Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremić believes that the success of the Irish EU referendum marks a “new episode in the development of the EU”. He thinks that the expected positive result of the referendum opens the door to all European peoples including those in the Western Balkans.
Posts Tagged ‘referendum’
Eve of Ireland’s EU referendum
October 2nd, 2009 |
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Supporters and opponents of the European Union’s Lisbon Treaty were using the last minutes to campaign on the eve of Ireland’s referendum. Outside a Dublin department store, hundreds of people queued for Christmas jobs with some believing a yes vote would boost an economy that faces crippling debt.
“Candidacy after Irish referendum”
September 4th, 2009 |
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Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremić says that a decision to apply for EU candidate status will be taken after the Irish referendum on the Lisbon Treaty. In an interview with today’s edition of daily VeÄernje Novosti, Jeremić said that Serbia would continue to meet the criteria for membership, even though EU enlargement depends to a far greater extent on Brussels itself than the membership candidates.
Massive win for Niger president
August 7th, 2009 |
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Niger’s President Mamadou Tandja, 71, is claiming victory in a referendum he called to change the constitution and run for a third term in office.
Correspondents in the capital, Niamey, say giant posters have gone up in the city bearing a message of thanks to voters from Mr Tandja.
Official results are expected later on Friday. Niger’s electoral commission has said there was a 68% turnout.
Opposition groups had urged a boycott and the EU and UN expressed concerns.
However, the country’s electoral commission says the president is heading for an overwhelming win.
On Thursday, the opposition grouping Co-ordination of Democratic Forces for the Republic (CFDR) said its investigations showed that turnout was as low as 4%.
The BBC’s Idy Baraou said in Niamey that Tuesday’s voting was slow with small groups of people turning up at at polling stations.
MAMADOU TANDJA- Former army colonel, part of 1974 coup
- First elected in 1999
- First Niger leader to be re-elected – in 2004
- Says he must stay in office to continue economic projects
- Critics say the referendum is the same as a coup
Security forces fired tear gas at opposition supporters in their northern stronghold of Illela and some were also arrested in Dosso in the east, accused of trying to disrupt the poll, he said.
The president dissolved both parliament and the constitutional court to push through the referendum.
His backers say he has boosted living standards during 10 years in power and deserves to remain in office.
The president says he needs more time to complete multi-billion-dollar projects such as a uranium mine, an oil refinery and a dam on the River Niger.
But his critics portray him as a classic strongman determined to hold on to power so he can benefit financially from the projects he has started.
The European Union has already suspended an aid payment and warned of "serious consequences" for its co-operation with Niger if the president carries through his plans.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Niger troops vote on third term
August 3rd, 2009 |
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Niger’s military is set to vote in a referendum on President Mamadou Tandja’s bid to serve a third term.
The government says the soldiers are voting early so they can ensure the safety of the rest of the people, who will go to the polls on Tuesday.
Earlier, opposition groups reiterated they would boycott the vote, which they have described a coup d’etat.
Mr Tandja has recently dissolved parliament and the constitutional court to push through his referendum plan.
He says the people of Niger want him to stay in power, and his actions reflect their will.
But his efforts have caused widespread protests in Niger and sparked international condemnation.
‘Illegal referendum’
Reports from the country said huge posters of Mr Tandja were plastered throughout the capital, Niamey, and other main cities.
State media has been calling on voters to say "yes" to changing the constitution so the 71-year-old president can stay in office.
The move would allow him an initial three-year term, and then he would be able to run for re-election with no term limits.
The AFP news agency reported that opposition leader Mahamadou Issoufou launched a final appeal on Sunday for "mobilisation to cause the illegal referendum to fail".
Speaking for the blanket group Co-ordination of Democratic Forces for the Republic (CFDR), he said: "Our duty as citizens is to defend the current constitution."
Mr Tandja was first elected in 1999, and then again five years later.
He had previously promised to quit in December this year, a month after presidential elections are due to be held.
But the president’s supporters argue he should be allowed a third term, saying he has improved living standards in one of the world’s poorest countries in the country in the 10 years he has been in power.
Will you be voting in the referendum Send us your views using the postform below.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
New Zealand votes on smacking ban
July 31st, 2009 |
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New Zealanders are voting on whether parental smacking of children should remain a criminal offence.
The so-called anti-smacking law introduced in 2007 has divided the country, prompting the country’s first citizen-initiated postal referendum.
