The Arab world is still in trouble. Revolutionary nations Tunisia and Egypt are struggling for a successful, peaceful and democratic transition. Other peoples, especially in Yemen, Jordan and Bahrain, are still fighting for change.
Read more2011 is a period of changes for the Arab world as many revolts have burst within its main countries, starting with Egypt and Tunisia. As these nations move toward their first truly free and fair elections, it will be important to implement reforms in order to ensure a peaceful and democratic transition in their societies. On this subject, political experts agree that forms of proportional representation would be a good option for Egypt in particular and, for Arab democracies in general - just as proportional voting was important in such nations as South Africa, Brazil and every nation in Eastern Europe as they moved toward free and fair elections in the 1980s and 1990s.
Read moreJanuary 2011 has marked a crucial historical moment for the Arab world. After the Tunisian “jasmine revolution”, Egyptian people are massively demonstrating for the end of President Hosni Mubarak’s regime. The crossing destinies of Tunisia and Egypt augur a major shift in this region that knows a complicated democratization process.
Read moreIn 2010, Egypt held parliamentary elections which were widely criticized at home and abroad as corrupt and anti-democratic. Of particular concern was the fate of the Muslim Brothers, who had risen to prominence as the main opposition party in the 2005 elections, only to be swept completely out of Parliament in 2010.This article makes a little overview of Egyptian institutions before analyzing the roots of the last Egyptian electoral crisis.
Read moreJordan’s parliamentary elections took place on November 9 after a year of direct rule by King Abdullah II
Read moreDoes mandatory voting restrict or expand democracy? For many people who have never heard about the idea, mandatory voting sounds very strict: requiring people to go to the polls on Election Day. In the United States, it seems strange to present an action many consider a right as a required duty. Nevertheless, in many foreign countries, mandatory voting (sometimes referred to as compulsory voting) is an obvious democratic option.
Read moreOn October 31st, a runoff will take place in Brazil’s presidential election. The leading candidate, Dilma Rousseff of the Worker’s Party (PT), failed to gain the 50% majority needed during the first round on October 3rd with just 47%.
Read moreAlthough the Voting Rights Act turns 45, we still have much ground to cover in the effort to obtain an constitutional Right to Vote.
Read moreAlthough France elects its president in high turnout national popular vote elections, its three largest cities, Paris, Marseille and Lyon elect their mayors in a way that is strikingly similar to how American presidents are elected.
Read moreJust three weeks after becoming Australia’s first female prime minister, Julia Gillard announced national elections would be held on August 21, 2010.
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