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☆ Venezuela’s Democratic Hopes Dim as Opposition Is Blocked From National Vote
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-26 | by ( Genevieve Glatsky | Isayen Herrera | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Then, it was supposed to be Corina Yoris, a little-known philosophy professor. But now, an opposition coalition has been blocked from fielding any candidate to run against President Nicolás Maduro in elections scheduled in July. The coalition of opposing political parties, the Democratic Unity Roundtable, had hoped that uniting behind a single candidate would make it a viable challenger to Mr. Maduro. But on Monday, a national electoral commission controlled by allies of Mr. Maduro used a technical maneuver to prevent the coalition from putting a candidate on the ballot. As a result Mr. Maduro, whose repressive rule has left Venezuela in financial ruin and helped push out roughly one-fourth of its population, is increasingly likely to hold onto power.

Persons: María Corina Machado, Nicolás Maduro, Maduro Organizations: Democratic Unity Roundtable Locations: Venezuela

CNN —Former Senegalese Prime Minister Amadou Ba has conceded defeat to leading opposition figure Bassirou Diomaye Faye in the western African country’s presidential elections. “I wish him lots of success and success for the well-being of the Senegalese people,” he added. Several opposition candidates in Sunday’s election conceded defeat to Faye earlier. Faye was also congratulated early Monday by another presidential candidate, Khalifa Sall. Official results will be announced by Saturday at the latest, according to an official from Senegal’s Autonomous National Electoral Commission.

Persons: Amadou Ba, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, Bassirou Diomaye Diakhar Faye, “, Macky Sall, Faye, Ba, Futurs Médias, Anta Babacar Ngom, ”, Faye “, Khalifa, . Ba, kickstart, Ousmane Sonko, Sonko, Sall, – Organizations: CNN —, Senegalese, Saturday, Senegal’s, Electoral Commission Locations: Ba, Senegal, .

☆ Night Curfew Imposed in Comoros After President's Re-Election Sparks Protests
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Abdou MoustoifaMORONI (Reuters) - An overnight curfew has been imposed in the Indian Ocean nation of Comoros after violent protests against President Azali Assoumani's re-election rocked the archipelago, the interior ministry said. Assoumani won a fourth five-year term after the country's electoral body on Tuesday declared him the winner of Sunday's election against five opponents. The interior ministry announced the curfew on Wednesday. He garnered 62.97% of the vote in the latest election, according to the national electoral commission. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights urged for calm and appealed authorities to practise restraint in the wake of protests.

Persons: Abdou Moustoifa MORONI, Azali Assoumani's, Assoumani, Moroni, Houmed Msaidie, Abdou Moustoifa, Bhargav Acharya, Michael Perry Organizations: Reuters, The United Nations, Human Rights Locations: Comoros, France, Mayotte

The conservative Law and Justice party, which has governed the country for eight turbulent years, won slightly over 35% of the votes, making it the single party with the most votes. But the party and its leader Jarosław Kaczyński lost their majority in parliament and appeared to have no way to hold onto power. The official ballot announced by the National Electoral Commission aligns closely with an exit poll released after voting ended Sunday. Political Cartoons View All 1211 ImagesThe result was a huge victory for Donald Tusk, the head of the largest opposition group, Civic Coalition. The National Electoral Commission said that Law and Justice won slightly over 35% of the votes, and the far-right Confederation, a possible ally, about 7%.

Persons: Jarosław Kaczyński, Donald Tusk Organizations: Justice, National, Commission, Law, Civic Coalition, European Council, European Union, Electoral Commission, Left Locations: WARSAW, Poland, Germany, Russia, Ukraine

☆ Poland election: Donald Tusk's pro-European opposition seems set to oust populists, but tense days lie ahead
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( Rob Picheta | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

PiS finished ahead of opposition party Civic Coalition (KO), led by former Polish Prime Minister and European Council President Donald Tusk, on 30.7%. Tusk had promised to restore democratic norms in Poland and cooperate with Western European allies, among whom Warsaw was fast becoming a pariah. Poland’s PiS-aligned President, Andrzej Duda, is expected to give the PiS every chance to form a government before turning over proceedings to Poland’s new block of opposition lawmakers. According to the Polish constitution, the president must call a new parliamentary session within 30 days of the election. Tusk had painted the election as a last chance to save Polish democracy.