The referendum asks: "Should a smack as part of good parental correction be a criminal offence in New Zealand"
Supporters say the law gives children the same rights as adults, while opponents say it criminalises parents.
The postal vote is open until 21 August.
Parental discipline
However, the result will not be binding on the government.
WHERE SMACKING IS BANNED- Austria, Bulgaria, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Israel, Latvia, Moldova, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine, Uruguay
Source: Endcorporalpunishment.org
The aim of New Zealand’s 2007 law change was to stop people using "parental discipline" as a defence against assault changes.
The move was viewed by many as an important step in combating New Zealand’s high rates of child abuse and murder.
The Vote No campaign said the current law had led to "good families [becoming] victims of unwarranted investigations and even prosecutions by police and… Child Youth and Family [government department]".
It said resources were being wasted on investigations into cases that "simply aren’t abuse".
Supporters of the new law said babies and children have the same legal protection against assault as adults.
The Vote Yes campaigners said that "positive, non-violent, parenting is more effective than corporal punishment, as well as supporting better long-term outcomes for children and for society".
Confusing question
However, critics say the referendum itself is confusing and Prime Minister John Key said the wording was "ambiguous".
COUNTRY BY COUNTRYWhere countries stand on Global Initiative to End All Corporal Punishment of Children [342 KB]
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But the government believes the current law is working well with police prosecuting only serious cases.
The New Zealand Police reviewed cases of smacking since the 2007 law change.
It said it investigated 13 cases between March 2007 and April 2009 – with one prosecution.
The Vote Yes campaign said such figures showed the law had not led to "mass criminalisation of good parents".
Electoral Enrolment Centre manager Murray Wicks said enrolments were up by 11,600 from November’s general election, just topping the three million mark for the first time, the New Zealand Herald reported.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Medvedev on NATO expansion
July 27th, 2009 |
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NATO is starting to realize that Georgia and Ukraine should not be “dragged in”, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said. In an interview for Russia’s NTV, he stressed that it was “not correct to drag other states into military and political alliances against the will of their people”, and that there should be a referendum on NATO membership in Ukraine.
Labour plans election day voting poll
July 25th, 2009 |
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Plans to hold a referendum on changes to the voting system on the day of the next general election are being considered in Downing Street as part of a ploy to expose David Cameron as a roadblock to sweeping constitutional reform.
The idea, backed by senior ministers, has come to light amid growing recriminations within the Labour party over poor campaign strategy and a lack of fresh ideas for attacking Cameron, following Labour’s thumping loss in Thursday’s Norwich North byelection.
Last night, after the Conservatives overturned a 5,000 Labour majority to win the Norwich seat by 7,348 votes, Labour MPs gave warning that, unless the party did more than peddle scare stories about possible Tory spending cuts, it faced a wipeout at the next election.
Cabinet sources have revealed that one idea being developed is to paint Cameron as a leader opposed to a wide-ranging reform of the political system that voters are demanding following the scandal over MPs’ expenses.
As part of this, plans are being considered to hold a referendum on general election day in which people would be asked to support or reject a switch from the present first-past-the-post system to a new model, under which candidates would need to have the support of at least 50% of voters to be elected.
If a majority backed change, a new method of voting called Alternative Vote (AV) could then be introduced at the election after next. Critics say first-past-the-post is unfair as it does not reward smaller parties in relation to their share of the vote and ensures the two main parties hold a virtual duopoly on power.
Government insiders say the plan would be a step towards fairer voting. But they also believe it has tactical attractions as it would force Cameron, a staunch supporter of first-past-the-post, to campaign actively against change and for a “no” vote ahead of an election.
A senior minister told the Observer: “This is around as an idea, although nothing has been decided. It is the kind of thing that could firm up in the months to come.”
Another source said: “It has the added attraction that if the Tories won power and the answer in the referendum was ‘yes’, the first act of a Cameron government would be to do something he was fundamentally opposed to, or overturn the will of the people.”
Gordon Brown has made clear that he is against a move to full proportional representation, because he does not want to break the link between MPs and their constituents. The AV system, however, would retain that link. Instead of simply marking an X on the ballot paper, voters would rank candidates on offer. If no one candidate gained a majority of first-preference votes, second preferences of the candidate who came last on the first ballot would be redistributed until someone reached the 50% threshold. Cabinet ministers favouring some form of change include Alan Johnson, Peter Hain, John Denham and Ben Bradshaw.
Willie Sullivan, from Vote for a Change, said the government had three months to show it was serious. A referendum would require legislation in November’s Queen’s speech.
