Elections

Zambia/Zimbabwe: Zambia Fears Mass Exodus from Zimbabwe Because of Election Violence

Date: June 19th, 2008 |

Authorities in Zambia are fearful of a mass exodus of immigrants from Zimbabwe in the aftermath of Zimbabwe’s run-off presidential election June 27. President Robert Mugabe appears determined not to let a possible election defeat remove him from power and has threatened to “go to war” to prevent opposition candidate Morgan Tsvangirai and his party [read more]

Kenya: Post-Election Violence Plagues Country

Date: January 2nd, 2008 |

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Several days of violence following disputed national elections occurred in Nairobi, the Rift Valley and the coastal resort of Mombasa, prompting the U.S State Department to discourage all but essential travel to Kenya, and the British Foreign Office to warn against travel to several specific areas, including downtown Nairobi. Some 300 people have been killed, [read more]

Papua New Guinea: National Elections

Date: June 27th, 2007 |

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National elections are being held June 30 to July 10 with final results to be announced in early August. According to the U.S. State Department, the period around the elections may be volatile, with election-related violence between opposing clans and political groups possible in the Highlands region. Provinces of greatest concern are the Southern Highlands, [read more]

Bangladesh: Election Violence Feared

Date: November 14th, 2006 |

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Thousands of protesters demanding election reform shut down transport networks in cities around the country Nov. 12 and closed the main port of Chittagong. At least one person was killed in Dhaka and some 50 injured when police fired rubber bullets and drove a car into the crowd to disperse the demonstrators. Unrest has been [read more]

Fiji: Extra Police to Oversee Elections

Date: May 2nd, 2006 |

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Voters go to the polls May 6-13 in the second election since a 2000 coup pushed ethnic Indian Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry out of power. Authorities canceled all police leave for the month and planned to deploy an extra 1,000 officers to monitor the polls, with another thousand on standby. Tensions surfaced May 1 when [read more]

Zimbabwe: Tensions Grow as Run-Off Election Nears

Date: May 28th, 2008 |

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The U.S. State Department recommends deferral of all non-essential travel to Zimbabwe, including to Victoria Falls, in the weeks leading up to the presidential run-off election scheduled for June 27. In an effort to prevent a defeat of incumbent President Robert Mugabe, the Zimbabwean military and Mugabe supporters have created a climate of intimidation and [read more]

Kenya: Election Violence and Crime in Mombasa

Date: December 6th, 2007 |

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More than 14 million of Kenya’s 35 million citizens are registered to vote in the Dec. 27 election for a new president, parliament and local councils. As in past elections, this campaign has been plagued by violence. Since July, 35 people have been killed in election-related incidents, 13 in the last couple of weeks, and [read more]

Spain: ETA-linked Candidates Banned from Election

Date: May 9th, 2007 |

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The Supreme Court banned hundreds of candidates from running in the May 27 elections because of ties to ETA, causing security officials to warn of a possible attack by the Basque separatist group in retaliation. ETA warned in April that if the candidates were banned it would “take the move very much into account,” a [read more]

Nicaragua: Election Unrest Possible

Date: October 24th, 2006 |

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The U.S. Embassy in Managua issued a statement advising Americans that demonstrations and “sporadic acts of violence” are possible in major cities during the campaign for national elections, on election day Nov. 5, and afterward. Protests can be unpredictable and in the past, bystanders have been injured. Hotel accommodations may be hard to find because [read more]

Nepal: Peace Hopes Dimming

Date: December 27th, 2005 |

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The cautious optimism for a political settlement to the Maoist insurgency may be waning. The unilateral ceasefire declared by the Maoists is set to expire Jan. 2 and fighting flared Dec. 26 when the rebels attacked an army patrol in Rolpa in western Nepal. The Maoists have also called for a seven-day general strike known [read more]