Persons: CNN —, PiS, Donald Tusk, Tusk, Poland’s, Andrzej Duda, Mateusz Morawiecki, ” Organizations: CNN, Justice, National Electoral Commission, Civic Coalition, Polish, European, Tusk’s, Western, Confederation, Democracy, European Union Locations: Warsaw’s, Poland, Warsaw, Kyiv, Ukraine

☆ Congo Election Chief Promises 'Rebrand' Amid Concerns Over December Vote
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( Oct. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

CENI is undergoing "rebranding" to show people it has changed since past elections that were marred by irregularities and violence, CENI president Denis Kadima told Reuters in an interview in Washington on Friday. The 2011 elections, followed by the 2018 elections, have left many people so disappointed with the institution," said Kadima. He cited, as an example, that some of the 24 presidential candidates were in exile or barred from participating in 2018. Kadima, who was appointed in 2021, said observers from groups including the U.S.-funded Carter Center and the European Union were expected to monitor the elections. Washington remains concerned about "possible violence, threats to the press freedom and freedom of peaceful assembly, and attempts by certain parties to manipulate the vote," the spokesperson said.

Persons: Simon Lewis WASHINGTON, Denis Kadima, CENI, Kadima, Critics, Felix Tshisekedi, Simon Lewis, Sonia Rolley, Grant McCool Organizations: Democratic, Electoral, Reuters, Carter Center, European Union, Kadima, State Department Locations: Democratic Republic, United States, Africa's, Washington, U.S, Congolese

☆ What to Know as Zimbabwe Elects a President
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( John Eligon | More About John Eligon | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The police have cracked down on opponents of President Emmerson Mnangagwa, the incumbent, whose ZANU-PF party has governed the country since independence in 1980. Inconsistencies in voter rolls and confusion over polling sites have fueled accusations that the national electoral commission is in the party’s back pocket. Mr. Mnangagwa is poised for a big victory, they say, because he has set the country on track economically. But surveys suggest that many Zimbabweans have lost faith in their president. The clear front-runners are Mr. Mnangagwa, running in his second election, and Nelson Chamisa, who challenged Mr. Mnangagwa in 2018 and now leads a new party, Citizens Coalition for Change.

Persons: Emmerson Mnangagwa, Mnangagwa, ”, Vince Musewe, It’s, Nelson Chamisa Organizations: ZANU, The New York Times, Party, Citizens Coalition Locations: Africa, Harare, Zimbabwe’s, “

☆ Explainer: What to expect from Nigeria's new president Bola Tinubu
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( Macdonald Dzirutwe | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

LAGOS, May 29 (Reuters) - Nigeria's new president Bola Tinubu faces a litany of problems, including widespread violence, double-digit inflation and industrial-scale oil theft. Tinubu says he will build on Buhari's public infrastructure programme to create jobs and remove legal limits on government spending. Tinubu says he will reduce corporate tax to attract investment and plug tax loopholes to boost revenue. Tinubu says he will set up a surveillance unit to protect the country's pipelines and attract new investors with tax incentives. Tinubu wants to recruit more soldiers and police officers, while paying and equipping them better.

☆ Fact Check-UK parliament did not say Nigeria’s presidential election was rigged
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A question asked by a British MP about Nigeria’s presidential election is being misconstrued online as a declaration by UK parliament of a rigged vote. “UK Parliament Confirmed Nigeria Election Was Rigged In Favour Of APC,” said one person sharing a video clip of the question being asked on March 14 in the House of Commons (here). Moreover, Onwurah did not at any point say the Nigerian presidential election was rigged, according to a video of her question and parliamentary minutes (here and here). Chi Onwurah raised her constituents’ concerns about the Nigerian presidential election, but she did not say that it was rigged. A question asked during a parliamentary debate is not considered the official position of the UK’s Parliament.

☆ Fact Check-Lawyer’s speech mistaken for official U.S. response to Nigeria’s presidential election
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

An online claim that the United States has not officially congratulated Nigerian president-elect Bola Tinubu on his election win is not true. It is based on a speech by a U.S. lawyer that is being misrepresented as reflecting an official U.S. position. “Vote rigging, vote buying and bribery marred Nigeria's presidential elections. But neither the lawyer nor the Nigerian pro-democracy group speak for the U.S. government, which officially congratulated Tinubu on March 1. The U.S. has officially congratulated Nigerian president-elect Bola Tinubu.

☆ Lagos governor re-elected in victory for Nigeria ruling party
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-19 | by ( Macdonald Dzirutwe | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] Lagos state gubernatorial candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) Babajide Sanwo-Olu, arrives his polling unit to cast his vote, during the gubernatorial election in Lagos, Nigeria March 18, 2023. The Lagos election was the highest profile among races for powerful governorships in 28 of Nigeria's 36 states, as well as for state assemblies across the country. Voting was postponed to Sunday at 10 polling stations in a Lagos neighbourhood following disagreements between INEC officials and voters over the location of polling units. In northeastern Adamawa, a conservative and largely Muslim state, electoral officials were collating results after a race that could produce Nigeria's first elected female governor. Voters were still casting ballots in two districts of oil-producing Rivers state where the INEC failed to deliver voting materials.

