The Election
Tomorrow and on Saturday (8 and 9 October), there will be a legislative election in the Czech Republic. Voters will choose a new composition of the Chamber of Deputies (Poslaneckรก snฤmovna) and will therefore indirectly decide who will become the next prime minister.
Electoral system
The Czech parliament consists of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate. Most power lies in the Chamber of Deputies, which oversees the government. The Senate has mostly advisory powers and a soft veto, although it must consent to any constitutional amendment and some important international treaties. Members of the government, including the prime minister, are appointed by the president and he is theoretically free to choose anyone for the office of the prime minister, but other ministers must then be presented to the president by the PM.
The 200 members of the Chamber of Deputies are elected in 14 constituencies by open list proportional representation. In each constituency, every party or coalition presents a list of candidates (about 14-36 people) and depending on their nationwide result, the first top n candidates on the list are elected. This is further complicated by the fact that voters can "circle" up to four candidates of the party/coalition they are voting for, giving them "preferential votes" and moving them above their assigned place in the list. The electoral threshold is 5% for parties, 8% for coalitions consisting of 2 parties and 11% for 3+ party coalitions. Interestingly, this is the first election using this system, as the Constitutional court has declared the previous system unconstitutional in February (the previous system had even higher thresholds for coalitions and different math behind seat allocation that favoured larger parties).
The Parties and Coalitions
This list contains only the entities that have a real chance of passing the threshold based on recent polls and they are ordered by their projected result based on this model that takes into account both poll aggregation and betting rates.
ANO (RE): Big tent populist movement of the current PM, Andrej Babiลก. Started as a centre-right party, but at the moment, their electoral base consists mainly of pensioners and they mostly changed their focus accordingly. Even though ANO is a member of Renew Europe, Babiลก is a soft euroskeptic and he doe
... keep reading on reddit โกCurrently, all Hong Kong (HK) pro-democratic politicians, lawmakers and leading activists are either in prison, on remand awaiting a criminal 'trial' or in exile!
CCP arbitrary creates 'red lines' to entrap HK people within its monolithic power structure which includes the non-independent judiciary. The upcoming HK 2021 LegCo elections are just another example of CCP's ever growing 'virus of governance' that to date has resulted in the deaths of at least 77million people in China since 1949.
There is no legitimacy to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), HK government nor their 2021 HK Legco 'elections'.
https://www.wethepeopleofhk.com/post/communist-hk-s-illegitimate-2021-legislative-council-elections
WTPOHK suggests HK people boycott ALL HK 'elections' until, under UN international treaty obligations, there is universal and equal suffrage elections for the Chief Executive, Legislative Council and District Councils.
Be water. Gai yau!
After the crackdown of CIA funded right-wing populist parties, Hong Kong finally went on the right track. Reuters claims that this is "the crackdown on the city's freedoms by China"
https://preview.redd.it/igoptbf27m681.png?width=1080&format=png&auto=webp&s=fae0c9c397a667740da8fd01f4946dac7a05aa17
Last month marked a depressing milestone in the dismantling of Hong Kongโs freedom and democracy by the Chinese government in the 2021 Hong Kong Legislative Council Elections โ an election which saw its lowest-ever voter turnout as a result of the sweeping and controversial changes made to the electoral system by the Chinese government. Therefore, it has become abundantly clear of the erosion of democratic elements which exist in Hong Kongโs electoral system, within their political structures, and witnessed overall in their approach to human rights and their handling of political dissidents; actions which are threatening our shared vision to see Hong Kong succeed.
The โpatriots governing Hong Kongโ resolution which passed with the intent to further undermine democratic elements, drastically shrank the proportion of lawmakers of which could be directly voted in by the people; it also ensured candidates had to be vetted by a separate screening committee and gave seats to the Election Committee, a group which heavily skews pro-Beijing. The elections are the first since the passage of the National Security Law in which all of Hong Kongโs major opposition leaders are now in jail or in exile, paving the way for pro-Beijing candidates with unknown political experiences and backgrounds into positions of power.
