Rishi Sunak has ruled out a coalition with the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) after the next general election, closing off one option for the Conservative government to retain power. Political analysts have suggested there is a high likelihood of a hung parliament after the vote, due by early 2025. Despite the Labour Party’s double-digit lead in current opinion polls, an absence of an overall majority makes a pact between political parties at least possibly important. Sunak’s refusal of a coalition with the DUP means he would have few potential allies except the Liberal Democrats.
The Turkish lira reached an all-time low against the dollar following President Erdogan's stronger-than-expected showing in the recent presidential election, with the currency losing over 1% since the vote. The equity markets and banking stocks fell further, leaving many of the bonds and issues below the 70 cent margin for distressed territories, although the cost of insuring the country's debt against default fell slightly. Foreign investors have become increasingly wary of investing in Turkey, with net international reserves dropping to over a 21-year low, while Turkish banks are restricting access to individual loans and postponing decisions on extending corporate loans.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has breached conflict-of-interest laws by interfering with the judicial process, Canada's provincial Ethics Commissioner has stated. This the latest development to afflict the ruling right-leaning United Conservative Party ahead of a hard-fought provincial election. Further challenges have arisen due to issues with statements and conduct by various government organisations and individuals, leaving the two-way race between UCP and the left-leaning New Democratic Party potentially in the balance. Polls indicate that the Alberta elections will be close, with many key issues at stake, including the management of COVID-19 and the economy and energy industry.
The south Turkish province of Adiyaman, which has been hit hard in various earthquakes, has long been a stronghold of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. His success at winning 66% of the vote there in the last round of elections may mean that he remains confident he can win Turkey's presidential election. During his rule, much of the aid to people living in Adiyaman has come from an interpretation of the religious tax known as "zakat". Other voters in the capital, Ankara and Istanbul believe that Adiyaman's people supported Erdogan, despite their suffering, because they have nowhere else to go.
Japan’s largest opposition party, the Constitutional Democratic Party (CDP), is facing challenges due to internal disagreements, poor poll numbers and the rise of rival opponent, Nippon Ishin no Kai. The CDP leader pledged to win 150 seats in the next general election, but this may be difficult to achieve after the recent by-election shows the party’s lack of support. The performance of CDP leader Kenta Izumi has faced criticism for the party’s failure to record success in multiple elections, which threatens the party beyond Izumi’s resignation. There is speculation that the prime minister will call a snap election in the coming weeks.
Senior Legal Fellow and Manager of the Election Law Reform Initiative in the Edwin Meese III Center for Legal and Judicial Studies at The Heritage Foundation, Hans A. von Spakovsky, argues that it is possible to provide both access and security to fully protect the voting process, and that political speech and political activity are protected by the First Amendment, and neither the federal government nor state governments should attempt to restrict such speech or such activity. A Fact Sheet was published in 2021 outlining the best practices for states to follow in order to verify and maintain the accuracy of their voter registration lists. These include using county tax records, and commercial databases such as credit agency records to verify registration information and find other pertinent information such as address changes by registered voters. Additionally, the US Postal Service’s "National Change of Address" system was cited as critical in ensuring voters who have moved are not registered to vote in more than one state.
Under both state and federal laws, the maintenance of voter registration records is almost entirely a state responsibility. It is, however, an area where federal cooperation is required. That includes giving state election officials access to Social Security Administration records, as well as other relevant federal databases such as the alien records contained in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s databases. Citizenship is a requirement for voting in all federal and state elections (with the exception of local elections in some states), and so states should be given unfettered access to these DHS databases.
Moreover, the NVRA currently requires all U.S. attorneys to notify the chief state election official of the state of a federal criminal defendant’s residence when that defendant is convicted in federal court. The U.S. attorney is directed to provide whatever information state officials need “for determining the effect that a conviction may have on an offender’s qualification to vote.” The NVRA should be amended to require the clerks of all federal district courts and all U.S. attorneys in all federal districts to provide relevant information about voter ineligibility gained from jury selection to state election officials.
