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Azerbaijan: Violations reported as parliamentary elections approach · Global Voices
Arzu Geybullayeva

As parliamentary elections approach in Azerbaijan, candidates go through the final registration process. However, the process has not been without allegations of violations and the frustration not only of candidates, but also of observers and local activists. One example of this is from Parvana Persiani, an active member of the OL! Azerbaijan Youth Movement and the girlfriend of imprisoned video blogging youth activist Adnan Hajizada, who tweeted an alert which was also spread on Facebook.
For many online users, the news that followed was shocking. According to Majidli's own personal tweets, his relative, who works at the 94th Berde constituency from which he is planning to run for election, stole 12 out of 15 signature leaflets. The candidate expressed his frustration with the current regime and how it had damaged his personal family relationships via Twitter.
Several bloggers commented on the incident, including Orhan Aip [AZ], a talented photographer and blogger. His post was entitled About betraying the nation.
Azərbaycan sanki hansısa dəlinin yuxusudur. Burda təkcə şüuraltı yox, xəstə arzular, sərhəd tanımayan əclaflıqlar da böyük əhəmiyyət daşıyır. Əyalətdən deputatlığa namizəd Elnur Məcidlinin 15 imza vərəqindən 12`si qohumu tərəfindən oğurlayıb.
Məgər əyləncəli deyil? Azərlər çürük patriarxal dəyərləri, qohumluq ənənələri ilə öyünən qövmdür, amma hər şeçki ərəfəsində qohum-qohuma qarşı belə şərəfsizlik edir – ailəsi, yaxın qohumları tərəfindən müxalifətçilərə namizədliklərini geri götürmək üçün təzyiq göstərilir, hətta arvadları evi tərk etməklə belə onları hədələməkdən çəkinmir. Bu iqtidar-müxalifət mübarizə deyil, bu fərd ilə kütlənin qarşıdurmasıdır. Kütlənin mübarizə vasitəsi isə həmişəki kimi qurşaqdan aşağı zərbələrdən ibarətdir.
Isn't this fun? Azeris speak of their rotten patriarchal values with pride of their strong  ties with relations, and yet, when election time comes, such infamy is persistent – families and relatives of candidates running from the opposition are subject to pressure to withdraw their candidacies. There are instances where wives even threaten to leave home. This is not a ruling [government] vs. opposition struggle, this is an individual vs. public struggle […]
Another blogger from Azerbaijan, Vafa Cafarova [AZ], also comments on the incident in a post, “Elections in a banana republic – brother vs. brother:”
[…] Təsəvvür edin necə ölkədə yaşayırıq? İllərdir tanıdığımız, güvəndiyimiz insanları müxalif düşərgədən olan namizədlərə qarşı istifadə edirlər. Qazandıqları qəpik – quruşları əllərindən alacaqları ilə  namizədin qohumlarını təhdid edirlər ! Hər dəfə olduğu kimi, işdən qovulma və şəxsi biznesin əlllərindən alınacaqları təhlükəsi ilə insanlar imtahana çekilirlər!
Kütlə […] heç kimin deyişiklik gətirəcəyinə inanmır […] onlar sadəcə bu seçkilərədən İlham xan və onun əyanlarının süfrəsindən onlara da pay düşəcəyini gözləyir.
And recent reports indicate that Majidli is not the only one. According to Radio Free Europe Radio/ Radio Liberty, other candidates not aligned to the ruling regime  are also experiencing problems.
I had my master's degree diploma from Harvard and I was not able to verify that this diploma is a legal document in the republic of Azerbaijan,” Bakhtiyar Hadjiyev, an Azerbaijani citizen and public policy graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School told RFE/RL's Azerbaijani Service.
[…]  to his surprise, his electronically signed master's degree from Harvard was rejected by the Azerbaijani authorities despite the fact that electronically signed documents enjoy the same status as handwritten ones under Azerbaijani law.
[…]
[…] Local constituency No. 17 refused to recognize his electronically signed employment contracts with the World Bank and Education Development Center, which were required to prove his financial standing. As a result, his request for candidacy registration was turned down.
With just a little over than a month left for the elections, many hope to hear less about obstacles and more about improvement in in the electoral process in countries such as those in the South Caucasus. For now, however, alternative voices and bloggers do not appear convinced.

author: Arzu Geybullayeva


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Bahrain: Free Blogger Ali Abdulemam  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Bahraini blogger Ali Abdulemam was arrested almost a month ago. He has been held in solitary detention since then. His legal status remains unclear as no lawyer has seen him, and the authorities do not provide any details on the exact charges that him, according to the Free Blogger Ali Abdulemam blog.

source: news-globalvoices

license: Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Bangladesh: Billion Dollar Projects And Vested Interests · Global Voices
Rezwan

Bangladeshi blogger Sultan Mohammed Zakaria appeals to the government to quickly implement the promised billion dollar projects to free the capital Dhaka from traffic congestion by stopping the vested interests from messing with corruption and nepotism.

author: Rezwan


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Bangladesh: The Joy Of Feeding The Poor · Global Voices
Rezwan

Sadiq Alam at Inspirations And Creative Thoughts shares the experience of feeding the hungry and the malnourished in own neighborhood and hopes that others will follow suit.


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Bermuda: On the Deficit · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“Quite a few people have been saying that Bermuda’s deficit spending is justified to boost the economy”: New Onion‘s response?  “In a word: No.”

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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China: Chang Ping on the state of media · Global Voices
Andy Yee

China Media Project posted a partial translation of Taiwan's Want Daily interview with Chang Ping, veteran journalist and CMP fellow, about the current state of media in China. Our site also carries a translation of other parts of the same interview which focuses on Chang Ping's personal feelings of working in the Chinese media.

author: Andy Yee


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Ecuador: The Indelible Images of September 30 · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

In Diario de una post feminista [es] (Journal of a post-Feminist) user PrincesaQuil from Guayaquil writes about the police strike on September 30 and says, “…we cannot erase the images that we all saw of police with covered faces intimidating the population, armed and pointing their guns at civilians, riding their motorcycles through the city as if at war.”

author: Silvia Viñas


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Egypt: Kareem Amer’s Sentence Ends on November 5  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

November 5 marks the end of Egyptian blogger Kareem Amer's or Kareem Nabil Sulaiman four year prison term. “We have reasons to believe that Kareem may not be released on this date. We also fear that he might be tortured nearing the date of his release,” says the Free Kareem blog. Kareem has been sentenced to four years in prison for insulting Islam and Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak on his blog.


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Exiled Tibetans Protesting Seizing of Ballot Boxes In Nepal · Global Voices
Sonam Ongmo

Pro Tibet Protests in New York. Image by Tenzin Dorjee, used with permission
Angry Tibetans around the world are condemning Nepal’s actions in confiscating their ballot boxes by protesting in front of the Nepalese consulates. In New York, despite the rain, they carried banners and shouted, “China respect Democracy in Nepal,” and “Nepal, Give Back Our Ballot Boxes Now.”
Yesterday, October 3, the Tibetan Government in Exile was holding a preliminary round of elections for Tibetan’s all over the world to nominate candidates for Prime Minister-ship, [Kalyon Tripa] for its government in exile. Nepali officials were informed way ahead of the event, as in the past, but apparently no objections were raised.
But yesterday, as elections were progressing smoothly every where else, it was only in Nepal where armed policemen (in riot gear) stormed polling stations across Kathmandu and confiscated ballot boxes that contained thousands of Tibetan votes.
Nepali Police Descend on Boudha Precinct. Image by Flickr user tmgonzalez. CC BY-NC-SA.
Flickr user tmgonzalez posts this photo essay today accompanied by a low resolution photo (above):
The police set up a perimeter outside the voting station in the early afternoon. [..] At 4:30pm local time armed Nepali Police, in a coordinated effort, forced their way into the three Kathmandu voting precincts for the Tibetan Government-in-exile presidential election and stole the ballot boxes.
Radio free Asia’s footage of armed Nepali police seizing ballot boxes made its way across the Internet yesterday causing angry Tibetan’s to mobilize and call for action.
According to a press release issued by Students For a Free Tibet, an activist group, “Tibetans in Nepal have for decades participated, unimpeded, in the Tibetan democratic process and should be allowed to continue doing so. Under the leadership of the Dalai Lama, Tibetans have established a democratic system in exile that represents their commitment to upholding the democratic rights and freedoms denied to Tibetans living in Chinese-occupied Tibet.”
Tenzin Dorjee, executive director of SFT said, “The mistreatment of Tibetans by the government of Nepal is an ugly stain on the record of a country that has for decades provided a safe haven for Tibetan refugees.”
Mikel Dunham, author of “Buddha’s Warriors” – a book about the Tibetan uprising and the involvement of CIA, wrote at his blog from Nepal:
Apparently, all China has to do to get its way in Nepal these days is to speed-dial Nepal’s Home Minister Bhim Rawal, and the perceived problem will be eliminated. This is what happened on Sunday, when Nepal’s northern neighbor pressured the struggling government to disrupt the peaceful election held by Tibetan refugees.
He continues:
Where’s the affirmation of the basic human rights due every human being in Nepal in such a backroom operation?…..The irony here is that, while Nepal’s government can’t conduct a successful election for its own prime ministry (nine failures in the last two months!) the Tibetans, who conducted a quiet and orderly election (with no funds or  bureaucratic might), will certainly result in the naming of a new Tibetan prime minister – with or without the ballot boxes absconded by the Nepali government at the behest of Beijing. The contrast is as blatant as it is shameful.
Shameful indeed, just last month it was reported that Maoist leader Krishna Bahadur Mahara was caught on tape asking a Chinese authority for Nepali Rs. 500 million to distribute to lawmakers of other political parties to buy their votes in the Prime Ministerial election.
On Mikel’s blog titled: “Nepal’s Maoists: Dancing with China,” a Tibetan named Tenzin Yonten responded:
Its Nepal’s road to hell…..driven by these Maoists.
The Tibetan Government in Exile in India held run-off elections peacefully. Image by Flickr user TalkMediaNews. CC BY-NC-SA
And on Phayul, the online Tibetan news site, a Tibetan named Tibtopman said:
Chinese regime had a hand in Nepali Maoist since it was born, that is why they are able to rise into political power. [..] Chinese regime's involvement in Nepali politics is like a poison of slow death to the peace and harmony of Nepali people! […] In reality Maoist are selling the sovereignty of Nepali people to the autocrat Chinese regime, what crime can be more serious then endangering the sovereignty of Nepal and the lives of many thousands of innocent Nepali?
Billk from Melbourne Australia commented on the Phayul post about the disruptions of the elections:
Chinese friends who are loyal to the regime have pointed out to me that China is a generous donor to poor nations around the world. But its largesse comes with lots of strings attached, especially for neighboring states, like Nepal. This would have been yet another act demanded by Beijing to demonstrate how much Nepal appreciates China's “friendship.”
And Die4Tibet from the U.S added this comment:
To the United Nation Refugee Committee and Refugee Aid organizations, Office of Tibet, Tibetan Associations, Tibet Supporters and supporters of democratic system all around the world – please, please pressure Nepalese government not to repeat this kind of bullying act to poor Tibetan refugees again!! This is absolute mockery of entire democratic system in the world! I am just wondering how much money did Nepalese officials received from stealing those ballot boxes!!!! Unbelievable!
And what are the Nepali’s saying about this? Seemingly helpless, and disgusted by the Maoists, some Nepalis themselves have taken to facebook where they have started a group “We hate you Prachanda”; the title against the Maoist leader sums their sentiments best.

author: Sonam Ongmo


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Ghana: McDonalds, You Are Not Welcome · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Mighty Africa will not welcome McDonalds to Ghana: “I love Twitter. That's where I get my news these days, alongside Facebook. Times have changed my people. My friend @Freegeneration tweeted of McDonalds opening up in Ghana and I was like…. in a nutshell. Hell, no!”

