Cambodia
Cambodia’s ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) has been confirmed as the official election winner, despite widespread protests, following a parliamentary ballot in July. The CPP is a left-aligned party led by Prime Minister Hun Sen, who has been in power for 28 years. The CPP won 48.8 per cent of the vote, totalling 68 of 123 seats, while the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) won 44.5 per cent of the vote and 55 seats.
Leader of the Opposition Sam Rainsy initially contested the result, claiming the real outcome was closer to 63-60 in the CNRP’s favour. Rainsy called for an independent committee to investigate poll irregularities, saying the results were a consequence of election fraud as many voters were unable to find their names on voting lists. However, a televised announcement following protests in the country’s capital confirmed the CPP as the official winner, meaning that results can no longer be legally contested. Despite winning a majority of seats, the election is by no means a good result for the CPP, with the party down 22 seats from last year. Turnout was 68.3 per cent, down significantly from the 2008 elections which saw a voter turnout of 75.2 per cent.
Australia
Australia’s September parliamentary elections saw Liberal Tony Abbott elected as the new Australian Prime Minister, replacing the Australian Labor Party’s Kevin Rudd. The coalition of the centre-right Liberal Party of Australia (LP) and the similarly aligned National Party of Australia (NP) won 89 of 150 seats, compared to the LP taking 44 and the NP six in the previous parliamentary elections. The centre-left Australian Labor Party won just 54 seats, down 18 from 2010. The Green Party held on to a single seat. An election turnout of more than 14 million was expected, as all Australian citizens over 18 are required by law to vote. Australia’s election commission revealed shortly before voting opened that 3.2 million ballots had already been submitted for early voting. Rudd called the election after defeating the then Prime Minister Julia Gillard in a leadership challenge in June, despite the party’s bleak polling figures. In the weeks running up to the election, Labor saw its support decline further.
Germany
The September parliamentary elections saw the appointment of the 630 members of the 18th Bundestag – the main legislative house of the German parliament. Angela Merkel’s centre-right Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU) fell just short of an overall majority, pushing the party through to a third term in parliament. The CDU/CSU won 41.5 per cent of the vote, securing 311 of 630 seats – a considerable leap from the 28 per cent secured in the previous elections in 2009. The liberal partners of the CDU/CSU, the centreright Free Democratic Party (FDP), failed to make it into parliament in what was called “the bitterest, saddest hour of the Free Democratic Party” by party chairman Philipp Rösler. The FDP fell short of the five per cent parliamentary threshold, taking just 4.8 per cent of the vote – a considerable fall from the 14.6 per cent secured in 2009. The centre-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) won 25.7 per cent of the vote, securing 192 seats. Party leader Peer Steinbrück was positioned to enter into a coalition with the centre-left Green Party, which won 8.4 per cent of the vote (64 seats), but failed to secure enough votes to do so. The Left Party (Die Linke) secured 8.6 per cent of the vote and 64 seats. As Global went to press, it looked likely that Merkel would seek a ‘grand coalition’ with the SPD. The right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) failed to pass the parliamentary threshold, taking 4.7 per cent of the vote. Voter turnout was recorded as 71.5 per cent, up from 70.8 per cent in 2009.
Kuwait
The Kuwaiti elections in July were held following the annulment of the December 2012 election results by the Constitutional Court. The Kuwaiti electoral law was amended prior to the December elections to allow Kuwaitis one vote, as opposed to the previous four. As a result of the amendment, those opposing the decision boycotted the December polls and challenged the amendment in court. The court chose to uphold the amendment, but invalidated the election results on a technicality. Political parties are not allowed in Kuwait, with all candidates running independently. The Amir is the hereditary Head of State, with the Prime Minister appointed by the Amir. Shia MPs in Kuwait lost more than half of their seats, winning only eight out of the 50 available, compared with the 17 secured in the ballot in December – their biggest tally to date. Liberal MPs, who have up until now been absent from the Kuwaiti parliament, have gained three seats. Sunni Muslim candidates increased their seat total from five to seven and tribal groups maintained their 24 seats. Voter turnout was 51.9 per cent.