This election has set a precedent infringing the concept and the sanctity of free and fair elections by stripping from the ballot box the democratic principles upon which they must rely. Not only this, but we share a growing central concern at the wider effect the National Security Law is having on the people of Hong Kong, especially with the restrictions in place over freedom of speech and assembly, all of which are being felt across civil society by human rights organisations, non-governmental organisations and trade unions unsupportive of the Chinese governmentโs agenda.
We must always stand firm against actions which impede democratic processes and address misleading statements in defence of undemocratic measures such as the ones made by Hong Kong officials, like Carrie Lam, purporting and equating low voter turnout in the elections to high government credibility and satisfaction with the current regime.
Above all, it is integral for us to protect space and ensure peaceful solutions to ensure the stability and prosperity of Hong Kong, and as such, we call upon the Government to undertake the following objectives in pursuit of this purpose:
We urge
... keep reading on reddit โก
The title describes my question. Any links would be appreciated.
Please only use one account to vote.
Polling options include ะะ , ะกะ ะะ, ะะพะฒัะต ะปัะดะธ, ะะะะ , ะะพะฒัะต ะปัะดะธ, and "Other".
*Other
Other includes: Independent candidates (5 split among them), Civic Platform (1 seat), Rodina (1 seat), and Party of Growth (1 seat).
"Other" also includes parties w/ 0 seats, such as CPCR, Yabloko, The Libertarians, The Greens, Green Alternative, Pensioner's party (RPPSJ), and Russian Party of Freedom and Justice.
If you are too young to vote, you may put who you would have voted for if you were eligible to vote in this election.
Today (May 30th) citizens of Cyprus go to polls to vote in parliamentary elections!
Cypriot parliament (unicameral Vouli ton Antiprosopon/Temsilciler Meclisi) is consisted of 80 members, but as 24 (30%) are reserved to Turkish Cypriot community and vacant, only 56 are elected (29 needed for majority). System used in voting is open list proportional representation, with 3.6% electoral threshold, for a five-year term. Seats are elected in 6 multi-member constituencies and allocated using the Hare quota. There are also 3 reserved seats for (non-voting) observers from minorities (Armenian, Catholic and Maronite).
Turnout in last (2016) elections was 66.7%.
Relevant parties (lists) taking part in the elections are:
| Party | Position | Afiliation | 2016 result | Recent polling | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DISY | liberal conservative | EPP | 31% | 24% | 27.8% |
| AKEL | communist | GUE/NGL | 26% | 22% | 22.3% |
| [DIKO](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_Party_(Cyprus)) | centre | PES | 14% | 12% | 11.3% |
| [ELAM](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ELAM_(Cyprus)) | far right, Eurosceptic | - | 4% | 7% | 6.8% |
| EDEK & [SYPOL](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizens%27_Alliance_(Cyprus)) | socialist & social capitalist | PES & RE | 12% | 6% | 6.7% |
| [DIPA](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_Front_(Cyprus)) | centre | ALDE | - | 4% | 6.1% |
| KOSP | green | Greens | 5% | 6% | 4.4% |
| Anex | social liberal | - | - | 3% | 2.8% |
| [KA](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solidarity_Movement_(Cyprus)) | national conservative | ECR | 5% | 1% | 2.3% |
Explanatory video (23 minutes) by Europe Elects.
Results should be known around 22:00 CET.
We shall leave detailed commentary (and any interesting trivia!) on elections and campaign, to our Cypriot users (or anyone else with more knowledge what happens in politics there).
Seeing how tonight (9/28) is the first Gubernatorial debate night between Phil Murphy and Jack Ciattarelli at NJPAC @ Newark, letโs see what users here would go with for voting. For me, since I donโt have spare time because of work, Iโve been doing vote by mail (VBM) for ~5 years, and usually I would post my ballot no later than mid October, by then Iโm comfortable with the candidate(s) Iโve chosen.