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Guatemala: Dia del niño, Children’s Day, in Antigua · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Antigua Daily Photo shares images and an account of the celebrations of “el día del niño” (children's day) in Antigua, Guatemala.


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India: Showing Off With Tax Payers Money · Global Voices
Rezwan

Greatbong at Random Thoughts Of A Demented Mind was not satisfied with the dazzling display of the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games 2010 in New Delhi, India, because the expense was exorbitant and unnecessary and some of the money could be diverted to meet the nation's immediate needs.


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India: The Need For Superfast Trains · Global Voices
Rezwan

Blogger and entrepreneur Rajesh Jain opines that India needs to invest in high-speed trains for the nation's development.


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Jamaica: Parboosingh, the Pioneer · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

National Gallery of Jamaica Blog features the work of another of the country's late art pioneers, Karl Parboosingh.


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Jamaica: Social Not-working? · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Grasshopper Eyes The Potomac is “not inclined to believe that social networking sites like Facebook are behind things that are not working in society. It may make them more visible or magnify them, but the root is somewhere else.”


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Japan: Economic crisis and demography · Global Voices
Scilla Alecci

What if Japan's economic crisis could be explained with a change in the demography of the country? Paul Krygman at Truthout argues [en] that the crisis might be “not so scary after all” and related to the aging of Japan's workforce.

author: Scilla Alecci


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Kazakhstan: City Residents Protest Against Renaming · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Albika reports on the protests of residents of Petropavlovsk, a city in northern Kazakhstan, against the parliamentarians’ suggestion to the prime-minister to rename this city to its original name, Kyzylgar.

author: Adil Nurmakov


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Kazakhstan: How Responsive is e-Government? · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Askhat says that Kazakhstan performs relatively well in terms of This IT development, but warns that this does not necessarily mean that Kazakhstan’s government is using its online resource effectively.


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Kenya: How do Kenyan voters feel about their MPs? · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Latest Mzalendo (An Eye On Kenyan Parliament) initiative: “Mzalendo in partnership with the Kuweni Serious team will be traveling around various constituencies to get a sense of how Kenyan voters feel about their MP, about issues facing their constituency, and about solutions they would like to see in place. We welcome your feedback.”


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Madagascar: A Referendum on the New Constitution Proposal · Global Voices
Lova Rakotomalala

It's been almost 20 months since the change of regime in Madagascar and the return to constitutional order still seems to be a long struggle for the embattled island. A referendum  on a new constitution has been scheduled for November 17 (initially scheduled for August 12). The referendum is still heavily disputed by both the opposition and the international community that has withdrawn a few  of their representatives in the country because of the constitutional vacuum.
After hitting multiple road blocks and the absence of some of the original contributors (fr), the new constitution proposal [fr]  has been finalized this week. Many Malagasy bloggers have dissected, analyzed and reacted to the major points of the document.
On the blog Fijery, a lawyer and guest blogger  Sahondra Rabenarivo highlights the  shortcomings of the proposal and notes that this new proposal is essentially the same text as the former constitution drafted in 2007.  She explains [fr]:
Sur 160 articles à l’origine, hors dispositions transitoires, seules trois phrases ont été effacées ; environ 39 phrases, alinéas, paragraphes ou articles ont été ajoutés ; et 23 articles ou sous-articles ont été modifiés. La structure et les grandes rubriques de la Constitution de la 3è République demeurent donc inchangées, [..] les dispositions transitoires de ce texte prévoient le maintien au pouvoir non seulement de Andry Rajoelina mais aussi de toutes les institutions de la transition jusqu’à la mise en place des institutions de la soi-disant 4è République, sans date limite.
Patrick warns that some the proposal is already being modified  by the constitutional advisory committee  after the official document that was presented to the press on September 24. He points out that this post-conference imodification would essentially negate the clear separation of the executive power from the judicial power [fr].
Proposed Referendum Ballot for Madagascar Constitution Change
Madagoravox  posts a comprehensive table [fr]  that reviews all the modifications and addendum to the constitution and what it means in layman's terms.
Nevertheless, a few minor proposed changes in the new text has already triggered a few discussions in the Malagasy blogosphere. For instance, It seems that the official languages will be effectively reduced to Malagasy and French [fr], removing English as an official language. Blogger Razanajatoma also notes that the  motto of the Republic would be changed from “Tanindrazana, Fahafahana, Fandrosoana” ( “Fatherland, Liberty, Progress”) to “Fitiavana, Tanindrazana, Fandrosoana” ( “Love, Fatherland, Progress”). The irony of introducing “love” as an intricate part of the fabric of a nation still profoundly divided is not lost on Citoyenne malgache [fr].    Madagate, a website ideologically close to the current government, argues that the addition of “love”in the new national motto would be in agreement with  Malagasy's traditional spiritual sensibility [fr].
Achille52  is not all that impressed with all the hype around this new constitution when he sees what is going on in the daily life of the population. He offers a list of practical decrees  that he would have liked to read in the text [fr]:
Que les prix des PPN ne font pas le yoyo au gré des spéculateurs
Que les policiers ne demandent pas des pots de vin à chaque occasion
Que les hôpitaux guérissent les malades au lieu de les tuer
Qu’on ne nous vende plus des aliments périmés sous prétexte que c’est bon marché
Qu’on ne pille plus les forêts pour construire des opéras en Chine
On the subject of the  illegal logging of rosewood in Madagascar, Foko and ICE club bloggers have urged their readers to sign a petition drafted by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and addressed to the transitional president Andry Rajoelina and his director of cabinet  Zaza Manitranja Ramandimbiarison that demands an immediate stop to the illegal logging activities and the concrete application of the decree 2010-141 banning rosewood logging and export.
Unsurprisingly, Madagascar has dropped from 56 to 48 in the latest edition of the Ibrahim Index of African Governance.
Supporters of the new constitution argue that it is the only way to exit the current political quagmire and move the country towards reconciliation. The director of Rajoelina's cabinet addressed an open letter towards two former presidents of Madagascar [fr], pleading for them to join and support the effort of the transition to move forward towards reconciliation.
Madagascar Constitution Explained by Cartoons
On my Mydago, Solo Razafy compares and contrasts the process towards a new constitution in Madagascar today and in South Africa in 1990 and the need for more information and awareness about the constitution. He posts a reflection by the aforementioned lawyer Sahondra Rabenarivo [mg/fr]:
l’approche pragmatique de la RSA quand à la « réconciliation nationale » fut de mettre en place des commissions droits de l’homme, égalité des genres, etc au sein même des institutions constitutionnelles.  Ces commissions sont chargé de suivre la mise en oeuvre des principes constitutionnels d’égalité devant la loi et de protection des droits de l’homme.
Là où je veux en venir… la communication et la transparence, d’un côté, l’importance de l’aspect « instructif », d’autre part.[..] le « plus jamais ça » ne commencera qu’avec la campagne de sensibilisation soutenue et honnête sur le contenu de la Constitution [..]  oui, on me dira, la RSA a plus de ressources, la communauté internationale était beaucoup plus impliquée, etc, etc, je cherche tout juste à dire qu’ils ont surmonté le problème de manque d’éducation et ont cherché à avoir une vraie légitimité d’une manière admirable.

author: Lova Rakotomalala


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Malaysia: Christians should use the name Yahweh · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Ramanathan reacts to the reported proposal of a Malaysian Cabinet Minister urging Christians to use the name Yahweh when referring to God. Malaysia is a Muslim-dominated country.

author: Mong Palatino


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Malaysia: Home Ministry Bans Controversial Book · Global Voices
Jerrenn Lam

Malaysia's Home Ministry has banned author Kim Quek's book “The March To Putrajaya- Malaysia's New Era Is At Hand” under the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984 as ‘it may incite public hatred and anger’.
Photo from the blog of Magick River
Online news portal The Malaysian Insider reported that the Home Ministry Secretary General Mahmood Adam said that the book was banned because of its baseless accusations against national leaders, among others. He also went on to add that ‘the printing, importing, publishing, reprint, sell, distribute or offer  to sell or in possession of such books is an offence punishable under  the law’.
Kim Quek has subsequently released a press statement denying that the book is not suitable for the public.
Throughout my book, one consistent theme  is my appeal to everyone to be  faithful and to defend the Constitution.  Even on the much politicized  Article 153, which has been deliberately  and dishonestly misinterpreted  to carry out all sorts of racist agenda  and therefore has attracted  much misgivings, I have only words of praise  for it.
I welcome any criticism and open dialogue  over any part of my book,  as it is through honest discourse that we  will bring benefit to the  nation.
As for the Ministry's ban over my book,  I reserve my  right to take the necessary legal recourse to protect my  constitutional  rights.
Currently, the blogosphere is dominated by bloggers who are providing the link to a website that was created yesterday where the book can be read and downloaded. Many are also taking to using Twitter to spread the link. SUARAM, a Malaysian human rights organisation, released a statement in their blog, criticising the Home Ministry's action.
The Home  Ministry is being  unreasonable and defensive by linking criticism of  the ruling government with public disorder when criticism of those in  power is a hallmark of a functioning democracy.
SUARAM believes that no books  should be  banned to prevent the circulation of ideas, and that the people  should  be free to seek and receive them.
Once again, application of the law  is  arbitrary and is being abused by the state as a political tool for   hegemonic purposes rather than to maintain social order.
The government should respect Article  (10) of the Federal Constitution and Article (19) of the Universal  Declaration of Human Rights(UDHR) which clearly state that,  everyone  has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes   freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and  impart  information and ideas through any media and regardless of  frontiers.
Another blog, Hornbill Unleashed, also believe that the ban was unjustified.
A country where its citizens are habitually fed with state-controlled  information – and nothing else – is a backward country which is bound to  fail in this information and globalised age.
If we look around the world, all the countries that are consistently  ranked the best and the most admired for its social and economic  achievement are societies that have free media.  It is only through free  flow of ideas that potentials of the mind can be fully developed.  And  it is the quality of the mind that determines the rate of progression or  even regression of a society.
Genuine reforms mean eradicating corruption and abuse of power, and the  substitution of bad values with good ones.  And what better way to  achieve that than by allowing a free media to act as watchdog as well as  conduit and nursery of creative ideas?  Unless, of course, there is the  absence of political will to leave the existing comfort zone of  corruption and decay.
Malaysia is a country with tough media censorship laws, and was ranked 131st in the 2009 Reporters Without Borders’ Press Freedom Index.
The link to the book can be found here.

author: Jerrenn Lam


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Malaysia: Sexuality rights festival · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Annexe Gallery lists the scheduled events of Seksualiti Merdeka, the only sexuality rights festival in Malaysia. The festival embraces sexuality rights, family and diversity.


