The Interior Ministry announced yesterday that it has referred three tribal primary election cases to the public prosecution for investigation and plans to send the fourth today. The ministry said in a statement that two cases took place in the Fourth Constituency and the third in the Fifth District while the fourth one to be made today is in the Fifth Constituency.
The Kuwaiti opposition has reiterated its position of boycotting the July 27 election, saying that the single-vote law, which was confirmed by the Constitutional Court last month, has undermined the constitution and aggravated divisions in the society. Speakers at a gathering late Sunday night also called for deeper democratic reforms including a number of constitutional amendments to strengthen democracy in the country.
SANA’A, July 6 — The Supreme Commission for Elections and Referendum (SCER) announced on Thursday the start of the registration process for those interested in working with the technical coordinating committees on the new electronic elector registration campaign. SCER is in particular need of computer technicians for the campaign, they stated.
SCER finished preparations for the electronic system last month to prepare for elections in February 2014, as outlined by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Initiative.
Democratic Party chairman President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said his party’s presidential primary would be open to candidates from both inside and outside the party.
Yudhoyono also pledged the primary would be transparent in which the public would be expected to join the process. “People will be involved in the selection,” Yudhoyono said in his speech on Sunday evening.
Yudhoyono said the selection process for the candidates would run from September 2013 until April 2014.
KUALA TERENGGANU, July 8 (Bernama) -- Besut Umno Youth has pledged to give their full support to whoever fielded by Barisan Nasional (BN) as its candidate for the Kuala Besut state by-election scheduled for July 24.
Its chief, Mohd Mahdi Musa, said whoever named as BN's candidate by Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin tomorrow, must be the best candidate to have been entrusted to ensure victory for the coalition in the by-election.
BEIRUT: Prime Minister-designate Tammam Salam said Monday his efforts to form his government had yet to bear any results and said the unfavorable option of resignation was still available to him.
“There is no progress but this will not prevent me from seeking to form the Cabinet,” Salam said after meeting with President Michel Sleiman at Baabda Palace for talks.
“I have already said that I do not wish to wait long and make the country wait ... I hope that the patience of people for a Cabinet that can run their affairs does not run out,” he added.
The Salafi Al-Nour Party announced early Monday its withdrawal from the roadmap proposed by the armed forces following the ouster of former president Mohamed Morsi.
Nader Bakkar, Al-Nour Party spokesman, said the party has decided on an “immediate withdrawal from all negotiation routes as an initial reaction to the Republican Guard massacre.”
Clashes erupted between pro-Morsi protesters sitting-in at the Republican Guard headquarters and army personnel Monday morning leaving at least 51 killed.
President Moncef Marzouki has decided to extend the state of emergency to three months as of July 3, the Presidency of the Republic announced on Monday.
The decision came after the proposal of military and security officials and after consultations with Prime Minister Ali Larayedh and National Constituent Assembly (NCA) President Mustapha Ben Jaafar, the same source added.
In another connection, the Presidency reported the improvement of the security situation in the country thanks to the efforts and sacrifices made by the national army and security forces.
The ailing Democratic Party is looking for a few good presidential candidates.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyno’s graft-striken party will open its ranks to qualified non-party members as possible candidates for the 2014 presidential election. The move, similar to a plan embraced by the Golkar Party in the early days of the Reform Era, has been widely seen as a way to boost the party’s popularity with an infusion of new members.
The administrative court yesterday set July 14 as the date to issue its ruling on a petition demanding that the July 27 election should be suspended because the current Cabinet is illegal. Lawyer Adel Abdulhadi, who filed the petition last week, argued in the court yesterday that the government’s composition is not in line with the constitution which requires that at least one of its members must be an elected MP.
Parliament head Cemil Çiçek will be meeting Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli June 9, in the first of a series of meetings in accordance with the process of working on a new Constitution.
The meeting is scheduled to take place at 2:00 p.m., and will be followed by a meeting between Çiçek and Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) co-chairs Selahattin Demirtaş and Gültan Kışanak, which is set an hour later than the first meeting.
Two former MPs, Jamal Al-Omar and Mohammad Al-Huwailah, were among 47 new candidates who registered to run in the July 27 election, raising the total number of hopefuls to 339 with just two days more for registrations. Mishari Mohammad Al-Anjari however became the first candidate to withdraw from the race yesterday. Pulling out of the race is open until 10 days before the actual election day. Registration closes tomorrow.
In reaction to the recent comments made by officials from the Independent Election Commission (IEC) about conducting the upcoming Presidential elections according to the Presidential Legislative Decree in result of Parliament's delay in passing the election laws, several political parties on Sunday came out saying that transparency in the elections will be compromised if the Decree relied on as it was in the last elections.
“Kyrgyzstan has moved from street to parliamentary democracy”
“Kyrgyzstan has moved from street to parliamentary democracy”, Speaker of the Parliament Asylbek Zheenbekov said at a press conference today.
Republican People’s Party’s (CHP) Tunceli deputy Kamer Genç, who is known for his heated parliamentary rows with the government, has been banned for three legislative sessions for “insulting Turkish President Abdullah Gül” in a recent session.
Genç criticized Gül over the name of the Istanbul’s third inter-continental bridge, “Yavuz Sultan Selim,” an Ottoman sultan historically known for slaughtering Alevis.
KABUL (PAN): A smooth transfer of power through fair and transparent elections is the only way to steer Afghanistan out of the current turmoil, political analysts stressed on Thursday, calling for a system that enjoyed public confidence.
Speaking at a gathering titled “Afghanistan – A way out of crisis” in Kabul, the experts came hard on the government for its failure to find a solution to the conflict over the past many years.
The Muslim Brotherhood refuses to cooperate and acknowledge the “usurped” government appointed after the overthrow of President Mohamed Morsi, its Supreme Guide Mohammed Badei said on Friday.
Despite of an arrest warrant issued against him on Thursday, Badei gave a speech at the pro-Morsi sit-in at Raba’a Al-Adaweya at 6:30pm. Security reports had initially indicated that he was detained following the overthrow of Morsi, but the Brotherhood denied his arrest.