☆ Fact Check-The EU did not issue statement calling for Nigeria’s president-elect to be disqualified
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A document that questions the integrity of Nigeria’s 2023 general election and recommends disqualifying president-elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu has been falsely attributed to the European Union and a U.S. observer mission. The fake statement includes the EU flag and the logos of the U.S. National Democratic Institute (NDI) and International Republican Institute (IRI), two non-profits that support and promote democratic processes. The EU delegation to Nigeria and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) said in two tweets that the statement was fake (here), (here). Meanwhile, an authentic preliminary statement from the EU Election Observation Mission to Nigeria can be seen (here), while a statement – also preliminary - from the NDI/IRI delegation can be found (here). The EU, NDI and IRI say the statement is fake.

☆ Fact Check-Video of Nigeria’s outgoing President Buhari asking people to ‘vote again’ dates to 2019
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A clip from a 2019 speech by Nigeria’s outgoing President Muhammadu Buhari has been shared online again by people falsely claiming that it shows Buhari saying the results of the 2023 general election are void. In the two-minute video, Buhari asks attendees of a caucus meeting of his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), to encourage their constituents to be patient and to peacefully “vote again”. “Breaking news the 2023 election has been canceled watch from President #Buhari,” reads one comment on Twitter which included the clip on Feb. 28 (here). But the video is from 2019 and is unrelated to the 2023 election. Meanwhile, results for the 2023 election can be seen on the INEC website (here).

☆ Fact Check-Spreadsheet shown during Nigerian broadcast does not show a vote counting mistake
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

An image of a spreadsheet that was shown during a broadcast of Nigeria’s presidential election has been falsely touted online as evidence of a voting miscount. At timestamp 7:43:17 here , a spreadsheet is shown onscreen whereby the result for each party is tallied at the bottom of separate columns. The sum of the 13 rows in the APC column, for example, is 151,850. However, the apparent mismatched totals are a result of neither the screenshot nor the broadcast showing the entire spreadsheet. There are 13 rows shown in the NTA broadcast, which is therefore the results of 13 local government areas.

☆ Six Nigerian states challenge election in Supreme Court
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Camillus Eboh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

ABUJA, March 3 (Reuters) - Six opposition-led Nigerian states have asked the Supreme Court to throw out the result of last weekend's presidential vote, saying the electoral body broke the law and its own rules during the count, court papers showed. Six of Nigeria's 36 states - Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Delta, Edo and Sokoto - said in court papers dated Feb. 28 that the election commission had failed to transmit results through an electronic system meant to show transparency. They sought a court declaration that all presidential election results announced by the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) "were invalid, null and void, and of no effect whatsoever". Those materials included ballot papers and voting machines, the order from the appeals court showed. There have been numerous legal challenges to the outcome of past Nigerian presidential elections but none has succeeded.

☆ Nigeria's Obi says he, not Tinubu, won presidential election
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Camillus Eboh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Summary Presidential election marred by technical problemsWinner Tinubu says vote was credibleChallenger Obi vows to overturn result in courtAfter vibrant campaign, turnout was record lowABUJA, March 2 (Reuters) - Nigerian presidential candidate Peter Obi said on Thursday he had won Saturday's election, called Bola Tinubu's victory fraudulent and promised to claim the top job through legal means. Tinubu, the ruling party candidate, was declared president-elect of Africa's most populous nation on Wednesday, having won 37% of the vote. He said the election was credible and the reported problems had had no impact on the overall outcome. "We won the election and we will prove it to Nigerians," he said. While neither generated the visible enthusiasm directed at Obi, both had powerful political machines and decades of networking behind them.

☆ Nigerian ruling party candidate declared winner in highly disputed election
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

ABUJA, Nigeria - March 1, 2023: Ruling party candidate Bola Tinubu, addresses supporters during celebrations at his campaign headquarters. Tinubu won Nigeria's highly disputed weekend election, electoral authorities said on Wednesday, securing the former Lagos governor the presidency of Africa's most populous democracy. Nigeria's ruling party candidate Bola Tinubu was declared the winner of the country's presidential election on Wednesday after polling was marred by transparency concerns and widespread technical problems. The APC, PDP and Labour Party won 12 states apiece, while the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP) candidate Rabiu Kwankwaso claimed one state. However, the PDP, Labour Party and several other opposition parties had already rejected the results by the time Tinubu was declared president-elect on Wednesday.

☆ Nigeria's Tinubu defends win in disputed presidential poll
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said Tinubu garnered 8.79 million votes in the weekend election, ahead of main opposition challenger Atiku Abubakar's 6.98 million votes. Peter Obi, an outsider popular with younger and more educated urban voters, garnered 6.1 million votes. "I am very happy I have been elected the president of the federal republic of Nigeria," Tinubu said to cheers in Abuja. Nigeria's election was meant to be its fairest and most open contest to date. As Lagos governor, Tinubu won praise for partially fixing some of the cities problems, including reducing violent crime, waste collection and traffic.