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Mexico Commemorates World Animal Day · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Perla Cristal Gomez writes [es] about the celebration of World Animal Day in Mexico and shares a video of a peaceful protest in Guadalajara.


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Morocco: Farewell Nichane · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Moroccan darija magazine Nichane is closing because of a sustained advertising boycott, reports Issandr El Amrani in The Arabist.


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Morocco: Popular Blog Turns 5 · Global Voices
Jillian C. York

Bill Day of the a la menthe wishes popular English-language blog The View from Fez a happy fifth birthday.

author: Jillian C. York


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Morocco: What do Moroccan and Djiboutian Education Have in Common? · Global Voices
Jillian C. York

Moroccan blogger Jamal Elabiad asks what education in Morocco and in Djibouti have in common.


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Nepal’s Leadership Vacuum: No End in Sight · Global Voices
Bhumika Ghimire

Last Friday (October 1, 2010) the ninth bid in Nepal's parliament to elect a Prime Minister failed. This prolongs the country's political crisis which began with the resignation of Prime Minster Madhav Kumar Nepal on the 30th of June.
The Coat of arms of Nepal. Image Courtesy Wikipedia
The sole candidate during the ninth cycle, Ram Chandra Poudel of the Nepali Congress Party, managed to get only 105 votes, far from securing a majority in 601 member parliament. He has vowed not to withdraw his candidacy. The tenth cycle of elections will be held later this month.
This state of leadership vacuum and lack of direction in government is negatively affecting Nepal's already weak economy and also impeding constitution writing process. Even at the lowest level governance is broken, Martin Searle at Policy Innovations notes that:
“Nepal has had six constitutions over the last six decades. Its latest attempt to reconstitute itself follows a civil war that lasted from 1996 to 2006 between the Maoists and the state. During this time, the Maoists took over effective control of vast swaths of the country, expelling the state and administering government themselves. Despite the end of hostilities and entry of the Maoists into mainstream politics in the 2008 election (in which they gained an overwhelming majority), the ineffectiveness of the state is still manifested in many areas.
The UN's chosen proxy for state reach—the presence of Village Development Committee (VDC) secretaries—shows that as of December 2009 only 42 percent of VDCs have a full-time VDC secretary present in the duty station, and 39 percent of VDC secretaries are either partially present or providing services from district headquarters. “
From the outside it seems like Nepal's chaos is getting out of hand. But not every one is alarmed by the slow disintegration of governance in the country. Eurasia Review, commenting on the latest report from the International Crisis Group, says that Nepal is “in the midst of a complex rite of passage”:
“Nepal’s transition from war to peace appears chaotic. But the country is not in chaos; its transition may be messy and confusing but it is not anarchic. There is an order within the political change and the resilience of Nepal’s political processes acts against fundamental transformations.
“The shift from war to peace was rapid and remains incomplete”, says Jacob Rinck, Crisis Group’s South Asia Analyst.  “But the peace process is much stronger than it often seems”.”
Rajan Koirala at Prout Journal, however, disagrees that Nepal's transition is on track. He notes that the country's ambitious “Visit Nepal 2011″ program which aims to boost Nepal's image as an ultimate travel destination around the world, is seriously falling behind because of the leadership vacuum at the highest level of the government.
Nepal – Island Peak – Impressive glacier icefall below peak, Image by Flickr user mckaysavage used under CC Attribution 2.0 Generic License
Frustration among the public is understandable, but in all honesty, a Prime Minister is not going to be the magical fix Nepal has been hoping for. Anup Kaphle at Pulitzer Center for Crisis Reporting notes the reality,
“But even if Nepal succeeds in electing a new prime minister tomorrow, he will confront the challenge of rallying a country in a serious political deadlock. Add to that the integration and rehabilitation of some 19,600 former Maoist combatants who are now living inside cantonments throughout the country, among the most daunting tasks Nepal has faced since the war ended in 2006.”
After three months of confusion and  lack of direction, you cannot blame the people who are hoping for a fix-it-all leader, they are just being honest.

author: Bhumika Ghimire


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Nigeria: Government was warned of bomb blasts in Abuja · Global Voices
Eremipagamo Amabebe

Nigerian Curiosity gives her take on Friday's bomb blasts in Abuja: “Nigeria's security forces were warned of an impending attack at least five days before October 1st…  Given such information, it is unacceptable that the government did not do more to anticipate and prepare for the attack.”

author: Eremipagamo Amabebe


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Nigeria: Licking the Nigeria’s Wounds · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Nana discusses the history of bad western media coverage of Nigeria: “The whole continent of Africa has complained bitterly of bad media coverage by Western media. In the past, stories that these media houses have covered from the continent and what its people were doing have focused largely on the negative.”


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Nigeria: President Accused of Naïveté  · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

The Nigerian President should keep his counsel: “I find myself writing today not to praise President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan but to contemn certain of his views because at this point he stands accused of a naïveté that is unbecoming of a leader, talk less of a country like Nigeria.”


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Peru: Mayoral Elections as Seen by Bloggers · Global Voices
Gabriela García Calderón

On Sunday October 3rd, Peruvian citizens participated in three simultaneous electoral processes for mayoral, district and regional authorities. Additionally, they also voted on a referendum to decide about contributions paid to the Housing National Fund (Fonavi, according to its Spanish name).
Cafe Henry, from the blog El Placard H [es], expressed some ideas the day before the elections:
Ya son pocas las horas para que emitamos nuestros votos. El PLACARD “H” les invita a que voten por las persona mas adecuada, con mejores propuestas, no emitamos un voto dirigido por las encuestas. Seamos concientes y consecuentes con lo que hagamos.
Voters show their dyed fingers after voting. Image by Global Voices author Gabriela García Calderón
The blog Con y contra todos [es], by Pressgirl, reviews the last weeks of campaign and includes videos to emphasize her points:
Lo único que me ha parecido genial durante la campaña de estas elecciones regionales y municipales ha sido toda la explosiva creatividad de algunos conocidos y otros tantos más desconocidos.
Porque entre tanto argumento en contra de la “izquierda antigua/nueva”, la “derecha autoritaria/tradicional”, el fantasmagórico regreso del fujimontesinismo chupacabras-chuponeador, necesitábamos de alguien que jugara semióticamente (sí, es un término inventado) con los símbolos, metáforas y figuras de nuestra escena política.
The only thing I consider great during the campaign for these regional and municipal elections has been all the explosive creativity of some known candidates and other not that well-known.
Because amidst all that argument against the “old/new left”, the “authoritarian/traditional right”, the ghostly return of the goatsucker-line tapping fujimontesinismo, we needed someone who played semiotically (yes, it's an invented term) with the symbols, metaphors and figures from our political scene.
Miguel Humberto Aguirre, a very popular journalist, shares some nostalgic views on his blog Apuntes de mi libreta [es], hosted on the web site of RadioProgramas del Perú:
Cuando mi padre me llevó por primera vez a un recinto de votación, fue  para mí como sacar un pasaporte de figuración “entre los grandes”.  Aún tengo presente a los serios policías y militares que fumaban a escondidas de sus superiores, o se comían su “sanguchito”.
Peruvian citizens living abroad cast their votes too, but only on the question referred to the referendum. Ernesto, the blogger of Física3 [es], writing from Madrid, tells us his experience:
Al momento de votar a eso de las 11:30 fui testigo de una escena curiosa, los miembros de mi mesa estaban discutiendo con uno de los responsables del consulado, pues se negaban a aceptar fusionar su mesa con una aledaña (había 5 personas de dicha mesa esperando votar), aduciendo de que ya bastante estaban cumpliendo con su deber al quedarse ahi y cerrar la mesa, y que el escrutinio de una mesa adicional era un esfuerzo extra y que trabajaban al día siguiente.
Silvio Rendón, from the blog Gran Combo Club shares his experience [es] from New York City, and he even includes a video:
Acabo de venir de ir a votar, pero no pude hacerlo. Al llegar resultó que mi mesa de votación no se había abierto. No me dejaron pasar. Pregunté por qué. Me dijeron que era porque no llegaron los miembros de mesa. P
On Twitter, the hashtag #elecciones2010 is receiving continuous updates, especially after the exit polls were announced at exactly 4 pm yesterday, time when the elections officially concluded. The official results will be announced later today.

author: Gabriela García Calderón


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Peru: October 3, Municipal Election Day · Global Voices
Juan Arellano

