Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is to compete against main opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu in a second-round presidential election due on 28 May, following preliminary results from Sunday's election which failed to produce an outright winner. Erdogan received 49.5% of the vote with Kilicdaroglu on 45%; a third candidate received 5.2%. The election is being watched internationally given the country's strategic location and Erdogan's growing links with Russia and adoption of a less secular, more authoritarian stance. The successful candidate is expected to direct Turkey either towards the West or Russia.
Stellantis and LG Energy Solution have suspended work on a $5bn electric vehicle (EV) battery factory in Canada as they call for government funding comparable to the funding given to Volkswagen. The Canadian automotive plant in St. Thomas has been given $13bn from Ottawa over 10 years. Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said the government expressed an openness to boosting subsidies for Stellantis and LG to near the levels afforded to VW. The factory was planned to have a capacity of 40GWh a year, with production starting in 2023. LG Energy Solution is a unit of LG Chem that makes EV battery cells, while Stellantis is a company created by France's PSA and U.S. group Fiat Chrysler.
Despite Move Forward winning the majority vote in Thailand's general election, analysts claim that there are still hurdles that could block Pita Limjaroenrat from becoming Prime Minister. Potential obstacles include Move Forward's alliance partners, a Senate dominated by conservatives, and accusations of wrongdoing against Pita. Additionally, Move Forward's approach towards the monarchy differs from its main coalition partner, Pheu Thai. Although the opposition is sticking together so far, critics cite the difference in policies and positions as making other parties uneasy about aligning with Pita, making it difficult for an agreement.
A judge in the US state of Arizona has refused to throw out the last remaining claim of election misconduct made by Kari Lake, who sought the Republican gubernatorial nomination earlier this year. The claim relates to early ballot signatures in Maricopa County and will be the subject of a three-day trial starting this week to assess whether Lake was defeated by Democrat Katie Hobbs due to fraud rather than fair play. The vast majority of Lake's claims have already been dismissed, with the court finding that assertions of misconduct were based on conspiracy theories rather than fact.
The US states of Kentucky and Pennsylvania held primary elections on Tuesday with big implications for November’s midterm elections. In Kentucky, Democratic Governor Andy Beshear is up for re-election and is facing several Republican challengers, including a protégé of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. Meanwhile, Pennsylvania saw a state House special election take place, which would determine whether the chamber stays in Democratic hands, as well as a mayoral race in heavily Democratic Philadelphia. Voters also chose nominees to run for several other non-national level offices.
The CEO of OpenAI, the startup behind ChatGPT, has suggested that the use of AI to interfere with election integrity is a "significant area of concern." Speaking to a Senate panel, Sam Altman called for rules and guidelines, as well as licensing and testing requirements, to regulate AI. Sen. Mazie Hirono also noted the danger of the spread of misinformation as the 2024 US election approaches. Altman suggested that training models that can persuade or manipulate people's beliefs should be subject to licensing. He also called for global cooperation and incentives for safety compliance.
Turkey's foreign ministry has criticised the head of an international observation mission who said in his report 29 June that "the election administration’s work was lacking in transparency, as well as the overwhelming bias of the public media and the limitations to freedom of speech". Ambassador Jan Petersen, head of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe's (OSCE) election observation mission, was further criticised for his claims of "political analysis and biased comments." President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was re-elected in the vote.
The fight over the direction of the next Conservative election manifesto has begun as tensions rise within the party. The newly formed Conservative Democratic Organisation held its inaugural conference last weekend criticising the current leadership. The party's National Conservative conference has also seen Home Secretary Suella Braverman challenge the idea of mass immigration to fill work vacancies. The meeting had no obvious ideological homogeneity, with some aiming to model the party along German Christian Democrat lines instead of a more harsh Conservative model, while Michael Gove presented as a social liberal. The election's focus will be on the economy, particularly inflation and the NHS.
