#presidential_elections

Estonia elects its first female President – Kersti Kaljulaid | Baltic News Network - News from Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia
▻http://bnn-news.com/estonia-elects-its-first-female-president-kersti-kaljulaid-152135

Estonian parliament has on October 3 elected the country’s long-time representative at the European Court of Auditors Kersti Kaljulaid to serve as the next President of Estonia.

ERR reports that after numerous rounds of voting since late August, the Estonian presidential election ended with the parliament voting with 81 MPs out of 101 voting for Kaljulaid.

Responding to criticism regarding this round of presidential elections that one-candidate presidential elections are not democratic, Kaljulaid stated on a televised interview before the vote: «If the majority of the Riigikogu’s parliamentary groups has nominated me, then it is a democratic process.»

#Presidential_Elections2016 #Kersti_kaljulaid #Estonia

Struggle of Estonian presidential election to be continued | Baltic News Network - News from Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia
▻http://bnn-news.com/struggle-of-estonian-presidential-election-to-be-continued-151760

Another round of the current Estonian presidential election has produced no result, as a special electoral college on September 24 failed to give clear backing to either of the candidates.

Neither Siim Kallas backed by Reform Party, nor Allar Jõks supported by the Free Party and the Pro Patria and Res Publica Union received the 167 votes needed for being elected.

138 election college members voted for Kallas, 134 for Jõks, while 57 ballots were submitted blank.

#Kallas #Estonia #Presidential_elections_2016

Estonian Foreign Minister steps down, expected to run for President

Estonian Foreign Minister Marina Kaljurand has on September 9 voiced her determination to leave office and is expected to announce running in this month’s Presidential election.

ERR cited the head of Kaljurand’s campaign team, Andreas Kaju, as saying that the politician had handed in her notice to step down to PM Taavi Rõivas on Friday morning.

#Estonia #Presidential_elections #Foreign_minister

Next Estonian President to be selected by election college

The third and final round of the Estonian presidential election at the Riigikogu on August 30 did not produce a successor to Toomas Hendrik Ilves, so the election will continue at a special election college in September.

ERR reports that neither ex-PM Siim Kallas from Reform Party, nor former Education and Research Minister Mailis Reps got the 68 votes needed for election with Kallas securing 42 votes and Reps being supported by 26 MPs.

▻http://bnn-news.com/next-estonian-president-to-be-selected-by-election-college-150130

#Estonia #Presidential_elections #election_college

Tight run for Estonian President
Estonian parliament held on August 29 the first round of the presidential election, where no candidate received the necessary 68 votes from 101 MPs.

ERR reports that the leader in the first round was Riigikogu speaker Eiki Nestor from Social Democratic Party with 40 votes, followed by the Center Party’s Mailis Reps with 26 and IRL and Free Party candidate Allar Jõks coming in last with 24 votes.

The next voting round is to be held on August 30 when heavyweight Reform Party’s Siim Kallas is to step in the race.
In case the second election round does not produce a successor to Toomas Hendrik Ilves, a special electoral college will convene to select the next head of state for a five-year term in office.

▻http://bnn-news.com/tight-run-for-estonian-president-150059

#Estonia #Igaunija #Presidential_elections #Elections2016

The puzzling return of Essebsi in post-revolution #Tunisia
▻http://english.al-akhbar.com/node/23006

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No Tunisian could have imagined that this old man, #Beji_Caid_Essebsi, who had been forgotten with the ministers of former President Habib #Bourguiba, will become the president of Tunisia at almost 90 years of age after a revolution that was driven by the Tunisian youth.

#al-Nahda #Arab_Spring #Articles #Moncef_Marzouki #Nidaa_Tounes #presidential_elections #Mideast_&_North_Africa

The puzzling return of Essebsi in post-revolution #Tunisia
▻http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/puzzling-return-essebsi-post-revolution-tunisia

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Head of the Tunisian ISIE elections body, Chafik Sarsar (C) and ISIE fellow members stand in front of a giant screen during a press conference on December 22, 2014 in Tunis to announce that anti-Islamist politician #Beji_Caid_Essebsi (R on the screen) won Tunisia’s presidential election with 55.68 percent of the vote beating incumbent #Moncef_Marzouki. AFP/Fethi Belaid Head of the Tunisian ISIE elections body, Chafik Sarsar (C) and ISIE fellow members stand in front of a giant screen during a press conference on December 22, 2014 in Tunis to announce that anti-Islamist politician Beji Caid Essebsi (R on the screen) won Tunisia’s presidential election with 55.68 percent of the vote beating incumbent Moncef Marzouki. AFP/Fethi Belaid (...)