Election day in Lima is usually characterized by large numbers of people in the streets, especially around 4pm, usually the time when the polling stations are closed. As in many other things, Limeans practice their vote at the last minute… but the event usually starts early that day. The polling station workers (ONPE [es]) usually stay late into the night at the stations, as do the army and police that guard them. These workers in theory should arrive early to prepare the voting materials and areas, work for which they have been trained, but in practice, this doesn’t happen. For example, some Twitter users passionately protested until yesterday’s early hours.
JimmyRamos_ Leyendo mi manual de #miembrodemesa jajaja Mañana será un día muy entretenido   hace cerca de 13 horas vía web
Lebit0 ♥♥♥ RT q horror, a todos les gusta burlarse de los demás. Pero está bien… mañana twittearé los nombres mas WTF de la mesa #miembrodemesa  hace cerca de 1 hora vía web
ibrah_Well, I read my manual… I will go to sleep. I will get up in 4 hours #miembrodemesa
JimmyRamos_ reading the manual of #miembrodemesa hahaha tomorrow will be a very entertaining day
Lebit0 ♥♥♥ RT How horrible, everyone enjoys making fun of others. But it’s ok. Tomorrow I will twit the dirty names from the station #miembrodemesa
ibrah_Well, I read my manual… I will go to sleep. I will get up in 4 hours #miembrodemesa
But let’s take a look at tweets, from those users who voted early, informing others of the events taking place.
cyberespia Azuuu en la mesa contigua han derramado la tinta indeleble sobre las actas de sufragio                    hace 31 minutos vía Twitter for iPhone desde here
Danielpm1 Pilar Nores, nuestra primera dama, asumió rol de miembro de mesa a falta de uno #curioso  hace 34 minutos vía web                                   Retwitteado por 1 persona
perucom Total desorden en la mesa de votación de Susana Villarán y botan a periodistas #elecciones2010  hace 20 minutos vía web                                   Retwitteado por 1 persona
kibbut la culpa del desorden alrededor de Susana Villarán es de los coleguitas -algunos son medio animales-, punto.                    hace 19 minutos vía web
JotaC Bueno. Me iré a botar mi voto. Como todos. #elecciones2010  hace 8 minutos vía ÜberTwitter Retwitteado por 1 persona
periodismoperu ONPE no dejó que Pilar Nores asumiera suplencia como miembro de mesa: Aunque no tuvo inconvenientes para sufragar,… http://dlvr.it/6PZJw  hace 4 minutos vía dlvr.it Retwitteado por 2 personas
cyberespia Azuuu On the next table someone spilled ink over the voting cards.
Danielpm1 Pilar Nores, our first lady, assumed the role of pollster when one was missing. #curioso
perucom Total disarray at the Susana Villaran station and they threw out journalists. #elecciones2010
kibbut The colleagues were to blame at Susana Villaran’s station for the chaos, some of them are half beasts, period.
JotaC Well, I will go waste my vote. As everyone. #elecciones2010
periodismoperu ONPE did not allow Pilar Nores to replace a missing pollster: although she was allowed to vote… http://dlvr.it/6PZJw
In the meantime depending on their time zones, some Peruvians were already voting or preparing to do it.
fisica3 Al parecer esta medio vacio el local de votacion del Referendum Fonavi   en Madrid, espero estar a las 11:30 por ahi                    hace 31 minutos vía web
raulmauro En Boston estamos 15 peruanos q nos quedamos sin votar xq cerraron la mesa a las 12 m                    hace 5 minutos vía txt
morrissey Largas filas en Buenos Aires para la votación en Buenos Aires para el referéndum en Perú http://twitpic.com/2uc0uo  hace 26 minutos vía SocialScope Retwitteado por 1 persona
fisica3 It seems the Fonavi station at Madrid is half empty, I hope to be there at 11:30.
raulmauro At the Boston station 15 of us were left out since they closed the station at 12 noon.
morrissey Long voting lines at the Buenos Aires station http://twitpic.com/2uc0uo
And let’s remember that voting is not only taking place in Lima, here are some tweets from provinces:
ROApuno AZANGARO: Falta instalar algunas mesas, seguridad deficiente, existe  aglomeración de electores, falta más orientadores.                    hace 20 minutos vía web
NUEVO_DIA En la oficina del Reniec de Arequipa decenas de personas recogen su DNI a último minuto                    hace cerca de 2 horas vía web
anahihana OMG! En el colegio Politécnico de #Huancayo los miembros de la Mesa N° 100076, se fueron y la dejaron abandonada! #Elecciones2010  hace cerca de 1 hora vía TweetDeck
YoDash En el Colegio San Agustin aun no están dispuestas todas las mesas de votación #elecciones2010 #Iquitos  hace cerca de 2 horas vía Twitter for iPhone
WillMedina Y acá en #tumbes pues… no cubren mucho las elecciones, de acá que vaya a votar tomaré un  par de fotos para cubrirlo yo mismo XD                    hace cerca de 1 hora vía web
ROApuno AZANGARO: Tables need to be installed, security is deficient, voters are being crowded, we need more pollsters.
NUEVO_DIA at the Reniec of Arequipa tens of people picked up their DNI at the very last minute.
anahihana OMG! At the Polytechnic college from #Huancayo members of station N° 100076, left and abandoned it. #Elecciones2010
YoDash At the San Agustin college all the tables have not been setup. #elecciones2010 #Iquitos
WillMedina Here at #tumbes there is very little coverage, by the time I vote, I will take a couple of pictures to cover it myself.
Past noon, voting was at its peak and the candidates and other politicians had already voted:
lcaballero http://yfrog.com/n5jrpwj http://yfrog.com/83f2fhzj http://yfrog.com/mm4eazj y asi estan las colas(de gato) para botar la basura en #Lince   hace 1 minuto vía TweetDeck
loquetengas Toledo hace lo mismo q Paniagua hace su cola #Elecciones2010  hace menos de un minuto vía TweetDeck
tucto @israelyance Ah sí, el Cmdte. @Ollanta_HumalaT hizo su cola para ir a votar #elecciones2010  hace 1 minuto vía TweetDeck en respuesta a israelyance
elcomercio VIDEO: Lourdes Flores tuvo problemas para salir de su centro de votación. #Elecciones2010 http://ow.ly/2NGfj  hace 26 minutos vía HootSuite
PeruNews Periodista es agredida mientras cubría a Luis Castañeda Lossio: La reportera de América Televisión, fue ag… http://bit.ly/d2vThI rp #PERU  hace 11 minutos vía twitterfeed
RichardGI En cola para votar, el colegio es super pequeño, pero las colas son enormes.                    hace 2 minutos vía ÜberTwitter
invazor El personero de bringas esta metido en la mesa 036117 haciendo campaña e impidiendo votar,                 hace cerca de 1 hora vía Twitter for iPhone desde here  Retwitteado por 6 personas
lcaballero http://yfrog.com/n5jrpwj http://yfrog.com/83f2fhzj http://yfrog.com/mm4eazj The lines were as long as the lines to dispose refuse #Lince :)
loquetengas Toledo stood in line just as Paniagua  #Elecciones2010
tucto @israelyance Oh yes, the commander. @Ollanta_HumalaT also stood in line to vote #elecciones2010
elcomercio VIDEO: Lourdes Flores had problems leaving her voting station. #Elecciones2010 http://ow.ly/2NGfj
PeruNewsJournalist was attacked while covering Luis Castañeda Lossio: The reporter of America Television, was att… http://bit.ly/d2vThI rp #PERU
RichardGI In line to vote, the station is really small, but the lines are huge.
invazor bringas’ spokeperson is at the voting table 036117 campaigning and preventing others from  voting,
And the last minute tweets just as the the stations were being closed:
elausi [News] JNE reporta 45 incidencias durante elecciones: Las incidencias se registraron hasta este mediodía, en … http://bit.ly/dlyOxq #News  hace 2 minutos vía twitterfeed
Anfer_ En  la mesa dónde votaba una tía, se equivocaron con una Sra. , la    confundieron con su hermana. Los miembos dijeron que no    importaba…(cont)                    hace 2 minutos vía TweetDeck
Dakiut meti poco el dedo y el viejo presidente de mesa me dijo METELO MAS! Y me agarro el dedo y me mancho hasta donde acaba la uña #elecciones2010  hace 10 minutos vía ÜberTwitter Retwitteado por 2 personas
elausi [News] JNE reported 45 incidents during the elections: These were registered until today at noon, at… http://bit.ly/dlyOxq #News
Anfer At the table where an aunt voted, they made the mistake with a lady and mistook her for her sister, the pollsters said it didn’t matter…(cont)
Dakiut I stuck my finger [in the inkwell] and the old man in charge of the table told me: Stick it in further! And grabbed my finger and stained it all the way to where the nail ends  #elecciones2010
And at 4pm, polling station surveys announced:
votoperu2010 FLASH ELECTORAL: SUSANA VILLARAN  39.4 % LOURDES FLORES 37.1% Según encuesta de Ipsos Apoyo a boca de urna                 hace 2 minutos vía web                                   Retwitteado por 10 personas
larepublica_pe Flash a boca de urna (CPI) Ganadora: VILLARÁN 40.9 FLORES 37.6 #LF #SV  hace 1 minuto vía HootSuite Retwitteado por 2 personas
elcomercio Resultados a #bocadeurna en #Lima según CPI: @susanavillaran 40,9%. @LourdesFloresN 37,6 %                 hace 3 minutos vía HootSuite Retwitteado por 15 personas
votoperu2010 ELECTORAL FLASH: SUSANA VILLARAN 39.4% LOURDES FLORES 37.1% according to surveys from Ipsos.
larepublica_pe Survey (CPI) Winner: VILLARAN 40.9, FLORES 37.6 #LF #SV
elcomercio Results #bocadeurna in #Lima according to CPI: @susanavillaran 40,9%. @LourdesFloresN 37,6 %
The image used in this post belongs to Twitter user Twitpic greinap.
About the same topic: Peru: Two Women Contend to Become Mayor of Lima

author: Juan Arellano


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Puerto Rico: Violence Against Women and the Media · Global Voices
Firuzeh Shokooh Valle

Feminist blogger Nahomi Galindo Malavé republishes the Association of Women Journalists of Cataluña recommendations on how the media should cover violence against women [ES]. Their first recommendation is: “Treat violence against women as a violation of human rights and an attempt against the liberty and dignity of people.”

author: Firuzeh Shokooh Valle


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Sri Lanka: A Survey On Twitter Users · Global Voices
Rezwan

Amitha Amarasinghe conducted a survey among 102 Twitter users of Sri Lanka and shares the findings here.

author: Rezwan


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Tanzania: The Use of Social Media in 2010 Tanzania General Election · Global Voices
J. Nambiza Tungaraza

