Nawaz Sharif’s party is set to dominate Pakistan’s assembly but it will have no overall majority following a campaign dominated by the economy and US policy in the region.
More than 86 million people are eligible to vote as the elections marks the first transition from one civilian government to another in the country’s 66 year history.
Following the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, more than 70 per cent of people turned out to elect the first assembly. Fast forward 15 years and the people seem disenchanted, but why, asks David McCann.
Margaret Thatcher normalised female success, challenging the prevailing orthodoxy that women were unsuited to the pursuit of power, but mechanisms, such as electoral gender quotas would have been anathema to her, writes Margaret O’Keefe.
The Irish electorate is both a strange beast and an angry and vengeful one at the moment, writes Gary Murphy, who says while the people might be punishing Labour, it will not herald a new political force.
Five years ago, over 500,000 people were displaced and more than 1,500 killed in post-election violence in Kenya. Now, NGOs are working to manage humanitarian situation ahead of the country’s next election this Monday, writes Ivy Ndiewo.
The 120-seat Israeli parliament, the Knesset, is now evenly divided between right wing and centre-left parties but Netanyahu is expected to negotiate a coalition and third term as prime minister.
The dramatic surge in emigration from Ireland in recent years means that voting rights for Irish people living abroad has become a major issue. What do you think – should emigrants be allowed vote?
The structure of the new interim parliament means that the result is still uncertain as a broadly liberal coalition secured more seats than the Islamist parties.
Mark Boyle, an Irishman in Japan, says his home country and his adopted one have polar attitudes to government – and neither have been served well by their approach…
Political tensions have been sent soaring in Egypt as officials postpone declaring the winner of the country’s first new presidential elections in three decades.
President Francois Hollande’s parliamentary majority will give him the opportunity to push through budget and tax reforms, and to move away from austerity towards growth.
None of the five prominent candidates are expected to win outright in the first round, with a run-off between the two leading contenders expected to be held June 16-17.
“The majority of people in this country consume alcohol in a moderate, responsible manner that is entirely compatible with a healthy lifestyle and in line with European norms,” said Kathryn D’Arcy, director of Alcohol Beverage Federation of Ireland.
Some people can no longer afford to drink alcohol, others could be looking after their health, while many have suggested that the reduction in consumption could be related to emigration rates.
So today we want to know what do you think. Have you reduced your alcohol consumption in the past year?
Warmer with sun and clouds
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Min: 8 °C
Clouds and sun with a passing shower
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Min: 8 °C