Move Forward Party leader Pita Limjaroenrat says he will ‘demilitarize’ Thailand
CNN
23-05-17 04:46
Pita Limjaroenrat’s Move Forward Party is likely to win the largest share of seats in Thailand’s election. Limjaroenrat revealed that his three-pronged policy priorities are to demilitarise, demonopolise and decentralise Thailand over the next four years. These proposed changes will reduce the military’s budget, number of generals, and transparency but will also work to democratise and globalise Thailand. The party’s success in this year’s election has demonstrated Thailand’s demand for change and policies resonate across society, especially among young Thais. Limjaroenrat hopes to form a coalition with opposition parties including Puea Thai.
Millennial and Gen Z voters have been instrumental in putting Thailand's opposition parties in the lead in their general elections, helping the progressive Move Forward Party gain 152 seats, with the main opposition party, Pheu Thai, gaining 141 seats. Both secured far greater vote shares than the 36 seats projected to be won by the party of Prime Minister and former military leader, Prayuth Chan-ocha. An alliance between the opposing parties and a number of smaller parties could command up to 60% of Thailand’s lower house, but this may not be enough to oust the ruling party. The country's upper and lower houses have different responsibilities in appointing a prime minister, and under rules established by the military-backed government, the prime minister must have 376 members backing him, combining both the lower and unelected upper house. Analysts suggest it may prove complex for the new factions to fulfil their ambitions for political reform with the establishment opposing them, and call on the upper house to respect the wishes of the voters.
Tuesday saw an array of primary elections take place across the US, including for governors and mayors that will have spillover effects for the 2024 presidential elections. Among the early takeaways were that Republicans in Kentucky have chosen Daniel Cameron as their candidate for governor in November, after he bested a field of 12 contenders. Cameron, the state's first Black attorney general, also received an endorsement from former President Donald Trump. Other takeaways were that Pennsylvania Democrats retained their first majority in the state's house in 12 years in a recent special election outside Philadelphia, and Cherelle Parker is likely to be Philadelphia's first female mayor after the recent primary. Elsewhere, elections in Florida and Colorado saw Republicans lose their seats to Democrats and independents, respectively. Finally, in nationally significant developments, election deniers failed to gain traction in Kentucky, and Parker distinguished herself for proposing a tough-on-crime approach in Philadelphia.
The British government's plan is to fight the next election having successfully delivered on its five pledges to the electorate, according to Inside Politics. However, the government is far from keeping those pledges and, unless something changes, its election argument will be “Hey! Two out of five ain’t bad!” The one thing the Conservatives could do to make the problem worse is add a sixth pledge that they don't plan to meet, according to the platform. Michael Gove has said that the current level of migration to the UK is causing “inevitable pressure” on housing and public services with Suella Braverman arguing for lower immigration and tighter controls. Yet Jeremy Hunt and various spending departments have called for more migration to help fill vacancies and keep the economy running. Labour is also in the news over plans like gradually prohibiting smoking by increasing the age you can start buying cigarettes, which are thought to increase attention on Conservative targets. The Labour party's policy platform will be hammered out at a meeting of the party’s national policy forum in mid-July.
After Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, scored highly in Turkey's first round of election voting, opposition supporters and parties are struggling to understand the result, as it suggests that many voters do not share the same priorities as opposition groups and parties. There are suggestions that some of those voters may have hidden prejudices against Erdogan's challenger, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, with one senior official who tracks elections having stepped down. Nationalist parties and a hard-right presidential candidate gained unexpected popularity, with critics suggesting that Erdogan had smeared the opposition, calling them “terrorists”, in order to increase his vote and damage his opponent's chances. In a run-up to the second round of voting on 28th May, Kilicdaroglu's Republican People’s Party is struggling in a seemingly “adrift” campaign, which is investigating “errors” in the vote tallies in several cities in the hope of overturning Erdogan’s victory.