The US Department of Homeland Security's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is being accused of institutionalizing thought control and suppressing discussion. Although CISA has disavowed involvement in actively controlling social media and spreading disinformation, its programs clearly aim to combat mis- and disinformation on social media. Its powers have also allowed funding for political influence programs, such as the Election Integrity Partnership, which oversaw the suppression of conservative news sources. The agency has been accused of whitewashing its website in order to cover up problematic mentions of disinformation.
Los Angeles County has removed 1.2 million ineligible voters from its voter rolls, following a settlement in a lawsuit led by Judicial Watch last year. A similar situation occurred in New York City in December, leading to the removal of 441,083 ineligible names, accord to Judicial Watch. Minnesota also settled a case with the Public Interest Legal Foundation in September, with six counties removing a total of 501 duplicate names of voters from their list. North Carolina reached a settlement with Judicial Watch in February, with two counties removing over 430,000 inactive voters. This took place in the wake of a large-scale voter fraud scandal in 2018, which resulted in a House race being overturned. Propagandists have called the purging of these ineligible voters an effort to “suppress” votes, however this goes against federal law which requires states to “conduct a general program that makes a reasonable effort to remove” from official voter rolls “the names of ineligible voters” who have died or changed residence. Many of these cases were led by government watchdog organisations.
The issue of billionaire private funding for the running of public elections has caused controversy in the US. The left-leaning Center for Tech and Civic Life, which issued $350m in grants during the 2020 election, established the US Alliance for Election Excellence, which has faced widespread scepticism. Despite this, 15 government authorities remain members, with the majority of states banning or restricting private financing of election administration. Several lawmakers have put forward legislation recommending a tax code amendment prohibiting tax-exempt charities from directly funding elections, which would apply to the alliance's financing approach. Recently, the Georgia legislature passed a new state election reform designed to prevent private funds from being used in elections, prompting the alliance to donate $2m to DeKalb County. In response, the loophole was swiftly closed by the legislature. In addition, Idaho, Montana and North Carolina presented bills aimed at enforcing or enhancing existing bans.
The recent UK local election results have unveiled a picture of "negative partisanship" which shows people voting according to the party they dislike, rather than the party they support, said Rob Ford, one of the academics behind the UK general election exit poll, who described voters as "pulling a Tory lever or an anti-Tory lever that comes in red, yellow or green depending on which part of the country you live". "Talk of who will end up in a coalition with who seems increasingly redundant", said Stephen Bush, in his Inside Politics newsletter. Recent UK elections also show the "old" trend of Labour increasing its vote from the 2023 local elections — at the Liberal Democrats’ expense, Fisher said. Conversely, the governing party tends to recover in general elections, which Ford assumes will happen.
UK consumer confidence rose in May for the fourth consecutive month to the highest level since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, according to a closely watched barometer. Meanwhile, UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak has ruled out entering a coalition with the Democratic Unionist Party, and Jeremy Hunt, former health secretary and now a backbencher, has said that the Conservatives need a new economic plan before the next election or risk becoming uncompetitive with Labour.
The fallout from the Toronto Maple Leafs' recent exit from the NHL playoffs is indicative of a broader truth, according to this op-ed: that great regular season performers are not always equipped for the challenges of the post-season. Candidates competing to become Toronto's next mayor should also bear this in mind, the author advises. It's not enough to have strong policy proposals, he writes; the key is to create a simple and compelling message that defines the election and forces other candidates to react.
A northwestern Ontario council is appointing mayor and deputy mayor replacements. Is that allowed?
CBC
23-05-19 09:00
The remaining councillors of Ignace, a small township in northwestern Ontario with a population of approximately 1,200, are to appoint replacements for two of their five council seats due to former Mayor Bill Gascon and Coun. Al Zimmer resigning. Though Ignace's method of appointments is described as "not a unique situation" in Ontario by a communications company, it is noted to be an unusual situation from a political science professor's perspective due to the timing of the appointments as usually the argument for council appointments comes closer to an election rather than months following one. The process being used has the potential to be polarizing, but residents will have the chance to learn about the candidates at a special council meeting planned to be held in June.