☆ Explainer: Nigeria election: what to expect from president-elect Bola Tinubu
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Macdonald Dzirutwe | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

LAGOS, March 1 (Reuters) - Nigeria's president-elect Bola Tinubu has promised to tackle a litany of problems, including escalating violence, double-digit inflation and industrial-scale oil theft. Tinubu says he will build on Buhari's public infrastructure programme to create jobs and remove legal limits on government spending. Tinubu says he will set up a surveillance unit to protect the country's pipelines and attract new investors with tax incentives. Africa's top producer of crude oil depends on imported refined fuels, something Tinubu wants to end by increasing domestic refining through joint ventures with private investors. Tinubu wants to recruit more soldiers and police officers, while paying and equipping them better.

☆ Fact Check-Video circulated alongside claim of vote rigging in Nigeria is from at least 2015
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Social media users sharing the clip present it as if it relates to Nigeria’s most recent vote, held on Feb. 25 (bit.ly/3Z6SPIQ). One account posting the video here wrote: “INEC Staff Seen On Camera Rigging The Presidential Election In Favour Of APC.” APC refers to the ruling All Progressives Congress party. However, the video is old and does not relate to events associated with the 2023 election. The 2023 presidential election has been disputed by opposition parties and the public as votes have been tallied (here and here). Read more about our work to fact-check social media posts here .

☆ Fact Check-Video of former Nigerian cabinet minister challenging INEC chairman dates to 2015
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A video of a former Nigerian cabinet minister saying he has lost confidence in the chairman of the country’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has been falsely linked on social media to the 2023 general election. Moreover, social media users have misidentified the INEC chairman. The video shows Attahiru Jega, who was chairman at the time the video was filmed but who retired three months later, on June 30, 2015 (here). Mahmoud Yakubu succeeded Jega as chairman, as was tweeted by the INEC (here) and reported by Nigerian news outlets (here) and (here). Read more about our work to fact-check social media posts (here).

☆ Partial results of disputed Nigeria election show Tinubu in lead
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LAGOS, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Provisional results from Nigeria's disputed presidential election over the weekend showed Bola Tinubu from the ruling party in the lead, a Reuters tally of votes in 25 of the country's 36 states showed on Tuesday. Electoral commission results from the states showed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress party (APC) was ahead with about 36% or 7 million of valid votes counted, with Atiku Abubakar of the main opposition People's Democratic Party (PDP) trailing close behind with 30% or nearly 6 million valid votes. Peter Obi of the smaller Labour Party got 20% or about 3.8 million votes. More results were expected to show the winner later on Tuesday. INEC had promised to upload results directly from each polling unit to its website in the election to replace outgoing President Muhammadu Buhari, but most were unable to do so immediately.

☆ Nigerian parties criticise slow pace of weekend election count
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Macdonald Dzirutwe | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LAGOS, Feb 27 (Reuters) - Nigeria was to resume announcing presidential election results on Monday amid complaints of irregularities as opposition parties criticised the slow pace at which the results were being uploaded on to the election commission's website. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has so far released official results from only one of 36 states. By 0830 GMT, INEC had uploaded results from 52,236 polling units out of a total 178,846, its website showed. "We take full responsibility for the problems and regret the distress that they have caused the candidates, political parties and the electorate," said INEC. In northern Kano state, police said suspected thugs had attacked a campaign office for a smaller opposition party and set the building on fire, killing two people.

☆ Nigerians vote for new president, braving long delays in hope of bringing change
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-26 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

People read newspapers at a newspaper stand in Onitsha, Nigeria, on February 26, 2023 following he Nigeria presidential and general election. By the evening, some polling stations were already counting ballots, while voting was still going on at others and had not taken place elsewhere. said 23-year-old Halima Sherif, whose polling station in the northern city of Kano had not started operating by closing time. He also acknowledged the delays but said voters would be able to cast their ballots. Yakubu said at a later briefing that voting would take place on Sunday in several wards in Yenagoa that had experienced severe disruption on Saturday.

☆ Nigerian soldiers patrol ahead of election, land borders shut
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Camillus Eboh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"Internal movements have been restricted to the polling units. There will also be no movement of persons across national borders," the ministry of interior said in a statement. The candidate for Enugu East district and the driver of a campaign minibus belonging to another party were killed in coordinated attacks in Enugu State in the southeast. "Materials already delivered for the senatorial election will remain in the custody of the central bank in the state until the new date for the election," Yakubu told a news conference. Flanked by the head of the police, Yakubu said INEC was on guard against possible attacks on its electronic system.

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