the process of raising money to hire a good attorney that can give us the legal counsel that we need,” Ms Chase told the station. “We know that the state law has been violated, clearly. So now we’re going to hold people accountable,” she said. Chesterfield Voter Registrar Missy Vera told the station that her office had complied with state law, which states that each political party may have one representative present during the machine certification process. Read More Trump news – live: Trump pleads for help from Congress as DoJ shares first classified documents evidence New ad mocks Trump’s excuse that he was too ‘busy’ to hand back boxes of secret government intel Fox guest says Trump’s special counsel looked as comfortable as ‘a monk in a strip club’ in front of committee Everything we know about Nancy Mace being tipped as Donald Trump’s new running mate New recordings of Trump revealed in classified papers investigation, documents show Writer's lawyers say Trump is wrong about $5 million sex abuse-defamation jury award

Mexico’s top court invalidated the second half of an electoral reform supported by President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador

Three top reproductive rights groups are endorsing President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris for reelection in 2024

Attorney General Daniel Cameron's office has asked the FBI to investigate an infusion of campaign donations linked to a credit card

Ex-president Jair Bolsonaro faced an eight-year ban on running for office as Brazil's top electoral court began trying the far-right leader Thursday over his unproven allegations against the...