A study by the Queensland Greens throws an interesting light on last year's state election by comparing it with the proportionality of other state and provincial elections around the world.
Category: Elections
Czechs give direct election a try
The Czech Republic has held its first direct election for the presidency, to replace the idiosyncratic Václav Klaus. It shows a party system in some disarray.
Italy latest: Berlusconi “ruled out” as PM
A new electoral pact supposedly rules out Silvio Berlusconi as a candidate for prime minister. Doesn't sound like him at all, does it?
Highlights of 2012: The top 10 elections
It was again a mixed year for elections, where the forces of change and the forces of stability both had their victories. Here's my top 10 for 2012.
Israeli Supreme Court backs democracy
The Central Elections Committee, a largely partisan body, had again tried to narrow the options available to Israel's Arab voters by disqualifying an anti-Zionist MP. Yesterday the Supreme Court stood up for democracy.
Well, isn’t that interesting?
A few days ago I said that Mario Monti, Italy's caretaker prime minister, had "left open the possibility of returning to government in some capacity." Now he's gone a step further, announcing that he will put himself at the head of a "centrist" ticket for February's election. The BBC reports as follows: The BBC's David … Continue reading Well, isn’t that interesting?
Date set for Berlusconi’s last ride
It's been confirmed that Italy will go to the polls in just over two months, on 24-25 February. Prime minister Mario Monti, who has served since November 2011 as head of a non-partisan government, resigned on Friday following passage of his budget measures through parliament; he will stay on in a caretaker capacity until the … Continue reading Date set for Berlusconi’s last ride
Dictator’s daughter takes over a divided South Korea
No surprises in South Korea: Wednesday's presidential election resulted in a narrow but expected victory for the centre-right candidate, Park Geun-hye, who will become the country's first female president. She defeated the centre-left's Moon Jae-in with 51.6% of the vote to 48.0% (official figures here). Voting in South Korea (like most presidential elections – the … Continue reading Dictator’s daughter takes over a divided South Korea
Japan’s landslide not quite what it seems
One of the ideas behind this blog is that election results can't always be taken at face value: the headlines don't necessarily reflect what actually happened, and even what actually happened might not reflect what people voted for. Last Sunday's election in Japan provides a rather nice illustration. The headlines are quite unequivocal: the opposition … Continue reading Japan’s landslide not quite what it seems
The World is Not Enough 