With 5 weeks left, thereโs still time for other candidates, not just Governor, to make their voice heard to voters across the state.
Also squeezing in the opportunity to remind people to register to vote if you havenโt done so! You can also check your registration if youโre unsure. You have until October 12 (3 weeks before the election) to register to vote.
Hereโs what the election schedule looks like:
> September 18: Vote by Mail Ballots for the General Election begin mailing.
> October 12: Deadline to Register to Vote for the General Election.
> October 23 โ October 31: In-Person Early Voting Period.
> October 26: Deadline to apply for a Vote-by-Mail Ballot by Mail for General Election.
> November 1 at 3pm: Deadline to apply for a Vote by Mail ballot in person at your County Clerkโs office.
> November 2: Election Day - Polls are open from 6:00am-8:00pm.
Real-time updates
12 September is the 7th Legislative Assembly election day.
Polling station enquiry
Voters must go to the designated polling station.
If you haven't received a voting notice, you can find your assigned polling station through:
- My Government Account of Macao SAR
- Electoral affairs service counter in the Public Administration Building
- Self-service kiosks
- Telephone, on 28 912 912
How to vote
Polling stations are open from 9 am to 9 pm.
Go to your designated polling station with your Macao Permanent Resident Identity Card.
To enter the polling station, present your health code, wear a mask and maintain social distancing.
Once you're inside:
- Hand in your identity card to the poll worker.
- After the active electoral capacity has been verified, receive the ballot paper.
- Go into a polling booth.
- Use the special stamp to put a mark in the blue square corresponding to a candidate list.
- Before leaving the polling booth, fold the ballot paper inwards twice.
- Place the ballot paper in the ballot box.
Make sure to find out which polling station you should go to so that you don't turn up at the wrong polling station.
And don't forget, to exercise your right to vote, you must bring your identity card and present your health code before entering the polling station.
Secrecy of voting
The voting process for the Legislative Assembly elections is confidential, and there is no means of identifying the voter on the ballot paper.
No monitoring equipment is installed in the vicinity of the polling station or in the polling booth.
On the other hand, the secrecy of voting is also the responsibility of the voter.
In the immediate vicinity and up to 100 metres away from the polling station, your voting intention may not be disclosed to third parties.
Inside the polling station, it is strictly forbidden to use mobile phones or other communication equipment.
You also may not capture images or film. Please note that the ballot paper may not be photographed or filmed, as this may violate the Election Law.
In case of infringement, the polling station staff will report the situation for possible referral to the police authorities.
If convicted, the voter can be punished wit
... keep reading on reddit โกOrder, Order
The only item of business today is a debate on SM132 in the name of New Britain. The question is that this Parliament approves the Legislative Consent Motion - Scotland and Wales (Early General Election) Act 2021.
Members are reminded to vote For, Against, or Abstain. Attempts to 'stylise' votes by adding extra words will result in a member's vote being considered a DNV. In cases were there is a genuine mix up with another system (eg. Aye/No/Abstain) the vote will be taken as a clear expression of preference.
###Legislative Consent Motion - Scotland and Wales (Early General Election) Act 2021
The Scottish Parliament gives legislative consent to the Scotland and Wales (Early General Election) Act 2021
This motion was submitted by The Right Honourable Sir /u/Tommy2Boys, MSP for the Shetland Islands on behalf of New Britain.
Presiding Officer,
I rise today to ask this Parliament a simple question. Do you believe that this place should have control over how an early general election is called, or should that decision rest with Westminster? I believe the answer is obvious, it should be this place. We can be trusted. We should be able to decide whether a majority or supermajority of members is required for an early general election. We should be able to decide whether the First Minister should have the power to call an early general election or whether it should remain the choice of this body. Whatever your view on the mechanics of it, the broad ideal that this parliament can be trusted with this power is fair, and I ask that Parliament votes for this motion to give us that power.
Voting on this motion shall end at 10pm on the 23rd of May 2021.