Macau
Macau’s parliamentary elections in September saw a wide distribution of votes, with 33 seats under consideration. The centrally aligned United Citizens Association of Macau secured the most votes with a total of 18 per cent, leaving the party holding three seats. Votes for centre-left New Macau Association made up 15.7 per cent of the total, giving the party two seats. The centre-right Macau-Guangdong Union, centrally-aligned Union for Promoting Progress and centre-left New Hope party also secured two seats each. The centrally aligned General Union for Development, New Union for Macau’s Development and the centre-right Alliance for Change each secured one seat. The remainder of seats are taken up by representatives of special interest groups and appointees put in place by the Head of Government. Voter turnout was 55 per cent.
Mali
Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, of the socialist Rally for Mali (RPM), won a landslide victory in Mali’s second round of presidential elections in August. Keita took 77.6 per cent of the vote, leaving Soumaïla Cissé of the Union for the Republic and Democracy (URD) with 22.4 per cent. The first round of presidential elections in Mali took place in July and went through to a second round when no candidate emerged with more than 50 per cent of the vote; Keita secured 39.8 per cent of the vote in the first round, while votes for Cissé accounted for 19.7 per cent. Keita replaced Interim President Dioncounda Traoré of the socialist Alliance for Democracy in Mali in September. Voter turnout was 49 per cent in the first round of elections and 45.8 per cent in the second round.
Norway
Conservative Party leader Erna Solberg is set to form a new coalition government following Norway’s September elections. Solberg will become Norway’s second-ever female Prime Minister. The Norwegian centre-right Conservative Party is expected to form a government with the right-wing Progress Party, having secured 26.8 per cent of the vote and 48 seats, and 16.3 per cent of the vote and 29 seats, respectively.
The ruling centre-left Labour Party was forced to admit defeat after securing only 30.8 per cent of the vote, giving it 55 seats, leaving the party down nine seats from the previous election. There was little change in the votes for the centre-right Christian Democratic Party, which kept its original ten seats. The Centre Party secured ten seats, down one from the previous election. The centrally aligned Liberal Party secured an extra seven seats, taking its total up to nine, while the left-wing Socialist Left Party saw a loss of four seats, leaving the party with seven seats. The Green Party currently holds a single seat. Voter turnout was high at 78.2 per cent, up from 76.4 per cent in 2009.
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe’s July elections saw the re-election of incumbent President Robert Mugabe of the left-wing Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF), which enjoyed a landslide victory with 61.1 per cent of the vote. Morgan Tsvangirai of the centre-left Movement for Democratic Change-Tsvangirai (MDC-T) won 34.4 per cent of the vote, failing to be elected president for a third successive election. Welshman Ncube of the Movement for Democratic Change-Ncube (MDC-N) got 2.7 per cent of the vote. The electoral voting went ahead largely peacefully, although irregularities in the voting system resulted in a million people being unable to vote. Tsvangirai voiced concerns that the parliamentary and presidential elections were fraudulent, announcing that the MDC-T will no longer work with Mugabe’s ZANU-PF party, the two parties having been in a coalition since the violent 2009 elections. Tsvangirai intends to produce a dossier outlining the alleged electoral fraud and has called on the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to investigate the allegations. A spokesperson for the European Union also expressed concern over the voting irregularities, while the United Kingdom and the United States both called for a thorough investigation of the allegations. In the parliamentary elections held on the same day, Mugabe’s ZANU-PF won 197 of 270 seats while the MDC-T won 70. Voter turnout was 59.2 per cent.
Pakistan
Pakistan’s July presidential elections saw the centre-left Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) candidate disqualified from running for two reasons – failure to appear before the electoral commission and the PPP’s decision to boycott the polls. Mamnoon Hussain, the candidate of the centre-right Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), was elected President. Hussain took office in September when the constitutional tenure of the previous President, Asif Ali Zardari of the centre-left PPP, expired. The PML-N enjoyed a landslide victory, securing 85 per cent of the vote, with Wajihuddin Ahmed of the centrally aligned Pakistan Movement for Justice (PTI) securing the remaining 15 per cent. Voter turnout was 72.95 per cent.
Rwanda
In Rwanda’s September parliamentary elections, the Rwandan Patriotic Front Party of President Paul Kagame won a landslide victory, taking 41 of the 53 seats. The centre-left Social Democratic Party won seven seats, while the Liberal Party got five. A third opposition party to contest in the election, PS-Imberakuri, did not win any seats. Two people were killed in two separate grenade attacks in Rwanda’s capital, Kigali, just days before the election. No group has admitted responsibility for the blasts, but officials believe the rebel Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda may be to blame. Voter turnout was 98 per cent.