#Mideast_&_North_Africa #al-Nahda #Arab_Spring #Articles #Bourguiba #Nidaa_Tounes #presidential_elections

#erdogan announces candidacy in Turkish presidential race
▻http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/erdogan-announced-his-candidacy-turkish-presidential-elections

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is to stand for the presidency in August elections, his party announced Tuesday, paving the way for him to extend his dominance of the country’s politics for at least another five years. “The candidate for the 12th president (of modern #turkey) is our prime minister, head of our party and Istanbul lawmaker Recep Tayyip Erdogan,” said Mehmet Ali Sahin, deputy leader of Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). read more

#AKP #presidential_elections

From Clinton to Kerry: #washington's strategic shift in the region
▻http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/clinton-kerry-washingtons-strategic-shift-region

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US Secretary of State #John_Kerry takes part in a ceremony on June 7, 2014 in Saint-Briac-sur-Mer, western France, in memory of the three US soldiers who died during liberation of the city on August 14, 1944. (Photo: AFP - Jean-Sebastien Evrard)

No matter how much is said and written about John Kerry’s shift from policies previously adopted by his administration, and despite the rumored hysteria of some #MARCH_14 figures following the surprising American blow, it is still hard to understand the reality and depth of this shift unless we compare it to previous American behavior under similar circumstances.

Jean Aziz

read (...)

#Opinion #Articles #hillary_clinton #Lebanon #policy #presidential_elections

#Kerry’s #Lebanon visit aimed at ensuring stability
▻http://english.al-akhbar.com/node/20025

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US Secretary of State John Kerry listens to Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh during a meeting in London on May 15, 2014. (Photo: AFP-Jacquelyn Martin) US Secretary of State John Kerry listens to Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh during a meeting in London on May 15, 2014. (Photo: AFP-Jacquelyn Martin)

The message behind US Secretary of State John Kerry’s visit to Lebanon - which coincides with a vacant presidency and with Syrian #presidential_elections - is not to tamper with stability, to speed up the Lebanese presidential election process and to hold onto the #Taif_Accords.

Hiyam Kossayfi

read (...)

#Opinion #Articles

#Taliban threatens Afghan voters
▻http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/taliban-threatens-afghan-voters

Taliban insurgents threatened Monday to attack #Afghanistan's run-off presidential election, warning voters to stay away from polling stations for fear of injury or death. Afghans are due to go to the polls on June 14 to choose whether Ashraf Ghani or Abdullah Abdullah should succeed President Hamid Karzai. The militants, ousted from power in Kabul by a 2001 US-led invasion, threatened to attack the first round of voting on April 5 but the day passed with a high turnout and no major security incidents. read more

#presidential_elections

Outgoing Lebanese president presses parliamemt to pick successor
▻http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/outgoing-lebanese-president-presses-parliamemt-pick-successor

Lebanese President Michel #Sleiman on Saturday called on parliamentarians to elect a successor without delay, as his mandate comes to a end amid huge divide between the country’s two main camps. Sleiman’s mandate expires on Sunday, and the government headed by Prime Minister Tammam Salam is set to assume all executive powers. Parliament has convened five times in the past two months to try to elect a president ahead of the expiry of Sleiman’s mandate, but failed each time. read more

#Lebanon #presidential_elections

Lebanese #presidential_elections expected to fail for fifth time
▻http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/lebanese-presidential-elections-expected-fail-fifth-time

A political vacuum loomed over #Lebanon Thursday as legislators were expected to fail for a fifth time to agree on a candidate to replace outgoing President Michel Sleiman three days before his term expires. Thursday’s parliamentary session is the fifth since April 23 scheduled to elect a president, and the fourth to be boycotted by the March 8 alliance, which has yet to endorse a candidate. read more

