Full Coverage: Politics

28.04.2008 Nepal Maoists owe their impressive performance in the recently held elections to the support of the marginalised communities. It is now up to the former rebels to prove themselves and come up to the expectations of these people whose interests have long been ignored in the past.

24.04.2008 With the emergence of the Maoists as the largest party in Nepal's Constituent Assembly, the group today held consultations with donor agencies about aid for the government the party will lead.
From Kantipur.com

23.04.2008 Come May 10 and Burmese citizens will vote to endorse a constitution that took a decade and a half to be drafted. The military junta, however, seems to have its own plans to swing the tide in its favour.

18.04.2008 ASUNCION, Apr 17 (IPS) - An indigenous woman has an excellent chance of winning a seat in Congress for the first time in the history of Paraguay, in Sunday's general elections.

17.04.2008 Bowing to the demands of people with disabilities in India, Karnataka’s Election Commission has decided to build ramps at all polling booths and provide Braille-equipped voting machines in the upcoming assembly elections. But this is the fulfillment of just one demand out of many.

16.04.2008 To bring their bilateral relations back on track, India and Bangladesh flagged off the Maitree (Friendship) Express on April 14, 2008 after more than four decades, coinciding with the Bangla new year. The two countries had suspended cross-border passenger rail service after the 1965 Indo-Pak war.

15.04.2008 That they would be a force to reckon with, nobody denied. But they would do well in the polls has come as a surprise. The results declared so far in Nepal’s Constituent Assembly elections indicate that ensuring a simple majority for the Maoists is now almost a certainty.

12.04.2008 WASHINGTON, Apr 11 (OneWorld) - African development experts here are cautiously optimistic that Zimbabwe's election process, while still disputed, will bring about historic change for the country's 12 million people.

11.04.2008 Even in his criticism of the Chinese authorities in handling the current standoff in Tibet, the Dalai Lama never lost his composure. In a recent interview, the Tibetan spiritual leader has reiterated his stand that he wants a ‘meaningful autonomy’ for the protection and preservation of Tibetan ecology and culture.

10.04.2008 ASUNCION, Apr 10 (IPS) - For the first time in Paraguayan history, a woman is running for president in the elections on Apr. 20, as the candidate of the Colorado Party, which has governed this country continuously for 61 years.

10.04.2008 Nepal’s historic poll began early this morning. About 17.6 million eligible voters will have a choice to elect a Constituent Assembly that will decide the fate of the 240-year old Shah dynasty in the country.

09.04.2008 Nepal has sealed its border with India ahead of polling for security reasons. At least 20 people are reported to have died in election-related violence, including yesterday’s killing of a candidate from a prominent party. Final preparations are on with poll officials reaching 21,000 polling stations dotting the country.

08.04.2008 Cadres of Maoists and other political parties in Nepal continued to clash with each other until the last day of campaigning. Over 200 poll-related incidents of violence in the last one month have been recorded. It is now to be seen how peacefully the elections take place on April 10.

07.04.2008 Campaign is in full swing for the historic April 10 Constituent Assembly polls in Nepal. In its final assessment report, the UN has urged political groups to refrain from violent and intimidating tactics. The report also says that there have been attempts to buy votes using state resources.

02.04.2008 Amnesty International has released details of prison sentences handed out by the Myanmar junta to 40 protestors. Three have been sentenced for giving water to monks on streets. The action is politically motivated and negates people’s peaceful exercise of their human rights, says the international rights body.