“If we are going to restore faith in politics, we need more than tinkering,” he said. “The public expect a big bang reform, untainted by vested interests or political calculation. We need reform that puts the voters back in the driving seat. That means giving people a choice on whether or not we keep safe seats, jobs for life and the cheap theatre that passes for debate in our parliament.”
Last night Kate Hoey, the Labour MP for Vauxhall, said she was shocked by her party’s campaign in Norwich. “It was very negative, all about Tory spending cuts and stuff that frankly people did not believe. We have to do better than that to stand any chance at the next election.”
One senior Labour MP, Barry Sheerman, called Brown’s leadership into question, saying that the prime minister needed to reconnect with the public by the end of the summer.
“We’ve got to get our act together, and to get your act together you don’t go away for the summer and hope this all blows over,” he told BBC Radio 4′s Today programme. “The fact of the matter is we’ve got to think about how a party in government renews itself, how it does that. It’s partly a question of leadership, it’s partly a question of ideas.”
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
Mark Weisbrot: Lawyers, Guns, and Money: A Coup Tests Obama’s Will
July 24th, 2009 |
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Powerful special interests – energy, coal, utilities, financial, pharmaceutical and insurance lobbies – have flexed their muscles and confronted President Obama on the most important…
Niger leader defiant on vote plan
July 23rd, 2009 |
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Niger’s president has said he will not bow to foreign pressure to abandon his attempt to hold a referendum on whether he can serve a third term in office.
Mamadou Tandja told state TV the threat of sanctions would not deter him from doing what was right for the people.
On Tuesday he met Un and African envoys who said they were "deeply concerned" over his attempt to remain in power.
A court has ruled that a general strike called by the opposition is illegal and it is not clear if it will go ahead.
The EU has already suspended some aid to the uranium-rich nation.
The West African regional body, Ecowas, has threatened Niger with sanctions or suspension if Mr Tandja goes ahead with the referendum, scheduled for 4 August.
Large-scale protests
In a televised address, the president said he did not come to power to "serve international opinion".
"I won’t let anyone prevent me from achieving a useful goal for the people of Niger," he said.
In recent weeks Mr Tandja, 71, has dissolved parliament and abolished the Constitutional Court after both institutions opposed his proposed referendum.
The proposals have sparked large-scale protests in the capital, Niamey, and the opposition has accused him of staging a coup.
Mr Tandja was first elected in 1999, and then again five years later.
He had previously promised to quit in December this year, a month after presidential elections are due to be held.
But the president’s supporters argue he should be allowed a third term, saying he has reduced poverty in the country in the 10 years he has been in power.</p
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Khamenei warns of Iranian ‘collapse’
July 20th, 2009 |
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Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, warned today that continuing divisions would lead to the collapse of the country’s ruling elite, after a former president called for a referendum on the government’s legitimacy.
The referendum call from Mohammad Khatami appeared to be part of an opposition strategy to keep Khamenei and allied hardliners on the defensive over last month’s disputed elections.
It coincided with a demand from Mir Hossein Mousavi, the leading opposition candidate in those elections, for the release of opposition supporters detained for protesting against the official results, which gave a landslide victory to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Another former president, Hashemi Rafsanjani, gave a speech at Friday prayers in which he said the Islamic Republic was in crisis and the government had lost the trust of millions of Iranians.
Khamenei, whose previously unquestioned authority is now under daily challenge, hit back furiously. “The elite should be watchful, since they have been faced with a big test. Failing the test will cause their collapse,” the supreme leader said, in a speech to mark a religious holiday, attended by government officials including Ahmadinejad, who sat on the stage behind him.
Khatami’s call for a referendum represented a new tactic by the opposition, in its efforts to maintain the momentum of a protest movement harshly suppressed on the streets by pro-government militias.
“I state openly that reliance upon the people’s vote and the staging of a legal referendum is the only way for the system to emerge from the current crisis,” said Khatami, a reformist cleric who was president from 1997 to 2005. “People must be asked whether they are happy with the situation that has taken shape.”
In remarks quoted on reformist Iranian websites, he suggested a referendum be overseen by an “impartial” body, such as the Expediency Discernment Council, which is chaired by Rafsanjani and is supposed to mediate disputes between clerical and lay organs of state.
Khatami’s political organisation, the Association of Combatant Clerics, issued a statement on its website saying that a referendum should not be overseen by “bodies and centres that manipulated” the 12 June vote, a reference to the Guardian Council, a body that oversees elections and endorsed the official election result.