Syrian #rebels kidnap rejected presidential hopeful
▻http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/syrian-rebels-kidnap-rejected-presidential-hopeful

Syrian rebels from the southern province of #Daraa have kidnapped a presidential hopeful whose bid was turned down by the constitutional court, according to an online video distributed Tuesday. The video shows three armed, bearded rebels wearing fatigues in a room with Mohammed Kanaan, a military officer who had registered to run in June 3 elections that are widely expected to return President Bashar al-Assad to power. In a video filmed by the rebel brigade and distributed online by opposition media activists, he is shown wearing a suit, seated on an armchair. read more

#presidential_elections #syria #Top_News

Campaigning opens in #Egypt's presidential race
▻http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/campaigning-opens-egypts-presidential-race

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Egyptian leftist leader and presidential candidate Hamdeen Sabahi (C) is greeted by supporters during a press conference to unveil his program on April 30, 2014 in Cairo. (Photo: AFP - Khalen Desouki) Egyptian leftist leader and presidential candidate Hamdeen Sabahi (C) is greeted by supporters during a press conference to unveil his program on April 30, 2014 in Cairo. (Photo: AFP - Khalen Desouki)

Campaigning opens Saturday in Egypt for a May election likely to be won by the ex-army chief who deposed the elected president, after deadly bombings underscored tensions ahead of the vote. The May 26-27 presidential poll, meant to restore elected rule following the July overthrow of Islamist Mohammed Mursi, is widely expected (...)

#presidential_elections #Top_News

Four new candidates enter Syrian presidential race
▻http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/four-new-candidates-enter-syrian-presidential-race

Syria’s parliament on Sunday said four more candidates, including one woman, have announced their candidacy in the June 3 presidential election widely expected to be won by President Bashar al-Assad. The new hopefuls bring the total number of candidates to six, though Assad has not yet announced his candidacy. The opposition in exile and the West have said the election will be a “parody” of democracy, but the Syrian government says it aims to hold a “free and transparent” vote. read more

#Presidency #presidential_elections #syria #Top_News

Communist MP becomes Assad’s first presidential challenger
▻http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/syrian-mp-becomes-assads-first-presidential-challenger

A communist lawmaker has registered as the first challenger for the Syrian presidency in an upcoming election expected to return incumbent Bashar al-Assad to power, the speaker of parliament said Wednesday. “We have received information from the higher constitutional court that member of parliament Maher Abdel Hafiz Hajjar has filed his candidacy for the post of president of the Syrian Arab Republic,” state television quoted Mohammed Lahham as saying. Hajjar was born in Aleppo in 1968 and has been a member of the Syrian Communist Party since 1984, the broadcaster said. read more

#presidential_elections #syria #Top_News

Lebanese MPs vote in presidential election
▻http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/lebanese-mps-set-vote-presidential-election

Updated at 12:23 pm: Lebanese parliamentarians gathered on Wednesday morning to vote in the highly anticipated #presidential_elections, which have heightened the rivalry between the March 8 and March 14 coalitions. Three people declared their candidacy: Samir Geagea of the Lebanese Forces, Henri Helou of the Progressive Socialist Party and independent candidate Nadine Moussa, who is the first woman to present herself in presidential elections in #Lebanon. Presidents in Lebanon are chosen through a parliamentary and cabinet vote as opposed to a general election. read more

#Top_News

Berri calls for #Lebanon presidential vote to take place on April 23
▻http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/nabih-berri-sets-lebanon-presidential-vote-april-23

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Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri. (Photo: Bilal Jawiche)

Lebanon’s parliament is to convene on April 23 to elect a new president to succeed Michel Sleiman, whose term ends on May 25, the Lebanese National News Agency reported Wednesday. “Parliamentary speaker Nabih Berri has called for a session on Wednesday April 23 to elect a new president of the republic,” the official news agency said. Lebanon’s president, who must come from the country’s Maronite Christian community, is elected by a vote in the parliament. The NNA reported that Berri informed Maronite Patriarch Bechara Rai of the date set for the election. read (...)

