Elections Without Democracy in Ethiopia?

Ethiopians have recently finished voting at the electoral polls in a parliamentary election that was widely held as a test of the country's multiparty democracy. Despite ethnic violence, conflicts with neighboring Somalia and Eritrea and accusations of political repression, the ruling Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front and Menes Zelawi, the current prime minister, are expected to win big in the election. Zelawi is one of the U.S.'s closest allies in the 'War on Terrorism'. In keeping with the norm of African elections, the ballot box will not likely deliver any sweeping political changes internally or in foreign relations.

Was the election a sign of internal political legitimacy for the EPRD and continuity?

Opposition parties are claiming foul play but the alternatives are either addressing grievances through the courts or violent confrontation with the ruling party. Have things become some bad here that a peaceful but flawed election is the most one can hope for? As usual Al Jazeera has had great coverage of the electoral proceedings and their implications.

Think-Again: The Iranian Election Was NOT "Stolen"

Disclaimer: I am virulently on the political left, which would make me ideologically opposed to the vast majority of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's policies (except for his attempts at redistributing Iran's oil wealth to the rural poor). Nevertheless, the facts are the facts, and it is extremely dangerous and tacky for the "independent" press to fabricate lies in order to gain an intended result in an election.

There were no shortage of news commentaries about the supposedly "stolen" presidential elections in Iran. I was a little bit suspicious of how anyone could begin saying the election was rigged with no evidence, within minutes of when the official results were announced. An article today from the Washington Post actually confirms my suspicions. Before the elections, presidential incumbent candidate Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was expected to win by a wider margin than he finished with.

Many experts are claiming that the margin of victory of incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was the result of fraud or manipulation, but our nationwide public opinion survey of Iranians three weeks before the vote showed Ahmadinejad leading by a more than 2 to 1 margin -- greater than his actual apparent margin of victory in Friday's election.

What actually happened is that upper-middle class groups in Iran screamed the loudest and the western media believed the hype without conducting any independent research. The supposed "new media" internet revolution by opposition candidate supporters was nothing more than a story-book example class privilege.

Much commentary has portrayed Iranian youth and the Internet as harbingers of change in this election. But our poll found that only a third of Iranians even have access to the Internet, while 18-to-24-year-olds comprised the strongest voting bloc for Ahmadinejad of all age groups....

The only demographic groups in which our survey found Mousavi leading or competitive with Ahmadinejad were university students and graduates, and the highest-income Iranians.

Yet again, the mainstream media and now even so called "new media" like the Huffington Post, interfere in other nation's democracies, telling lies, or distorting the truth. The Iranian election is a most obvious case.

South African Youth Prepare for Country’s Upcoming Defining Election

The upcoming election in South Africa is nothing less than an all out battle for the future direction of the country, and youth are to play a key role in the outcome. South Africa’s youth, falsely accused of political apathy, have emerged as a powerful new force in the general elections to be held on April 22. According to the Independent Electoral Commission, a total of 6 million youths under the age of 29 are now on the voters’ roll, compared to 4 million in 2004.

The African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) and the Young Communist League (YCL) have been active across the country to mobilize the youth to vote for change in South Africa. They are concerned with the pro-business policies of the last South African president, Thabo Mbeki, which they say seriously deteriorated the conditions of the nation’s poor and working class youth. The top issues among the groups include decent work and sustainable livelihoods, education, health and the fight against crime and poverty.

The first black South African president, Nelson Mandela, recently attended a mass rally in support of current ANC candidate Jacob Zuma. Many believe April’s vote is as important as it was in 1994 when Nelson Mandela was elected and ushered in black majority rule in South Africa.

The ANCYL, YCL and other youth groups see a golden opportunity in the campaign for Jacob Zuma to strengthen grass roots forces within the ANC. Zuma has been a popular figure among young South Africans. They hope that Zuma will advance the country toward a fairer redistribution of wealth, job security and affordable education for young people.

“The YCL will be going far and wide to campaign for the ANC, especially in areas where it is believed that the ANC is an underdog,” said Buti Manamela, president of the YCL in South Africa. “The youth vote will determine the president of the republic, and we will do everything in our power to ensure that Jacob Zuma is president.”

Although predicted to win big in April, the ANC faces tough challenges to the election of Jacob Zuma. A new party called Congress of the People (COPE) split from the ANC largely out of resentment at the way the South African Communist Party and its allied Congress of South African Trade Unions moved to oust then president Thabo Mbeki and install Jacob Zuma as deputy president of the party. COPE is comprised of more conservative politicians who support neoliberal free-market economic policies. COPE is running Reverend Mvume Dandala as their candidate, appealing to a more conservative middle-class base.

Jacob Zuma is likely to face renewed corruption charges even if he assumes the presidency. Zuma is under investigation for a role in an alleged arms racketeering scandal.
The ANC is hoping young people will still come out to the polls in large numbers to support Zuma. “Why do you want to subject him to the hands of the few, the judiciary, the judges and the media? Leave it to the voters – 23 million must decide whether Zuma becomes president or not, not the judges,” said Julius Malema, president of the ANCYL.

Youth activists throughout the country have been engaging in door-to-door campaigning to highlight the greatest concerns of the South African people: jobs, food security and the global economic crisis. South Africa’s major political parties are campaigning ahead of the April 22 national and provincial elections. A dozen people were injured at an election rally for Jacob Zuma in the KwaZulu-Natal province filing into a stadium designed to seat 20,000.

Mari Harris, political analyst at research company Ipsos Markinor, is confident the youth will come out to the polls in unprecedented numbers.
“In general, this election is far more interesting than the 1999 and 2004 elections,” Harris said. “Young people believe that this time their votes may actually count. This year we expect a higher voter turnout.”