It is highly unlikely that either Khamenei or the Guardian Council would agree to such a referendum. It appeared to designed principally to open a new avenue of attack on the conservative establishment.
Mousavi also raised his own rallying cry to supporters at a meeting with the families of post-election detainees.
“You are facing something new: an awakened nation, a nation that has been born again and is here to defend its achievements,” the former prime minister said. “Arrests … won’t put an end to this problem. End this game as soon as possible and return to the nation its [arrested] sons.”Mousavi ridiculed the accusation repeatedly made by Khamenei and his allies that the protests were the product of foreign orchestration.
“Who believes that [the protesters] would conspire with foreigners and sell the interests of their own country? Has our country become so mean and degraded that you attribute the huge protest movement of the nation to foreigners? Isn’t this an insult to our nation?” Mousavi said.
Amid the uncompromising rhetoric on both sides, the government appeared to make a small concessionary gesture, allowing detainees to call their families from prison for the first time.
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
Khatami urges referendum on poll
July 20th, 2009 |
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The former president of Iran, Mohammad Khatami, has called for a referendum on the legitimacy of the government, following June’s disputed elections.
Mr Khatami, quoted on Iranian websites, said millions of Iranians had lost faith in the electoral process.
The Iranian opposition, including Mr Khatami and the defeated presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi, say the election was rigged.
Only the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, can organise a referendum.
He has already declared the elections, won by the incumbent, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, as valid.
Thousands of opposition supporters took to the streets after the poll results were announced, to protest against what they saw as mass fraud.
At least 20 people are thought to have died during weeks of clashes.
The authorities banned all gatherings and the protests have died down in recent weeks. </p
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Khatami calls for Iran referendum
July 20th, 2009 |
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The former president of Iran, Mohammad Khatami, has called for a referendum on the legitimacy of the government, following June’s disputed elections.
Mr Khatami, quoted on Iranian websites, said millions of Iranians had lost faith in the electoral process.
The Iranian opposition, including Mr Khatami and the defeated presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi, say the election was rigged.
Only the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, can organise a referendum.
He has already declared the elections, won by the incumbent, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, as valid.
Thousands of opposition supporters took to the streets after the poll results were announced, to protest against what they saw as mass fraud.
At least 20 people are thought to have died during weeks of clashes.
The authorities banned all gatherings and the protests have died down in recent weeks. </p
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Khatami calls for Iran referendum
July 20th, 2009 |
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The former president of Iran, Mohammad Khatami, has called for a referendum on the legitimacy of the government, following June’s disputed elections.
Mr Khatami, quoted on Iranian websites, said millions of Iranians had lost faith in the electoral process.
The Iranian opposition, including Mr Khatami and the defeated presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi, say the election was rigged.
Only the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, can organise a referendum.
He has already declared the elections, won by the incumbent, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, as valid.
Thousands of opposition supporters took to the streets after the poll results were announced, to protest against what they saw as mass fraud.
At least 20 people are thought to have died during weeks of clashes.
The authorities banned all gatherings and the protests have died down in recent weeks. </p
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Iceland ready for EU accession vote
July 16th, 2009 |
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Iceland’s marathon debate over joining the European Union is nearing the finish line, with parliament preparing to put the issue to a vote. Should the motion succeed in the 63-seat Althing, the government intends to put the final say to a referendum.
Fighting ends Zimbabwe meeting
July 13th, 2009 |
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By Jonah Fisher
BBC News, Johannesburg
Zimbabwe is expected to take another step towards the drafting of a new constitution.
Several thousand politicians and civic leaders are to attend a Stakeholders’ Conference in Harare.
After a public consultation, the new constitution will be put to a referendum, according to the country’s power-sharing agreement.
Once a charter is in place Zimbabwe is expected to have another attempt at holding a free and fair election.
Monday’s meeting is supposed to begin the process of consulting the Zimbabwean people about their new constitution.
Battle lines drawn
Thousands of representatives from civil society are expected to meet with politicians in Harare to plot the way forward.
The battle lines have already been drawn between the two main partners in Zimbabwe’s coalition government, which was inaugurated in February.
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change is calling for this to be a genuine public process – with ordinary people given a real say in drafting the document.
President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu-PF wants the constitution based on what is called the Kariba Draft, which was drawn up by the parties last year.
But that draft’s critics it say gives the president too much executive power.
If all goes according to schedule a period of public consultation will be followed by a referendum on the new constitution this time next year.</p
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.