#presidential_elections #Top_News

Sisi officially enters #Egypt's presidential race
▻http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/sisi-officially-enters-egypts-presidential-race

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Egyptians walk past a poster bearing a portrait of retired army chief and presidential candidate Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on April 12, 2014 in the capital Cairo. (Photo: AFP - Mohammed al-Shahed) Egyptians walk past a poster bearing a portrait of retired army chief and presidential candidate Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on April 12, 2014 in the capital Cairo. (Photo: AFP - Mohammed al-Shahed)

Egypt’s ex-army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Monday officially submitted his bid to run for president, with his lawyer handing over the required documents to the authorities, a spokesman said. Sisi, who is riding on a wave of popularity after ousting Islamist leader Mohammed Mursi in July, is widely expected to win the May 26-27 election. The (...)

#presidential_elections #Top_News

#Nasrallah: #Hezbollah's presidential pick to fight for #Lebanon's interests
▻http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/nasrallah-hezbollahs-presidential-pick-fight-lebanons-interests

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A file picture taken on November 14, 2013 shows Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah giving a speech in southern Beirut. (Photo: AFP - Anwar Amro) A file picture taken on November 14, 2013 shows Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah giving a speech in southern Beirut. (Photo: AFP - Anwar Amro)

Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah said his party will soon announce its favored candidate in Lebanon’s upcoming presidential election, saying he believed the choice will fight for the country’s national interests. In an interview with Lebanon’s As-Safir newspaper published Tuesday, Nasrallah also warned that failure of Parliament to agree on a president before the May 25 election would open the door to foreign and regional meddling in the (...)

#presidential_elections #Top_News

Presidential dreams tickle the fancy of ordinary Egyptians
▻http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/presidential-dreams-tickle-fancy-ordinary-egyptians

http://english.al-akhbar.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/4cols/leading_images/547349-01-08.jpg

Cairo: With visible confidence and great ambition, many Egyptians flocked over the past few days to the headquarters of the Supreme Presidential Electoral Commission (SPEC) to submit their candidacies. Many of them are ordinary citizens far removed from the world of politics, but some of them are former victims of torture or other tragic circumstances. They came with the hope that they can improve the situation and end injustice if they are elected.

Salma Khitab

read more

#Mideast_&_North_Africa #al-Sisi #Articles #Egypt #Hamdeen_Sabahi #presidential_elections

Regional developments to determine presidential election date
▻http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/regional-developments-determine-presidential-election-date

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Baabda Palace, the seat of the Lebanese presidency. (Photo: Archive) Baabda Palace, the seat of the Lebanese presidency. (Photo: Archive)

According to the constitution, the deadline for #Lebanon’s presidential election is May 25. However, politically-speaking, there might be another deadline which is the last few days before the end of the parliamentary term on November 20.

Hiyam Kossayfi

read more

#Articles #Bashar_al-Assad #Iran #Lebanon #Michel_Suleiman #presidential_elections #Russia #Saudi_Arabia #syria #turkey

#Sisi to take «official measures» for presidential bid
▻http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/sisi-take-official-measures-presidential-bid

Egypt’s army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said Tuesday he could not ignore demands that he run for president and will take official measures soon, state media reported. Officials close to Sisi told AFP the recently promoted field marshal would step down as defense minister after a law is passed to regulate the election expected this spring. Sisi emerged as the most popular political figure in #Egypt after he overthrew Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in July following massive protests against the year-long rule of Egypt’s first freely elected leader. read more

#military #politics #presidential_elections #Top_News

#Bouteflika sets #Algeria presidential vote for April 17
▻http://english.al-akhbar.com/node/18269

Algeria’s aging leader Abdelaziz Bouteflika on Friday called a presidential election for April 17, a day after returning from medical treatment in France, without indicating if he himself would stand. “Bouteflika today proceeded with the signing of the presidential decree convening the electoral body for Thursday, April 17, 2014, for the election of the presidency of the republic,” a statement from the president’s office said. read more

#presidential_elections #Top_News