Tanzania will go to the polls on October 30, 2010 and the general election campaign is well underway. As the campaigns heat up, presidential candidates and other candidates fighting for parliamentary seats are using new media tools to communicate with potential voters. Along with campaign rallies, which target the majority of the population, a small number of politicians have started to use social media tools such as blogs, online videos, Facebook and twitter to create deeper engagement with voters.
It is hard to accurately comment on the impact of the ongoing online campaigns because of lack of up-to-date statistics on usage of social media tools in Tanzania. The number of Tanzanians using the Internet is still small in comparison to the total population. In a country of 41 million people there are only 676,000 Internet users representing 1.6% of the total population. Among those with access to the internet there are only 141,580 Facebook users, with 74% of them aged between 18-34 years.
Whether created by fans or formal campaign officials, there are a few websites, blogs, facebook pages and twitter accounts running campaigns for presidential candidates and those fighting for parliamentary seats from the ruling CCM party. The official website of the current president and the ruling CCM party candidate, Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete, has a link to a facebook page with more than 4,500 followers. There is also another facebook page dedicated to Mr Kikwete with more than 13,500 fans.
Kikwete’s running mate who is also the candidate for the Vice President's post, Dr. Gharib Bilal, has more than one campaign websites. One site is linked to Mr Kikwete’s website and Dr. Bilal’s twitter account, while the other website has a link to a facebook page dedicated to his campaign.
One of the opposition parties presidential candidates Dr. Wilbrod Slaa from CHADEMA party has a facebook page linked from his official website with about 910 fans. Likewise there are more than two facebook pages dedicated to Dr. Slaa’s campaign with about 9000 people who ‘like’ Dr. Slaa. He also has a twitter account with very few tweets.
Similar to Tanzania Mainland, election manifestos, pictures and videos of the campaign rallies are on display on the websites of the Zanzibar’s CCM   presidential candidate Dr Ali Mohamed Shein as well as on his main opposition contender Maalim Seif Sharif Hamad from the Civic United Front (CUF).
Announced mostly through twitter and blogs, online campaign videos with clips from election rallies have so far received a little more than 12,000 views in total at the time of writing this post. Some of the videos appear to have been uploaded directly from the rallies, like this one from CHADEMA’s Kigoma North candidate, Hon. Zitto Kabwe:
While other videos like this one from the January2010zaidi Youtube channel appears to have been professionally produced:
The use social media platforms have made it possible for the campaign teams to interact directly with voters and to respond to their concerns. These tools have also enabled Tanzanians leaving abroad to follow events happening back home.
When CCM refused to participate in elections debate, as explained here by blogger Shurufu Anasema, a twitter user Issa Mwamba challenged Kikwete:
Where Kikwete2010 replied:
I personally think CCM as an independent party has a right to select and choose the debate it can participate or not participate
Although there are doubts as to whether online campaigns will influence voters in a country with such low internet penetration, some bloggers such as Spotistarehe are hopeful:
Je Vijijini wanasoma facebook?
Asilimia kubwa ya watumiaji wa mitandao hii wako jijini Dar Es Salaam na mikoa mikubwa kama Arusha, Morogoro, Tanga, Mwanza na kwa siku hizi mitandao inafika kote.
Jiji hili la Dar wakazi wengi ni wakuja wanatoka vijijini ambako wabunge wengi hutoka huko. Mathalani mi ni mtu wa Morogoro Kilombero, bila vyombo vya habari siwezi kujua mgombea wa Ubunge wa jimbo langu ana sera gani, lakini kama nitakuwa nasoma mawazo yake kupitia updates za mara kwa mara kwenye mitandao hii naweza nikawa mpiga debe mzuri… nikibahatika naweza washauri ninawafikia kuwa Bwana Kibonde ni mtu safi na nia ya kutukwamua anayo tumachagueni
Big percentage of internet users are in Dar-Es-Salaam and in other big cities like Arusha, Morogoro, Tanga, Mwanza and these days internet is accessible everywhere.
In Dar many residents are from rural areas where MPs are hailing from. For instance I am from Morogoro Kilombero, without access to media I will not be able to know what my parliamentary candidate’s policies are, but if I read his/her updates regularly on the internet then I may become a good supporter… and therefore if I am lucky I can advise people that Mr. Kibonde is a good man and he intends to save us therefore let’s elect him.

author: J. Nambiza Tungaraza


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Trinidad & Tobago: Media Inaccuracies  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

KnowTnT.com‘s Edmund Gall explains why he has “a growing distrust of the media's reporting of financial matters, a distrust that's not helped by their rampant typographical errors and failure to report accurately on information technology matters…”

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Trinidad & Tobgo: More on CLICO · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“Amidst the raging debate on the rights of the disappointed depositors versus those of the anxious taxpayer”, Afra Raymond continues “to examine some more of the fundamental issues” regarding the CLICO bailout, while KnowTnT.com says: “What is interesting is that…those who gambled their savings away in pursuit of unrealistic returns are once more gambling with what's left on the table…”


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Turkmenistan: Olympic village without Olympics · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Annasoltan writes that the government of Turkmenistan has decided to construct “Olympic village” in Ashgabat, the capital city, to promote sports and to hold sports events involving foreigners.


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Uganda: Building a better tomorrow with social networks · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Building a better tomorrow with social networks in Uganda: “Looking to inspire middle-aged Ugandans with ‘fire in belly’, the ‘Meet the CEO’ forum- a 360 degree Network initiative-brought together some of the country’s most respected industry captains to share various experiences that impact on leadership success.”


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Video: French Burqa Ban Protest in Minishorts and Niqab  · Global Voices
Juliana Rincón Parra

Tea and Politics wonders about the definition of full veil, as two French Muslim girls walk around in niqab (face veils) and minishorts to protest the “Burqa Ban” in France.

author: Juliana Rincón Parra


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Afghanistan: Opium production down, but prices rise · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Nick Fielding says that, according to the latest UN Office on Drugs and Crime report, Afghan opium production decreased significantly due to a disease that affected the crop. Nevertheless, income from the crop amounted has risen because of the increase in price.


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Africa: My Trouble With Contemporary African Dance · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

What is the problem with “contemporary African dance”?:”The choice of African in contemporary “African” dance is therefore, with a touch of derision and as well canonical. Aside the fact that it suggests a honest geographical location and a common historical narrative, it also makes the unforgiving blunder of plunging into an ideology that thrives on reductionism…”


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Africa: Participate in Digital Natives Workshop · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Participate in Digital Natives Workshop in South Africa: “The 3-day workshop entitled ‘My bubble, My space, My voice” will focus on how young people use the tools and platforms at their disposal in order to create social change in their environments.”


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Argentina: Students from Buenos Aires Protest Education · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Michael Chanan from Putney Debater shares a video (with English subtitles) of last month's student occupation of secondary schools in Buenos Aires and their protests outside the Ministry of Education: “Students […] have taken to the streets in protest against the appalling conditions to be found in many of the city’s schools. “

author: Silvia Viñas


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Bangladesh: The History Of Ahsan Manzil · Global Voices
Rezwan

Eye In The Sky posts the history and travel tips of the legendary Pink Palace in Dhaka – The Ahsan Manzil.


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Barbados: Flooding Issues  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“More and more areas are now viewing flooding as a ‘normal’ event. We have forgotten that this is not the way it was even five or ten years ago”: Barbados Free Press applauds a gardening blog for reminding Barbadians of how things might be; Jamaican diaspora blogger Grasshopper Eyes the Potomac also weighs in on flooding issues.


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Brazil: Presidential elections go to second round, social media step in · Global Voices
Marta Cooper

A last-minute surge by Green Party candidate Marina Silva has pushed Brazil's presidential election into a second round [pt] with Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's widely tipped successor, Dilma Rousseff, narrowly missing out [pt] on becoming the country’s first female leader.
Dilma, Lula’s protegee from the Workers’ Party (PT) took 47% of the vote, missing out on the 50% needed to win an outright majority. Silva won 19%, while Rousseff's main rival, José Serra of the Social Democrats, took 32.6%.
Round two, set for 31st October has given Serra a “second chance to debate Brazil's future, present and past”, he told reporters.
Meanwhile, blogging at alternative news site Carta Maior [pt], Emiliano Jose reminded readers that Brazil’s process of democratisation is by no means a simple journey:
É, no entanto, uma revolução inédita no Brasil, e que, levada adiante, pode assegurar a construção de uma nação não só poderosa economicamente, como já o somos, como também, e sobretudo, uma nação justa, que modifique nossas tradicionais estruturas voltadas à concentração de renda e à desigualdade, ainda das maiores do mundo entre nós. Uma nação que democraticamente incorpore em profundidade a presença do povo brasileiro, que pense o desenvolvimento sempre em razão da maioria, e não voltado a atender aos interesses de uma minoria. Por tudo isso, será essencial que nos coloquemos todos em campo, insistindo na importância de levar adiante tal revolução.
It is, however, an unprecedented revolution in Brazil, and that, carried forward, can assure the construction of a nation not only powerful economically, as we already are, but also, and above all, a just nation, that changes our traditional structures geared to the concentration of income and to inequality, still amongst the largest in the world. A nation that democratically incorporates in depth the presence of the Brazilian populace, that thinks development is always a result of the majority, and not inclined to serve the interests of a minority. For all this, it will be essential that we all place ourselves in the field, insisting upon the importance of carrying forward such a revolution.
On the same portal, Emir Sader [pt] added,
É uma ilusão considerar que o segundo turno é outra eleição. É a continuação do primeiro, em novas condições – de bipolarização. A campanha deve ser dirigida diretamente por Lula, deve ser centrada na comparação dos governos do FHC e do Lula, deve ter uma estratégia específica para o eleitorado da Marina e deve multiplicar os comícios e outros atos de massa – um diferencial importante entre as duas candidaturas.
It is an illusion to consider that the second round is another election. It is a continuation of the first – in new conditions – of bi-polarisation. The campaign must be addressed directly by Lula, it has to be centred on the comparisons of the governments of FHC [Fernando Henrique Cardoso] and Lula, it has to have a specific strategy for Marina’s electorate and must multiply the rallies and other acts of the masses – a key differentiation between the two candidates.
The vexed question of the role played by Brazilian mass media [pt], notorious for being heavily concentrated and politically paralleled, was also a topic of debate. Jose affirms,
A mídia hegemônica, outra vez, aquela das três famílias, ou das poucas, reduzidas famílias, fez o que podia e o que não podia para desacreditar Dilma Rousseff, para apresentá-la como uma candidata sem condições, tentando sempre envolvê-la em escândalos.
Hegemonic media, again, that of those three families, or the few, small families, has done what it could and could not do to discredit Dilma Rousseff, to present her as a candidate with no real conditions, and always trying to involve her in scandals.
Last year, one of Brazil's major newspapers, Folha de São Paulo, came under fire for publishing an image of a fake criminal record for Rousseff, leading with a story that she was instrumental in the planned kidnapping of former Finance Minister, Antonio Delfim Netto, in 1969. The kidnapping, planned by the far-left guerrilla organisation Dilma was involved with, did not take place, as members of the group were captured just weeks before. Dilma has denied [pt] any involvement in or knowledge of the kidnapping.
According to blogger Eduardo Guimarães [pt], mainstream media outlets led an “accusatory massacre” against Dilma throughout her campaign. He added,
Com essa diferença descomunal de espaço para cada candidato nas grandes mídias, qualquer observador estrangeiro, se não conhecer a fundo a realidade política do Brasil, dirá que Dilma não tem qualquer chance de se eleger. A diferença de condições na disputa com seus dois principais adversários, é enorme. Se já tivéssemos instituições mais independentes do poder econômico, a Justiça eleitoral já teria tirado várias tevês e rádios do ar como punição por fazerem campanha para um lado.
With this monumental difference in the space for each candidate in mainstream media, any foreign observer, if they do not know the background of Brazil's political reality, would say that Dilma would not have any chance of being elected. The difference in conditions in the dispute with her two main rivals is enormous. If we already had more independent institutions of economic power, the Electoral Court would have already taken a number of TV and radio stations off-air as punishment for [illegally] campaigning for one candidate.
Yet, the silver lining came in the form of social media, whose role in bolstering citizen participation in the electoral process and diversifying public debate was unparalleled. This post [pt] from Tiago Doria outlines a host of citizen media initiatives used throughout the elections, including Eleitor 2010 [pt] a Ushahidi-based platform used to map reports of alleged election crimes, and 48h Democracia [pt] which brought netizens’ video, news reports and bulletins of the elections to offer non-mainstream coverage. Such projects, alongside, for instance, a map of electoral censorship published by the Texas-based Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas, has succeeded in extending civic participation to a wider community.
Eleitor 2010, an online platform used to map alleged election crimes
Doria says,
Alguns são projetos desenvolvidos por pessoas comuns, que tradicionalmente estariam fora do processo eleitoral ou da produção de notícias relacionadas ao pleito.
Muitos prometem continuar no ar. A grande maioria foi criada como ferramenta de fiscalização, e, justamente por isso, terá sobrevida após as eleições.
Some are projects developed by ordinary people, who traditionally would be away from the electoral process or the production of news related to the elections.
Many promise to continue online. The majority were created as tools of surveillance, and rightly so, they will survive after the elections.
The clip below, taken in Sapopemba, São Paulo, shows illegal electoral propaganda accumulated outside a polling station on election day. Such practices continue, despite the fact that in Brazil it is outlawed to distribute such propaganda after 10pm the day before an election.
It seems the wider realm of discussion boosted by social media has set a new precedent for freedom of expression and has brought into question the role of the press in Brazilian political processes. Carlos Castilho, also writing at Observatorio da Imprensa [pt], says,
Ninguém quer a ditadura de uma única percepção da realidade — portanto, se as empresas jornalísticas desejarem continuar cumprindo o seu papel de provedoras de informação terão que colocar a diversidade informativa como um dos seus objetivos centrais. Isto pode ajudar a anular a percepção de que a imprensa transformou-se num partido político.
No-one wants the dictatorship of one single perception of reality – so, if news organisations want to continue fulfilling their role as providers of information they must place informational diversity as one of their central objectives. This can help to dissolve the perception that the press has become a political party.
Paula Goes and Diego Casaes contributed to this post.

