Chancellor Angela Merkel’s dour triumph at the German polls says more about her hapless opposition, writes Humbolt University’s Charles McPhedran.
Elections
Antony Green dissects the double dissolution election
Does the Government want an early election? Nope, says Antony Green. But don’t rule out a double dissolution just yet — a constitutional loophole means Rudd can have his cake and eat it too.
Election hypothetical: who would win?
What would happen if if an Australian election had been held in the last 3 months? Possum Comitatus crunches the figures — and things look very good for the ALP. Only regional Australia gives the Coalition some hope, according to today’s Newspoll.
Political snippets: Paying for a Clinton plug
Former President Bill Clinton may have been dishing out the compliments to PM Kevin Rudd, but Rudd fails to mention that the Australian government is a donor to the Clinton foundation.
Vote now for radical reforms to Australia’s electoral system
The Government is taking submissions on some wide-ranging reforms to Australia’s electoral systems, including letting non-citizens vote, removing “truth in advertising” requirements for campaigns, and ending mandatory voting. Have your say.
No winds of change in Germany, just storm clouds slowly gathering
It’s German elections time! With a fairly robust economy but unfairly distributed wealth, it’s a murky political mood in Germany. The Economist examines a country not pining for change, just stability.
Merkel looks for a narrower coalition
Germany votes on Sunday, with Christian Democrat chancellor Angela Merkel an unbackable favourite to be returned. But will the liberals distance themselves from the parties of the traditional left?
Time for Karzai to bow out
Even if Hamid Karzai is declared the winner of the Afghanistan election, his reputation is so far beyond repair, he must step down, says Amin Saikal. It is the only chance the country has at achieving stability and reconstruction.
Will the messy NSW govt cost Rudd seats?
With no NSW election until 2011, the Rudd government is concerned that voters angry at the troubled NSW state government will take out their frustration against Labor at the next federal election.
Young swinging Japanese voters cause landslides
Young Japanese voters — middle class, university educated, nonchalant about politics 30 somethings — often turn out to be the biggest decider of Japanese elections.
Voting for Afghanistan. Again and again and again
The Election Complaints Commission has already received 1157 allegations of irregularities in Afghanistan. And the allegations are not just coming from disgruntled candidates.
A Tory experiment worth studying
Foreign observers shy away — with good cause — from the US’s creaky, dysfunctional electoral process. But the British example serves to remind us that primaries are also well-known in Europe.
Liberal Rule: historical epoch or chapter of accidents?
Despite what you may have seen on SBS series Liberal Rule, the rise and fall of the Howard government did not represent big shifts in national sentiment, writes Charles Richardson.
Territory set to sail uncharted constitutional waters
The upheaval in the Northern Territory government could result in the first constitutional test of Australia’s move to fixed-term Parliaments, says the ABC’s resident wonk Antony Green. Will the NT ALP sit it out until 2012, or play some tricky numbers games to wrangle an early election?
British MPs should be quaking in their boots
With public trust in politicians at an all-time low, being an incumbent MP in Britain will be a huge liability in the next election, says Michael Brown.
The road ahead for SBY
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono should win Indonesia’s presidency with a landslide. What lies ahead sounds exhausting: cleaning up a corrupt and creaking bureaucracy, overhauling the judiciary, beefing up infrastructure and more.
A win for Yudhoyono and democracy
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono looks set to easily win Indonesia’s Presidential election, with a minimum of violence and corruption — and that’s the real win.
Letter from...: Indonesia heads to the polls
Today Indonesia will head to the polls to directly elect its president, for only the second time ever in history, freelance Australian journalist Ashlee Betteridge reports from Jakarta.
Teflon Silvio rises again
Scandals with myriad women notwithstanding, Italian PM Berlusconi’s centre-right coalition had convincing wins in elections across the country. But he isn’t off the hook just yet.
Discrepancies might affect 3 million Iranian votes
The number of votes cast in 50 cities exceeded the actual number of voters, state television has reported
A big step backwards in the Middle East
A week after Lebanon’s elections were won by the moderate, pro-western forces, Iran has gone the other way, writes Charles Richardson.
Iran elections: how the system works
Who can run; who votes and the President’s role. Iran’s electoral system explained.
Who wants to be a Liberal MP?
It’s time to clear some dead wood from the Victorian Liberal Party, writes Charles Richardson.
European elections: how the results unfolded
The emerging theme from the European elections: poor results for the centre-left and a number of smaller parties — including some from the political fringe — making great strides.
