Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte (centre) raises the hands of senatorial candidates during the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas Bayan (PDP-LABAN) in Manila, ahead of the mid-term elections on May 13. — AFP/VNA Photo MANILA — Voting got under way in the Philippines' midterm elections on Monday, three years after President Rodrigo Duterte won power. The elections will decide who will occupy twelve seats in the Senate, or half of the upper house of parliament, as well as 243 district seats and 61 other seats for party-list organisations in the House of Representatives. Polling precincts nationwide opened at 6am and will close at 6pm. Over 61 million people are registered to vote. Also being contested are 17,750 provincial-, municipal- and city-level positions across the country. Initial results are likely to be known as early as late Monday night. The Commission on Elections said official results will be announced in a few days. Stern warning … [Read more...] about Philippine voters go to polls in midterm elections
Indianapolis election candidates
North Korea election sees 99.99% turnout: KCNA
Turnout in nuclear-armed North Korea's single-candidate elections hit 99.99 per cent this year, state media said on Tuesday (Mar 12) - up from a seemingly unimprovable 99.97 per cent the last time they were held. Voters queue to cast their ballots at the '3.26 Pyongyang Cable Factory' during voting for the Supreme People's Assembly elections in Pyongyang AFP/Ed JONES With participation figures that Western democracies would never achieve, millions of North Koreans head to nationwide polls every five years to elect the rubber-stamp legislature known as the Supreme People's Assembly (SPA). But with only one approved name on each voting slip in the isolated country, which is ruled with an iron grip by Kim Jong Un's Workers' Party, the result is never in doubt. This year's turnout fell a tiny fraction short of 100 per cent as those "abroad or working in oceans" were unable to take part, the North's official KCNA news agency reported. "Single-minded unity" is one of Pyongyang's … [Read more...] about North Korea election sees 99.99% turnout: KCNA
Senegal’s Sall wins re-election in first round: PM
President Macky Sall has won a second term with 57 per cent of the vote, according to the prime minister. — AFP/VNA Photo Viet Nam News DAKAR — Senegal’s President Macky Sall won in the first round of the election on Sunday, his prime minister said, although his two main challengers look set to contest the outcome. "The results allow us to say that we should congratulate President Macky Sall on his re-election," Prime Minister Mahammed Boun Abdallah Dionne said at midnight, predicting the incumbent would receive "at least 57 per cent" of the vote. His announcement hours after polls closed was greeted with cheers from supporters gathered at the headquarters of the presidential coalition in Dakar. Sall, who was seen there earlier in the evening, did not speak. Official results from each region are not expected until Tuesday with a nationwide announcement by Friday midnight at the latest. If no one wins more than 50 per cent a second-round runoff will be held … [Read more...] about Senegal’s Sall wins re-election in first round: PM
Suicide bomber kills eight at Afghan election rally, including candidate
The election candidate, Saleh Mohammad Achekzai, was killed in the blast at an election rally in Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand, Omar Zwak, the provincial governor's spokesman confirmed. At least 11 people were wounded. No group has claimed responsibility for Tuesday's attack in the province bordering Pakistan that has seen some of the fiercest fighting of the Taliban insurgency. Taliban militants have ramped up attacks in strategic provinces ahead of the October 20 election, and ordered Afghans on October 8 to boycott voting, while demanding a complete withdrawal of foreign forces as the only way to end the 17-year-old war. Hundreds of people have been killed or hurt in violence linked to the election, with two major attacks in the capital, Kabul, in April and in Khost province in May, but security officials say attacks could pick up as polling day nears. Violence has surged in the run-up to the vote, which militants have vowed to disrupt. At least 13 people were killed and more … [Read more...] about Suicide bomber kills eight at Afghan election rally, including candidate
Suicide bombing kills 13 at NW Pakistan election rally
Viet Nam News PESHAWAR, Pakistan — A suicide bombing at an election rally killed at least 13 people, including a politician, in northwestern Pakistan on Tuesday, police said, amid concerns about security ahead of national polls later this month. The attack targeted a campaign event organised in the city of Peshawar by the Awami National Party, which has been targeted by Islamist militants in the past over its vocal opposition to extremist groups like the Taliban. The bombing came hours after the Pakistan military spokesman said there were security threats ahead of national elections scheduled for July 25. "The attack killed at least 13 people, including (Haroon) Bilour," Peshawar city police chief Qazi Jameel said. Officials said at least 54 people were wounded. Haroon Bilour was one of the ANP’s election candidates and belonged to an influential political family in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, of which Peshawar is the capital. His father Bashir Bilour, one of … [Read more...] about Suicide bombing kills 13 at NW Pakistan election rally