Oxford, U.K (Special to Informed Comment) – Although Iran is one of the few countries in the Middle East that has regular presidential, parliamentary and local council elections, those elections are far from free and fair when judged by the standards of advanced democracies. The June, 2021 polls will be even more flawed, in large […]
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Elections
The Worst Attack on Voting Rights Since Jim Crow
By Phyllis Richardson | – ( Otherwords.org ) – Last November, despite a global pandemic, voter intimidation, and an unprecedented disinformation campaign, a record number of Americans cast a ballot in the 2020 election. Expanded voting by mail, no-excuse absentee voting, curbside voting, and early voting made the ballot box more accessible. But now, Republican […]
Will this month’s Israeli election end the Netanyahu era?
By Ali Abu Hableh | – ( Middle East Monitor) – Due to right-wing domination, Israelis find themselves approaching the General Election this month with little real electoral choice. The various right-wing parties reflect the fragmentation on the right and the minor differences between them in terms of government priorities. Only Haredi Jews appear to […]
Trump’s acquittal is a sign of ‘constitutional rot’ – partisanship overriding principles
By John E. Finn | – The Senate’s decision to acquit former President Donald Trump in his second impeachment trial may have been a victory for Trump, but it is a clear sign that democracy in the U.S. is in poor health. As a constitutional scholar, I believe the United States – the world’s first […]
America’s Transition Away from Democracy and the World’s Wave of De-Democratization
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The twentieth century was in the eyes of some observers an uneven but steady march to democracy. Those who study transitions from authoritarian governments to democracy have defined a successful transition as characterized by two elections in a row, where all parties agree on the rules of the game, and […]
Preventing Future Election Violence: Peacebuilding to avoid becoming a failed state
By Kerri Kennedy | – ( Otherwords.org ) – I have spent my entire career working to end election-related conflicts, mostly overseas. Unfortunately, this experience is now increasingly relevant at home. Ahead of the Capitol insurrection, the U.S. met several criteria that increased the likelihood of election violence: pay-to-pay politics, weak electoral management bodies, ongoing […]
10 Years ago Young Tunisians deposed a Dictator and founded the Arab World’s most Vigorous Democracy
By Jehan Alfarra | – ( Middle East Monitor ) – The Tunisian uprising spread like wildfire and millions in neighbouring Arab countries revolted against their long-time dictators, giving birth to what became known as the Arab Spring January 14, 2021 at 1:55 pm | Published in: Africa, On this day, Opinion, Tunisia, Videos & […]
COVID-19, the US Election and our Desperate Need for Clean Air, Green Energy
By Elif Selin Calik | – ( Middle East Monitor ) – One of the enduring images of 2020, the year of the pandemic, has been the sight of people connected to ventilators in hospitals. It is an image that helped us realise the importance of being able to breathe. Many have died because they […]
Israel enters a New Election between the Right and the Far Right
By Antoine Shalhat | – ( Middle East Monitor ) – Israel is heading towards a fourth general election in less than two years, coinciding with another confirmed fact that the competition in this election will be between the components of the Israeli right-wing. The elections will be held against a single backdrop: the opposition […]