author: Marta Cooper


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Burkina Faso: Folk Singer Icon Mahama Konaté Is No More  · Global Voices
Lova Rakotomalala

Le Faso.net reports that the Mahama Konaté, icon of the Senoufo traditional music passed away today [fr]. Konaté was the founder of the band “Farafina” and insisted on making his own instruments, arguing that “music is just a way of giving back what nature has to offer”.


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Dominican Republic: Digital TV in 2015 · Global Voices
Rocío Díaz

September 24th 2015 is the set date by the Dominican Institute of Telecommunications (Indotel) to make the definitive transition to digital television, a process already in motion in several countries such as Argentina, Costa Rica, Peru, Great Britain, Canada and South Africa to name a few.
To this day 15 countries have made the complete change to digital standard, a format whose compression type, converts the signal into 1 and 0 (binary code), it allows not just clearer images but additional information that enriches the viewer experience. It is also a fact that this signal is not affected by atmospheric conditions nor by the distance that can be between the receiver and the point of transmission.
The end of the analog age in the United States. Photo by Stargazer95050.*
Dominican Republic is part of the myriad of countries that are in the implementation process of the digital system, becoming an issue since in 2005 the United States announced its own transition date, better known as analogical shut down. Back then the Federal Commission of Communications decided that by February 17th 2009 all analogical transmissions should cease, but the analogical shutdown did not start until June 12th 2009.
While USA entered the digital television era, the Indotel analyzed the issue in depth with local actors, establishing the legal and technical frame. At the same time the last two years were dedicated to the analysis of the current four systems around the world: ATSC (USA), ISDB-T (Japan), DVB-T (Europe) and DMB-T/H (China). Junior Hernández of Duarte 101 explains [ES]:
A little over a year ago the topic of digital television was introduced in our country, because of the United States Congress’ approval of the elimination of analogical broadcasting by television networks.
After a series of technical meetings, conferences and tests by channel 4 (CERTV), the Indotel announced that it finally has reached a consensus on the standard that will be use for Dominican digital television. ATSC (Advanced Television Systems Committee), developed in the 90`s decade by a company that had as a goal to define the digital and HD specifications for the American market.
Being the case that analogical television in Dominican Republic actually is broadcast on NTSC, also originated in the US, it seems natural that the ATSC has been the choice for digital transition. After all there is a great technological tradition and understanding of the standards used in US, which are preferred by local industry, as exposed by the 407-10 statute, which contains the decision.
Now that the standard is defined, there are great expectations among technology followers, but at the same time there are doubts of how the transition is going to be, just as SFadul expresses in Choza Digital [ES]:
It's going to be very interesting to live this transition that in the US was not easy or accessible to everybody, because last year, there were so many people with analogical TV (big ones!) that the logistic to supply the digital converter to the users was somewhat traumatic. The government should encourage the acquisition of digital televisions during this 5 year period; because if the current rate of adoption continues, by august 2015 we'll have too many Dominicans with old televisions.
Unlike  the US, where the issue had a lot of presence in the media, even its own website, the information regarding the process in Dominican Republic reaches the audience from time to time, mainly when important decisions are made like the announcement of the adoption of the ATSC standard. Joan Guerrero echoes this situation in his blog [ES]:
I remember very well when the debate began about what system we would use twelve months ago, and was saddened because I could not find much information in the traditional media about this issue.
Another issue that worries many Dominicans is the implication of the change from analogical to digital. Junior Hernández puts it clearly in the article [ES] that he wrote for Duarte 101 [ES] last year, when Indotel started its first steps in this process.
… However, having digital television means to have a TV set that can support this type of signal, or to use the converter that allows it, which costs around US$10.00. Let's see the case of a family struggling to make RD$200 or RD$300 per day for food, being forced to invest in the device to continue to enjoy one of the most used entertainment media of our country.

author: Rocío Díaz


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Iran: Russians bloggers in the Embassy of Iran  · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

According to a Russian blogger last Thursday at the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran held a meeting of Iranian and Russian bloggers in Moscow. During the conversation, bloggers discussed the prospects for Russian-Iranian relations at the present stage. Watch the photo here.

author: Fred Petrossian


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Jamaica: Communities & Climate Change  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“Where politicians fail to take the threats to our planet seriously, a strong grassroots movement is mobilizing and taking action to fill the void left by political and corporate paralysis”: Labrish notes that Jamaica is among the Caribbean nations that will take action on climate change come October 10.


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Jamaica: Nicole’s Aftermath  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Jamaican bloggers are still discussing the effects of Tropical Storm Nicole.


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Kazakhstan: A university’s battle over a license · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Avicenna reports on the ongoing conflict between the Kazakhstan Institute of Management, Economics and Strategic Research and the Ministry of Education and Science, as the latter suspended the university's license.

author: Adil Nurmakov


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Kuwait: Let the Tomatoes Rot! · Global Voices
Abdullatif AlOmar

Tomatoes are now eight times more expensive in Kuwait than they were a month ago – and netizens are not taking the change in prices in stride. They cannot find an explanation to why the cost of a box of tomatoes jumped from half a dinar ($1.70) to KD4 ($14) in just a few days.
AlDestor wrote:
Ein Bagzee says the problem isn't what to do about the hike in prices but how to deal with it:
m-vitaminz wonders why Parliament members are not up in arms about the increase in prices:
And as with each problem in Kuwait, Twitter is flooded with jokes and comments about the subject.
BoJaij says:
and fayounii throws sports into the mix:

author: Abdullatif AlOmar


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Liberia: I will take my potato greens with a side of Jesus · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Glenna Gordon's photo of the day: “I’ll take my potato greens with a side of Jesus and some teddy bears.”

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Macedonia: Continuing Horror in Mental Health Institutions · Global Voices
Filip Stojanovski

On her blog Humans Null and Void, journalist Yana Buhrer Tavanier exposes the situation in the “institutions for adults with intellectual and mental health disabilities in Macedonia, where the lack of care, abuse, filth and neglect are all miserably present.” Reacting, Judith Klein asks: “How many more horror stories do we need to hear?”

author: Filip Stojanovski


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Malawi: Social Bookmarking for Blogs About Malawi · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

MalawiSoc is a Social Boookmarking site devoted to news and blogs about Malawi.


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Maldives: Why The Migrant Workers Struggle · Global Voices
Rezwan

EM ES & Beyond searches for the motivation behind the struggle of the migrant workers in Maldives and finds: “for survival, men could sacrifice even the most necessary human desires”.


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Mexico: TV Host Threatens Twitter User, #Brozo Becomes Trending Topic · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

TV host and comedian Victor Trujillo, who plays the character of clown Brozo for Televisa, threatened a Twitter user who created a fake Twitter account for Marissa Rivera, a collaborator in Brozo's show. Among other things, Brozo threatens: “You are in danger.” Twitter users are reacting to the video [es] using the hashtag #brozo. Brozo is currently a Worldwide Trending Topic on Twitter.


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Morocco: Another Magazine Bites the Dust · Global Voices
Jillian C. York

