East Timor
José Maria Vasconcelos, a former military chief and rebel commander, has been elected president of East Timor with 61 percent of the vote. His opponent on 16 April was Francisco Guterres, himself an ex-guerrilla leader and now the head of the opposition Fretilin party. The outgoing president, José Ramos-Horta, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1996 for his role in the country’s struggle for indepen-dence from Indonesia, was eliminated from the race during the first round of voting. Although the office is largely ceremonial, the president has played a key role in maintaining stability. Parliamentary elections are due to take place in July. If the transfer of power is successful, it is hoped that both UN peacekeepers and an Australian-led stabilisation force will withdraw by the end of year.
France
On 6 May, François Hollande became France’s first left-wing president in almost 20 years, winning 52 percent of the vote in a run-off against the incumbent, Nicolas Sarkozy. Turnout was high at around 80 percent. Hollande’s manifesto was based on raising taxes on big corporations and those earning more than €1 millioN in order to finance a raise in the minimum wage and the creation of 60,000 new teaching posts. In the final stages of the campaign, Sarkozy moved to the right in an attempt to woo the 6.4 million voters who had supported Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right Front National. Hollande’s Socialist Party also won an absolute majority of seats (314 out of 577) in parliamentary elections on 17 June, freeing the president from dependence on either the Greens or the left-wing Front de Gauche.
Greece
Greeks went to the polls for the second time in six weeks on 17 June, in parliamentary elections that were widely seen as a last chance for the country to remain in the eurozone. An earlier ballot on 6 May failed to produce a clear winner, and parties were unable to reach the consensus needed to form a coalition. The second round of voting was also inconclusive but three parties supporting the economic bailout – New Democracy, Pasok and Democratic Left – agreed to form a government that will command a 29-seat majority. All favour keeping Greece in the euro, but want to renegotiate the bailout terms.
Algeria
The parliamentary contest on 10 May was billed as ‘Algeria’s spring’ by the government, which invited 500 international observers and stated that the poll would be the freest in 20 years. The ruling National Liberation Front (FLN) remains the largest party with 220 of the 462 seats. The FLN’s coalition partner, the National Democratic Rally, secured 68 seats, with the Islamic Green Alliance coming in third with 48. The Green Alliance, which was widely predicted to do well, has rejected the results.
Turnout among the 21.6 million registered voters was low, reflecting the apathy that Algerians have towards a parliament with little real power. The government put the figure at 42 percent but observes reported empty polling stations in much of the country. Participation in the major cities was around 30 percent, and at least 17 percent of the ballots cast were spoiled.
Serbia
One-time extreme nationalist, Tomislav Nikolic, who served as deputy foreign minister under former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic, was elected president of Serbia on 10 May. Nikolic defeated the liberal candidate, Boris Tadic, who stepped down as president in April. Analysts fear that the outcome may affect Serbia’s prospects of joining the European Union, as Nikolic is less likely than his opponent to make the necessary concessions on Kosovo.
In late June, Serbia finally announced its new prime minister following parliamentary elections on 6 May. Ivica Dacic, leader of the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS), is to head a coalition government with Nikolic’s Serbian Progressive Party (SNS). The SPS had been negotiating with Tadic’s Democratic Party but the talks broke down when the SNS offered Dacic the position of prime minister.
Dominican Republic
In presidential elections on 20 May, Danilo Medina of the ruling Dominican Liberation Party (PLD) secured a narrow victory, winning 51 percent of the votes as opposed to 47 percent for his main rival, former President Hipolito Mejia. The outgoing president, Leonel Fernández, was barred from standing for a third consecutive term, although it is expected he will continue to play a role behind the scenes – his wife, Margarita Cedeño, was Medina’s running mate. The opposition Dominican Revolutionary Party attacked the results, claiming the PLD had used government resources to influence voters. Outside observers said there had been isolated cases of vote-buying but that these had no impact on the overall result.
Egypt
Voting for Egypt’s presidential run-off took place on 16-17 June, in an atmosphere of mistrust and high tension. Just days before the polls opened, the courts ruled that 2011’s legislative elections were unconstitutional, resulting in the dissolution of parliament. When the balloting ended, with the votes still being counted, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces – the military council that has led the country since last year’s revolution – announced constitutional amendments guaranteeing it sweeping legislative and political powers. Turnout was low as many voters were uninspired by the choice of candidates: the Muslim Brotherhood’s Mohammed Morsi and Ahmed Shafiq, prime minister under the ousted president, Hosni Mubarak. Following delays and street protests, Morsi was eventually declared the winner, and was sworn in as Egypt’s first democratically elected civilian president on 30 June. He faces a tussle with the army to establish his authority.
