Andy Jenk’s Post

Around 400 million #EuropeanUnion citizens would go to the #polls next month to elect members of the #EuropeanParliament, or MEPs, in one of the biggest global democratic events. Far-right parties are seeking to gain more #power amid a rise in the cost of living and farmers' discontent, while the wars in #Gaza and #Ukraine are on the minds of voters. Here is a look at the upcoming election and the biggest issues at stake.

Read this Q&A with Jose Enrique Arrioja for a concise explanation of what’s behind the Venezuelan government’s decision to hold elections earlier than expected.

Venezuelans will vote July 28 in the country's most highly anticipated election in more than a decade, with polls consistently indicating strong support for the Democratic Unity Platform's Edmundo Gonzalez against declining ratings for incumbent Nicolas Maduro. There is a significant risk that the Maduro regime will crackdown, claim fraud, or interfere with communication channels if the election outcome is unfavorable to the current government. But the Maduro regime should also know that the international community is watching these elections closely: https://lnkd.in/eynWEHQM

2024 is time to ask questions about the other side of the election – the Opposition. Why assist the Opposition? Does Government-funded Opposition assistance violate sovereignty? Does public-sector and private democracy assistance differ? Answers!

The big picture of Iran's national election was clear before the ballots were cast: tightened conservative control and an increasingly hardline bent. And despite the regime's efforts to cajole voter participation, turnout was historically low. Together, these trends show a growing gap between state and society. Worse yet, the consolidation of power among the regime’s most conservative elements bodes ill for its ability to address Iran’s accumulating challenges. 📌 New commentary: https://lnkd.in/guanFfnn

The situation with the presidential election in Russia and the candidate Boris Nadezhdin. There are no elections in Russia. There is a reappointment of Putin himself as president and holding pseudo-elections to create a semblance of democracy. Elections exist where there is freedom of speech and equality of all before the law. Candidate Nadezhdin was initially allowed to participate just for a screen and to create the appearance of democracy. According to some sources, the candidacy of Boris Nadezhdin was initially agreed upon personally with the first deputy head of the Presidential Administration Sergey Kiriyenko, but his recent actions are now allegedly causing real fury to the Kremlin curator of domestic policy. Nadezhdin's words and actions violate unspoken agreements, and now the Central Election Committee has been "strongly recommended" not to allow Nadezhdin to run in the election, two sources close to the administration and the Duma leadership told Mozhem Obyasnit media (MO). ◾️ "They agreed not to sling shit at Putin and the SMO, but they got a real bucket of shit," one of the interlocutors told MO. The other day, Nadezhdin said, "My first decree will be to release all political prisoners.... I will offer negotiations to Ukraine, I will stop the decree on mobilization." ◾️ "The last straw was his words about Duntsova [who was also trying to run for president but was disqualified some time ago] - that she would be his representative at the debate. No one, of course, will allow her with such an anti-state position to appear on federal television," another source told MO. ◾️ Both interlocutors predict that "Nadezhdin won't be bashed hard" in order "not to give him extra publicity": "They'll just not allow him [to the election] without any fuss, that's all." The pro-government media do not criticize Nadezhdin but mention him briefly, along with the "second-row" candidates. A review of the election on Channel One focuses on Putin and Duma party representatives Slutsky, Kharitonov, and Davankov, while Nadezhdin's name is simply mentioned among the remaining candidates. There is similar material on the TVC website. Will liberal Russians be able to unite around Boris Nadezhdin and will he, in turn, dare to outgrow his role and lead a protest movement with the almost certain result of political persecution and prison? Here are the possible developments: 1️⃣ Nadezhdin will not be allowed to register and will be removed from the election. The Kremlin will not take any risks. 2️⃣ Nadezhdin will be allowed to register and take part in the elections to create the appearance of democracy. 3️⃣ Nadezhdin will be charged with some kind of criminal offense and will suffer the fate of Navalny. 4️⃣ Nadezhdin will disappear - the Kremlin has a lot of instruments and experience in that.

Kremlin spokesman marvels at Putin’s historic election triumph According to Dmitry Peskov, the huge turnout in the election showed how much the people stand behind the head of state MOSCOW/ Vladimir Putin’s landslide victory in Russia’s presidential election is a remarkable triumph, a singular achievement, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. "The presidential election is over in our country. Incumbent President Vladimir Putin has indeed achieved something truly unique. The level of public support highlights his utter triumph as a candidate, and it is also the best evidence that our country’s people support their president and rally around his policy course," he pointed out. According to the Kremlin spokesman, the huge turnout in the election showed how much the people stand behind the head of state. "The record-high voter turnout really speaks volumes about the level of the president’s popular support," he said. Russia held its presidential election on March 15-17. For the first time, voting took place over a three-day period and incorporated online voting, which was available in about one-third of the country’s regions. According to the CEC’s data, incumbent head of state Vladimir Putin has 87.32% of the vote with 99.43% of all ballots cast now counted. #business #finance #financialservices

Here’s what to know about Iran’s presidential election

What is missing in many discussions about the sham presidential election in Russia, scheduled for next week, 15-17 March? That not voting can be an act of resistance... Leaving aside the fact that all relevant opposition figures are either jailed, in exile or denied registration as candidates, there are two things that I want to highlight. First, I think the Russian voters do have some choice to show discontent with the situation - not to go to vote at all. Putin's political team is well aware that the election is of little interest to voters and he set the goal of 70-80% of voters participation. The pressure will be mainly on "government-dependent voters" - civil servants, employees of state-owned corporations and workers of private companies loyal to the government, to go to vote or be punished. Second, as we highlight in the ARTICLE 19 statement, Russia will collect votes in the Ukrainian-occupied territories and coerce residents to cast their votes. We therefore call on the international community for more concrete counter-measures, including expanded targeted sanctions and further forms of support to Ukraine. More below! #Russia #election #president #Putin #righttovote #noVote #resistance #freespeech #humanrights #Ukraine #occupiedterritories