When Nichane launched in September of 2006, it quickly became the country's most popular Arabic-language weekly, its pages filled with taboo-tackling stories not unlike those of its sister publication, Francophone TelQuel.  As the only weekly magazine published in the local Arabic dialect, darija, Nichane filled a niche in Morocco's ever-growing publishing industry, covering topics from a point of view usually reserved for the country's many French-language publications.
The infamous 2006 cover of Nichane that sparked a two-month ban
From the outset, Nichane was plagued with troubles.  Just four months after it launched, the magazine was hit with a two month ban, and its editor-in-chief, Driss Ksikes, and journalist Sana El-Aji fined and given three-year suspended sentences after the magazine published an article on popular Moroccan street jokes.  In 2009, Moroccan police destroyed 100,000 copies of the magazine in retaliation for printing an unauthorized approval poll of King Mohammed VI.  Now, following a long-running advertiser boycott led by the royally-owned ONA Holding Group, Nichane is shutting its doors once and for all, unable to remain afloat without advertising.
Moroccan bloggers have generally been supportive of Nichane over the years, with even those who oppose the magazine's approach supporting free speech.  In 2009, the “Je Suis 9%” (I'm a 9%”) campaign made international headlines as bloggers protested the seizure of Nichane and TelQuel.  And now, many bloggers are lamenting the magazine's closure.
Issandr El Amrani of The Arabist expresses bewilderment at the circumstances that lead to Nichane‘s closure:
It's mind-boggling that the Moroccan regime, which has banked so much on an image of democratization both domestically and abroad for the past decade, is acting so aggressively towards independent media. And the growth of other supposedly independent magazines that tow the line, such as Actuel and Le Temps, or even the taming of Rachid Nini and his (admittedly horrible) al-Massae, is making for a soporific, cheerleading media scene where there used to be vibrancy. But the damage may be even worse than merely press freedom: the closure of magazines is beginning to look like a direct consequence of the all-devouring appetite of the monarchy in the business sphere.
The blogger adds:
It's already a bad thing to be a country with no freedom of the press, but it is an altogether worse thing to be a country with no transparency on its economic governance where the population is beholden to artificial monopolies. In the Nichane case, you have the combination of both.
Kacem El Ghazzali of Bahmut's Blog [ar] questions the logic of such a popular magazine closing its doors:
“Nichane” is the first magazine in Morocco that addresses and issues of minorities and attempts to relay their visions to the community through daring investigations. It operates in a negative environment produced by an illiterate schizophrenic status quo. Today, “Nichane” is being laid in its grave and will not be issued anymore after suffering from an advertising deprivation policy which led to its bankruptcy. I may not agree! “Nichane” is a best-selling magazine, how can it be bankrupt?
Popular blogger Larbi presents on his blog a detailed account of censorship and police and judicial harassment of the press in Morocco over the past in relation to ownership of each publication and says:
Doucement, et assez intelligemment, le paysage de la presse écrite s’est métamorphosé ces deux dernières années. Le pouvoir a diversifié ses méthodes de prise de contrôle, direct et indirect, de la presse écrite au Maroc, si bien qu’aujourd’hui personne n’attends plus la sortie des hebdos le week-end et leurs dossiers qui, il n’y a pas si longtemps, pimentaient la vie politique marocaine.
Au fil des années, le pouvoir s’est constitué une panoplie riche d’outils pour museler la presse écrite et la garder sous contrôle.
On the group blog C.J.D.M. (“Cercle des Jeunes Débiles Marocains” or “Circle of Young Moroccan Idiots”), blogger aboulahab presents a satirical “letter” from a high-ranking member of the Makhzen (Morocco's ruling elite).  An excerpt:
Vous comprenez maintenant les raisons de ma joie. Nous avons réussi en dix ans à faire taire à peu près toutes les voix dissidentes de ce pays. Nous avons diversifié nos actions, procès, saisies illégales, intimidations … Nous avons monté les journalistes les uns contres les autres. Vous vous rendez compte, dans une profession souvent accusée de corporatisme primaire, rares sont les journalistes qui soutiennent leurs collègues quand ils subissent une injustice. N’est ce pas le plus beau pays du monde ? Vous m’en voyez heureux.
Not every blogger sees the story as black and white.  Xoussef, who readily admits he's “not completely a fan” of the magazine, is waiting to see what happens next:
What bothering me though is the whining. Not Nichane's people, but some people commenting on this bit of news here and there. It's irritating, I want to tell them it's hardly a surprise, if it's nothing else, it's an acknowledgment of Nichane's voice. I want to tell them to suck it up and focus on what's next, but that's irrelevant because, strangely, Nichane's people are not the ones whining, and that's forcing respect.
On the other hand, the other “independent” Arabic press is engaged in an entertaining, though pathetic, catfight complete with figurative slapping, scratching, hair-pulling, and shirt-shredding over failed mergers and acquisitions.
Anyone still wonders why newspapers don't sell in this blessed country?
Meanwhile Sumayya, of Reading Morocco, acknowledges that her blogging team are “too ‘conservative’ to really mourn the passing of Nichane” but notes that regardless, “we do mourn the further loss of open public discussions and the continuing polarization of all the ‘sides.'”
Meanwhile, the Blogoma continues to mourn the loss of Nichane on Twitter.

author: Jillian C. York


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Russia: Medvedev Addresses the People of Belarus via Video Blog · Global Voices
Yelena Osipova

Having a tech-savvy President seems to be proving advantageous for Russia's public diplomacy (for its effort, at the very least). Dmitry Medvedev has been reaching out to the people of Russia, as well as the foreign publics, through his personal (verified!) Twitter accounts (in Russian and English), his official blogs (again, Russian and English), and the official Kremlin YouTube channel (with disabled comments section, by the way). Having combined what many in the U.S. would differentiate as public affairs and public diplomacy, Medvedev often covers overlapping subjects, especially when it comes to issues related to Russia's “near abroad.”
In his latest video blog post, for example, Medvedev expressed his concern about the recent Russia-bashing rhetoric in Belarus (with the presidential elections coming up next year there), and criticized President Aleksandr Lukashenko for attempting to brand Russia as the new “outside enemy” of the Belarusian people. Here are some excerpts from the English translation of the transcript (to see the original Russian segment, go here):
“I want to address both the Russian and Belarusian people. After all, we are all citizens of the Union State.
It is my deep conviction that our country has always treated and will continue to treat the Belarusian people as our closest neighbour. We are united by centuries-old history, shared culture, common joys and common sorrows. We will always remember that our nations – and I always want to say “our single nation” – have suffered huge losses during the Great Patriotic War. Together we survived terrible hardships of the collectivisation, famine and repressions.
Now Russia and Belarus are partners in the Union State. Both of our countries are also actively involved in the creation of the Customs Union, in the development of the EurAsEC, CSTO and the Commonwealth of Independent States. […] we have always helped the people of Belarus. In fact, since the collapse of the Soviet Union almost 20 years ago, the volumes of this support, whatever they say, have been huge. Only this year our help to Belarus in the form of favourable oil supply terms amounted to almost two billion dollars. There are comparable subsidies in the supply of Russian gas to Belarus. We do all this because we firmly believe that our nations are inextricably linked.
[…] In his comments, President Lukashenko goes far beyond not only diplomatic protocol but also basic human decency. However, this was nothing new to me.
[…] And, of course, we will bear this in mind when building relations with the current President of Belarus.
A flood of accusations and abuse has been directed against Russia and its leadership. Mr Lukashenko’s entire election campaign is based on that. […] Of course, this is not what defines the relations between nations and individuals.
[…] I would just like to say this openly: Russia is ready to develop allied relations with Belarus. Moreover, no matter who leads Russia and Belarus, our peoples will forever be fraternal. We want our citizens not to live in fear, but in an atmosphere of freedom, democracy and justice. And we are ready to pursue this together with our Belarusian friends.”
The new blog “statement” of the President also received a special mention on Russia Today TV – Russia's foreign broadcaster – which bluntly relayed Medvedev's message, clearly stating his position in front of the English-speaking foreign audiences as well.
A perfect example of truly public diplomacy: not only does Medvedev talk directly to the Belarusians, but he also states his disapproval of Lukashenko in public, for the whole world to see. Of course, the statement and the medium – by themselves – cannot provide any measure of the effectiveness of this particular message; however, the President (along with his PR/PD team) should be commended for his willingness to learn and practice PD more actively.
More interesting, however, is the fact that these comments from Medvedev come only days after Lukashenko stated that he was not interested in starting a blog [RUS] of his own. On September 24, after he officially registered to run as a candidate in the upcoming elections, he said:
“I am not thinking about a personal blog and do not intend to start one, simply because I do no need it. […] To show how advanced I am… I do not want to be showing off.
[…] I cannot boast that I also have many things that are not related to my activities as a President. There is very, very little of that which is private […] beyond the presidency. Why would I need a blog if I have a Presidential website?
[…] I will be expressing my point of view on that website, and not in some blogs.”
It is, then, very appropriate that President Medvedev chose to respond to Lukashenko's outburst specifically through his blog. The problem is – the latter might have missed the message, since he said he does not read blogs [RUS]: such a waste of time!
Related: Links to the new blog post were published on the President's official Twitter feed, as well as on that of his blog. The two consecutive tweets read [RUS]:
“The senseless tension in relations with Belarus will certainly end.”
“Russia has always treated – and will keep doing so – the Belarusian nation as its closest neighbor.”
In response, the mock Kremlin tweeter @KermlinRussia tweeted [RUS]:
“Belarus’ senseless independence will certainly end.”
“Belarus has always been – and will be – a part of its closest neighbor. Russia.”

author: Yelena Osipova


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South Korea: Social Network’s Personal Information Gathering Evoke Public Anger · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

The KaKao talk, a Korean version of twitter, today unnoticingly switched its contract to collect more of the user’s personal information. Korean Twitterers have fiercely retweeted the changed terms and conditions[ko], under the topic ‘#kakao talk’ and finally achieved an official apology from the company.

author: Lee Yoo Eun


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Sri Lanka: Children And The Race Question  · Global Voices
Rezwan

Indi.ca opines that although it is common in Sri Lanka to query about other people's race, “for an certain generation of children, however, the race label is becoming completely inapplicable.”


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Tajikistan: Sewing a pattern · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Alpharabius ponders on the situation in Tajikistan in the aftermath of a series of destabilizing occurences involving Islamic militants and escaped convicts.


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Tidiane Deme, Director of Google Francophone Africa on the Future of Internet · Global Voices
Lova Rakotomalala

Although it is estimated that 8.8% of the population in Africa is connected (twenty times more than in 2000), the director of Google Francophone Africa, Tidiane Deme argues that the cost of broadband on average in Africa is still too steep [fr] for individual consumers but that there is a very palatable market for internet on mobile phones [fr].

author: Lova Rakotomalala


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Turkmenistan: Geopolitics in relations with Turkey · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

At a recent gala summit, Turkey again evinced its aspiration to be the “big brother” to its post-Soviet kindred. Yet, the Turks need to be careful in Turkmenistan, argues neweurasia’s Annasoltan.


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Turkmenistan: Real independent Turkmen media · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Annasoltan reviews a new “private” newspaper in Turkmenistan and says that it can't be regarded as a normal independent publication. Instead, she offers to take a look at the two really independent Turkmen news publications in country's history – not existent now.