Taiwan's main opposition party, the Nationalist Party or Kuomintang, has nominated Hou Yu-ih as its presidential candidate for next year's election. Hou, a 66-year-old, two-term mayor of New Taipei City, has broad appeal and a reputation as a capable administrator who tries to find a middle ground on China. The Kuomintang has struggled in recent years to balance its China-friendly image with souring sentiment towards Beijing, particularly after its promotion of closer ties with China led to two electoral defeats. Hou's nomination pits him against governing party candidate Lai Ching-te, who is likely to continue with China's policies of freezing Taiwan out of high-level engagement. Hou's victory could reduce the pressure on Taiwan to bolster its ties with the United States and reopen communication channels with China, potentially easing military tensions.
Taiwan's opposition Kuomintang party has chosen New Taipei City mayor, Hou Yu-ih, as its presidential candidate in the election next year, where China tensions will be a key issue. Hou won a landslide re-election victory in December 2018 in New Taipei City, while the KMT trounced the ruling Democratic Progressive Party. He is said to be a "tender tough guy", and has a degree in crime prevention and corrections. Hou has rarely voiced his stance on Taiwan's relations with China, but has said he objects to Taiwan's formal independence and Beijing's "one country, two systems" offer.
The main opposition party in Taiwan, the Kuomintang (KMT), has chosen its presidential candidate for the early 2024 elections. The party has chosen New Taipei City Mayor Hou Yu-ih for the role. It is taking place amidst increased tensions between China and Taiwan, despite the country’s strong objections. Hou will be running against William Lai, the Vice President, representing the ruling Democratic Progressive Party that champions Taiwan’s separate identity. The KMT are denying being pro-Beijing but the party does support good relations with the country whilst also maintaining the proposal that both are part of a single China. Reports are suggesting that Lai leads Hou by around five to ten percentage points, as indicated by three Taiwan polls. KMT founder, former Taiwanese President Chiang Kai-shek, established the “One China Principle” which means that both Taiwan and China are part of the same territory, which has caused tensions over many years. In contrast, Taiwan forms its own democracy while China is ruled by a one-party dictatorship.
An opinion poll conducted in the first week of May suggests Spain's ruling Socialist Workers' Party would narrowly win a general election if it were held before the end of the year. The opinion poll, conducted by the state-owned Centre for Sociological Studies (CIS), surveyed approximately 4,000 people and showed the party of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez gaining 29.1% of the vote, compared with the 27.2% of the vote for the conservative People's Party (PP). Sumar, a new alliance of progressive parties, received 12.1% of the vote, while Vox fell to fourth place on 10.6%.
The Scottish Labour leader, Anas Sarwar, has called the Scottish National Party (SNP) “dysfunctional” after its selection process for a key constituency by-election was paused. The vote for Rutherglen and Hamilton West could be triggered by a decision to suspend SNP MP Margaret Ferrier from the Commons. Ferrier admitted travelling from Scotland to London while positive for Covid-19. She is now appealing against a proposed 30-day sanction recommended by the Commons Standards Committee.
'Vexatious litigant' John 'The Engineer' chugs along after losing world record 106 elections
CBC
23-05-17 11:54
John Turmel, 72, has unsuccessfully contested 106 Canadian political elections over 40 years, earning him a Guinness World Record. Brantford mayoral candidate Turmel lost out in recent polls with 343 votes, but he remains best known for his legal crusade to rid Canada of interest on credit, as well as lockdown and cannabis prohibition. Justice Simon Fothergill last year labelled Turmel a “vexatious litigant” who owed thousands of dollars in unpaid court costs.
Maxime Bernier, leader of the right-wing People’s Party of Canada, is likely to lose a June 19 by-election in the Manitoba riding of Portage-Lisgar, according to political scientist Royce Koop. The riding repeatedly votes Conservative and the Conservatives have a strong candidate in Branden Leslie, Candice Bergen’s former campaign manager. In the 2021 election, Bernier’s party won the highest vote share of any Canadian riding with 22% of the popular vote in Portage-Lisgar, but the party is now said to be on the wane in the face of populist Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre.
