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The Vatican has expressed its satisfaction with the latest rapprochement between the Lebanese Forces and the Free Patriotic Movement, reiterating its warning that the Baabda Palace vacuum puts the Christians in danger.

Maronite Bishop of Beirut Boulos Matar told al-Joumhouria daily published on Tuesday that the meetings of Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi in Rome “have been positive.”

“The Vatican believes that the Christian reconciliation meeting, which took place in Maarab, helps the presidential elections,” he said.

Governor of the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) Valiollah Seif said here Saturday that the banking officials are on alert to detect dirty money in order to block its entry during the era of upcoming elections in the country.Through its modern anti-money laundering systems, the country’s banking section is taking due related measures.

Earlier this week, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) notified reshuffle of 54 of its Grade-18 officers in the first phase of transfers. The notification was approved only by the chief election commissioner (CEC), apparently without any input from four other members of the body.

Presidency Council member Omar Al-Aswad, who suspended his membership of the body earlier this week over the composition of the new government of national unity, has accused other members of behaving dishonestly in the matter. There had been moral and political corruption in the way they had acted, he said. The government was, moreover, too big and with ministers chosen not on the basis of competence but on cronyism, it would not work and was not what Libya needed at present, he said.

ISLAMABAD: The top court has sought concise statement from Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) over Pakistan Tehreek-i- Insaf (PTI) plea, seeking access to the data server of the commission to prepare credible voter lists for the upcoming intra-party elections (IPEs).

The three-judge bench of the apex court, headed by Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, took up Thursday PTI chief election commissioner Tasneem Noorani’s petition against Islamabad High Court’s November 16, 2015 order, wherein the party’s petition was dismissed.

TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran has called off plans to hold the two upcoming elections using electronic voting machines, Spokesman for Iran’s Guardian Council (GC) Nejatollah Ebrahimian announced.

Speaking to the Tasnim News Agency on Wednesday, Ebrahimian pointed to a meeting of the GC earlier in the day and said the issue of using electronic ballot boxes in the upcoming elections was raised in the session and the majority of the GC members voiced their opposition to the plan.