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Venezuela: Analysis and Reactions to Legislative Election Results  · Global Voices
Patricia Acosta

Venezuela is a country divided with a population at odds over politics, however on September 26 it became a shinning example of civic responsibility. The vote became a tool of power for Venezuela’s citizens, with 66 % of the population voting, a record number for legislative elections. Earlier elections, boycotted by the opposition party who called on people not to vote, had seen a very low turnout. This gave Hugo Chávez the absolute majority in the National Assembly, a mistake, acknowledged later by opposition parties, as it allowed Chávez unprecedented power in Venezuela’s democratic system.
Days before voting began, on September 26, people used social networking sites to encourage friends and followers to vote. People’s Facebook statuses called for the people of Venezuela to vote like they had never voted before.  Mobile internet connections and Twitter, popular among Venezuelans, was used to remind people to cast their vote. The call to vote continued until voting booths had closed. Political parties, running against each other, joined their supporters in calling for people to vote on mass. Voting figures showed that they succeeded, only 35% of the population abstained.
"Simple things with meaning: physical proof of having participated in the Parliamentary Elections 2010, against the backdrop of the Venezuelan flag because it’s about more than just political parties, I did it and will keeping doing it for my country” Image taken from Flickr user, @Ivanchild. Image used under Creative Common License for non-commercial use.
Blogger and Twitter user, Karelina Espinoza (@kareta) acknowledges her position as a “ni-ni,” someone who does not feel represented by either of the two political parties in Venezuela. As she states in her blog, ExplíkaMe! [es],
El pasado 26 de septiembre voté y participé cívicamente en un proceso electoral, como siempre lo he hecho, no porque me vea reflejada en algún bando sino porque creo que tengo en común con los candidatos y los demás electores el creer que podemos ser un país y no dos. Lo que quiero decir, con toda esta introducción, es que no nos hemos dado cuenta de las cosas que tenemos en común y que para ello debemos reconocer la existencia del otro, pero eso sí: sin obligarlo a aceptar nuestras posiciones, que creo es el error de quienes nos gobiernan (tanto en las regiones como a nivel nacional)
Thanks to voluntary organisations citizens were able to report voting irregularities at sites such as, votojoven.com [es] and dalepoderatuvoto.org [es], which, using SMS, Tweets, email and discussions via CoverItLive, did an excellent job of citizen journalism without censoring or filtering information.
Marco L. (@solo_marco) reports how the polling station operates in the capital of Venezuela, Caracas.
During the afternoon the streets of Caracas were empty. Venezuelans were at home awaiting the results of the election. The atmosphere was one of expectation. Twitter, once again, was the main source of information as television and radio were forbidden to predict election results. Some Twitter users leaked Exit Poll results as a way of getting around the ban but they did so responsibly: there were no re-tweets and, to avoid rumors spreading, it was agreed to tweet using the sign, #NoRumor. This strategy benefited not just the population but also citizen journalism.
Results:
Venezuelans were kept waiting for more than six hours after polling booths closed. This was despite a promise from the President of the National Electorate, Tibisay Lucena, that the first results would be announced after three hours. There was a tense calm while people waited for the results. Venezuelan comic and political commenter, Laureano Marquez [es], famous for laughing at himself in the face of adversity, opted to wait with the humor and optimism that characterizes him. Writing on Twitter he said, “We often ask ourselves if having a sense of humor detracts from the seriousness of it all. I think having a sense of humor helps us to find the funny side of a serious situation without losing the idea of how serious it is.”
While the waiting continued, President Chávez sent tweets from his Twitter account (@chavezcandanga). In one he said:
Bueno me han dicho que el pueblo viene pa Miraflores! Pues los espero aquí!! Pero ojo con la CONSOLIDACION!! Que nadie baje.la guardia!
The ‘Balcon del Pueblo’, Balcony of the People, has become a symbol of victory for President Chávez. Each election win he addresses his supporters from the Balcony in Miraflores, the governmental palace. His absence this time was significant.
On September 27 at 2.40am, Venezuelans finally started receiving news of the results.  The first bulletin failed to inform them of the total number of seats won; nine seats were still waiting to be announced. Francisco Toro from the Caracas Chronicles, an English language blog, put together an interactive map on Google Maps, showing the final results of each region. Venezuelan newspaper, El Universal [es], also displayed results using an interactive form.
Reactions to the results have varied. Despite opposition parties, shown in blue in the chart below, obtaining a majority of 52%, they only secured 65 seats, while the governing party, shown in red in the chart below, had 48% and 98 seats. The Spanish newspaper, El País, [es] explained the results as such, “President Chávez and his supporters changed the law regarding voting and political participation in December 2009. As a result of these changes, less populated regions have now got a greater representation in parliament. Furthermore in these regions it takes less votes to elect an MP than in more populated states.” Francisco Toro shows how this legal reform ‘steals’ ten seats from opposition parties.
National Assembly of Venezuela 2010. Image used under an Attribution 3.0 Creative Common License.
Mr Américo Hernández in the post “Venezuela. How great you are!” writing for the pro-government website, Aporrea [es], said,
Por supuesto que esta victoria del 26S es el comienzo del camino de Chávez rumbó a un nuevo triunfo como candidato presidencial de Venezuela 2012.Quiéranlo o no el gran ganador del 26S es el Presidente Chávez. Y eso de que su popularidad estaba por el piso es una mentira del tamaño del Kilimanjaro. Cómo mentirosos son los dueños de las encuestadoras que lo daban como perdedor. Por supuesto que la guerra a cuchillo en la oposición por la candidatura presidencial se intensificará en la intención que tienen algunos de los prospectos por abrogarse los votos que llevaron a los 61 diputados a la Asamblea Nacional. Por supuesto que esos diputados tienen que trabajar duramente y dejar la tiradera de piedras.
Elections results were also analysed by citizens. Twitter user and opposition supporter, Tutu Domínguez, gives her thoughts in her blog, Palabras más, Palabras menos [es]:
Otra cosa que tenemos que aprender, es que no hay peor guerra que la que no se lucha. Nos dejamos invadir por el sentimiento derrotista de que íbamos a unas elecciones trucadas. Y sí, no hay duda que lo de los circuitos electorales fue una trampa, pero lo sabíamos y no luchamos porque fuera distinto, al igual que hace 5 años dimos por perdida la Asamblea Nacional y nadie salió a votar. Ayer, con todo y el sentimiento de derrota, decidimos dar la pelea y el esfuerzo fue recompensado. ¿Que pudieron haber sido más diputados? Sí, estoy de acuerdo. ¿Qué absurdo que la mayoría de los votos estén representados por minoría en la Asamblea Nacional? Totalmente. ¿Que perdimos? ¡Jamás! El triunfo de ayer fue importante, porque además de mayoría, de diputados y de democracia, le devolvió a Venezuela algo que hacía tiempo habíamos dado por perdido y fue la esperanza.
Céser Guevara, official government blogger, in a post, “Neither am I happy nor will I tell lies”, published on his blog, César Guevara Irreverente [es],
No me place el resultado de las elecciones y por primera vez acerté cabalmente un pronóstico. […] Lograr dos tercios de los curules era imprescindible, no una opción, y al no lograrlo la revolución salió derrotada. Además el voto general nos fue adverso aunque haya virtual empate técnico, así que aquí hay doble derrota. ¿Está usted, camarada amigo, lo suficientemente obnubilado como para no aceptarlo?
Veamos ahora las causas de la derrota. Archiconocidas lo son: corrupción, alto índice delictivo, arbitrariedad jurídica, inflación con especulación como componente primario, pésimo estado de los servicios públicos por ineficiencia y falta de compromiso, y horrible política comunicacional que nunca hemos podido manejar inteligentemente. Si esta revolución se pierde, la pierden una sarta de incompetentes que no entienden lo que es hacer gobierno.
I’m not happy with the election results and for the first time I was right about something I predicted. Obtaining two thirds of the seats was a necessity not an option. In failing to achieve this, the revolution is defeated. The general vote was against us even though we have technically drawn, so here we have a double defeat. Are you, my comrade friend, too angry to accept it?
We will see now what the causes of the defeat were. They are well known, corruption, high levels of crime, juridical arbitration, speculation over inflation, pessimism over inefficient public services and a lack of commitment to them and a lack of communication from politicians, something that has never been managed intelligently. If the revolution loses, those who lose it will be a bunch of incompetent people who fail to understand what it is to run a government.
Edgar B, writing about the election results for Panfleto negro, in a post called “Ridiculous Results in a Ridiculous Election” said,
Resultados a las mas de 6 horas de haberse cerrado el proceso, tardanza más que incoherente y diabólica, deja ver, no sólo el grado de desprecio que tiene el ente comicial hacia los grupos bipartidistas existentes, sino la imbécil respuesta de los partidos acostumbrados  a la limosna informativa oficial […]
Fuera del análisis político/místico opositor ¿Qué nos queda? Una elección donde nadie ganó realmente. Todos, absolutamente todos no sólo no ganaron, sino que perdieron (Y no es lo mismo no ganar, que perder). La oposición logro menos diputados de lo que les corresponde y el gobierno tienen reducido parcialmente  su margen de acción (he allí la imbecilidad del asunto).
Waiting for over six hours was diabolical and it is difficult to understand how it took so long. There was a lack of respect shown by the Electoral Commission towards the two parties involved as well as the idiotic response of those parties used to towing the party line.
Apart from the political analysis what are we left with?  An election where there was no winner. All of them, absolutely every single one of them not only did they not win but they all lost. (And it is not the same to not win than to lose). The opposition gained less MPs than they should have, according to results, and the government has seen its influence reduced.
The differing in opinion over the election results does not bode well for Venezuela’s democracy. As an example, journalist Andreína Flores (@andreina) questioned the president about voting distribution. The video [es], showing the conversation between the journalist and the president, has spread through blogs, YouTube and Twitter. The author of the blog, The Devil’s Excrement, comments on the video stating,“Andreina asks Chávez simple question, gets insulted, he never answered”.
Since the election many Venezuelans believe that change is coming. The 2012 elections are ever closer, and President Chávez, after 11 years in power, has a country with a 30% inflation rate, high levels of insecurity and a popularity rate standing at 42%. His message is clear, “We have to continue strengthening the revolution.” To win the next presidential elections what the opposition needs, and currently lacks, is a charismatic leader who will appeal to the masses; 11 years of Chávez have shown what is needed to win.

author: Patricia Acosta


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Zambia: Has Governance Improved?  · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Has governance improved in Zambia?: “Well, sort of but its difficult to be sure. According to the latest Ibrahim Index Zambia has moved up just two places in the rankings. It has moved from position 18 in the 2009 index to position 16 in the 2010 index (2008/9 data).”


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Azerbaijan: Up in flames · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

After erecting the tallest flag pole in the world and importing London taxi cabs to service the capital city, Baku, Flying Carpets and Broken Pipelines says it is amazed at what it considers another waste of money — the construction of a fountain with a musical flame at its center.

author: Onnik Krikorian


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Barbados: Do the Shuffle! · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

As the Barbados government reshuffles its Cabinet for the third time since being elected (this time because of the Prime Minister's illness), Cheese-on-bread! says: “Public sentiment is behind PM Thompson, and that's that.”


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Bosnia & Herzegovina: Coverage of the General Elections · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Balkan Travellers blog links to the the coverage of the recent general elections in Bosnia on BalkanInsight.

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Brazil: Presidential candidates forced to take sustainability seriously · Global Voices
Paula Góes

The last-minute surge by Green Party candidate Marina Silva that pushed Brazil's presidential election into a second round will force the two main rivals, Jose Serra and Dilma Rousseff, to debate sustainable development, as neither of them “can win the election without getting at least half of Marina Silva's votes”, claims Charles Nisz.

author: Paula Góes