Prominent Cambodian opposition leader Sam Rainsy has criticised the country’s general election, scheduled for July, as a “fake and sham”. He spoke out after the country’s only opposition party was disqualified from the poll due to its failure to submit accurate registration papers. Rainsy warned that the election would essentially establish a one-party state and urged democratic nations to ignore the legitimacy of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, a long-serving leader. Critics have claimed the exclusion of the opposition party is a threat to political freedom and democracy in the Southeast Asian state.
China is to allow tour groups from Taiwan to visit, in a move aimed at increasing exchange with the island. The proposal was given a cautious welcome, with tourism associations in Taiwan planning to open up discussions about the possibility of reciprocal measures. The move comes before a crucial Taiwanese presidential election next year, with the Kuomintang party being more China friendly and the Communist Party keen to woo them. The ban on Chinese individuals visiting Taiwan remains in place.
The live TV debate in the tightly fought Canadian election campaign between the leaders of the Conservative and New Democratic parties is being viewed by commentators as something of a damp squib. Neither Danielle Smith nor Rachel Notley appeared with confidence, or any particular desire to take risks, and both were content to parry the other's salvos and promote their own manifestos. As the campaign entered its final stretch both candidates acknowledged that the longer they continued, the more challenging and vital engaging with undecided voters would be.
The most likely outcome of the next UK general election is that Keir Starmer will become prime minister of a minority Labour government, according to an opinion piece in The Guardian. The writer, Rafael Behr, describes this as a statement of probability, and acknowledges that other outcomes are possible. However, Behr analyses current polling data and suggests that a hung parliament is the most likely result, while a Conservative victory is unlikely given worsening public sentiment towards the government.
Journalists working for BBC Northern Ireland staged a one-day strike as votes were counted during local government elections. Over 200 journalists took part in the action, with several key programmes failing to air as a result. No local news bulletins were broadcast on Radio Ulster until 9am Friday, and coverage across television and online services was similarly affected. A team of reporters had been due at the 11 count centres with on-air coverage scheduled from 4pm on Friday. The strike was called in response to cutbacks to Radio Foyle’s morning show and restructuring efforts in the region.
United Conservative Party candidate Jennifer Johnson, who compared trans children to feces in cookies, will not be part of Danielle Smith's caucus if she is elected in Alberta. However, Smith has suggested the move may not be permanent and Johnson could find a way back into the party's good graces. Johnson has apologised for the comments made in the fall last year, but as the deadline for nominating candidates has already passed, she will remain on the ballot as a UCP candidate for the Lacombe-Ponoka riding. Candidates for the UCP and Rachel Notley's New Democrats are currently neck and neck in the lead up to the Alberta provincial election.
The district attorney investigating former US President Donald Trump and his allies for alleged election interference in Georgia’s 2020 presidential election reduced her team by up to 70% for most grand jury meetings in the weeks between 31 July and 18 August, according to a letter she sent to local officials. Fulton County District Attorney Fani T. Willis wrote in the letter that most judges were at a conference in the first week of August and that “my leadership team, all armed investigators, my Case Intake Division, and personnel at the Juvenile Court building will be working every day”. The potential for criminal charges had been set between 11 July and 1 September.
Carrie Johnson has announced she is pregnant with her third child, the second with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson. She revealed she had suffered a miscarriage earlier this year and felt “incredibly blessed to be pregnant again”. Johnson and Symonds welcomed a daughter, Romy Iris Charlotte Johnson, in December 2021 and a son, Wilfred Lawrie Nicholas Johnson, in April 2020. Johnson was previously married to Marina Wheeler, with whom he has four adult children, and he fathered a fifth child, Stephanie Macintyre, as a result of an affair with art consultant Helen Macintyre.
