Uribe Forever or ’Soul Persuasion’?

Colombia in the Year Before the Election

In the run-up to the parliamentary and presidential elections that are scheduled to take place successively in the spring of 2010, there is one question which agitates all Colombia: how will president Uribe secure his candidature for yet another time? The political parties feel uncertain because they lack this information, which is crucial for their campaign. A word from the president’s palace would be enough, but the head of state observes strict silence.

Ecuador´s ´Civic Revolution´ Before Its Stress Test

Rafael Correa´s Political Projekt Between Pretention and Reality

52 percent of the electorate confirmed Rafael Correa as Ecuador’s head of state on April 26th this year. The losers of the presidential elections in the Andean state are Lucio Gutiérrez of the Partido Sociedad Patriótica (PSP) at 28.2 and Alvaro Noboa of the Partido Renovador Institucional Acción Nacional (PRIAN) at 11.4 percent. Charges of electoral fraud as well as technical errors have so far delayed the announcement of the composition of the future Asamblea Nacional in Quito.

Editorial

Ausgabe 5-6/2009 der Auslandsinformationen der Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung

Iran´s Tenth Presidential Elections

It was evident even in the run-up to the presidential elections of June 12 that Iran was facing a decision about its political orientation. After two former presidents, Mr. Rafsandjani and Mr. Khatami, had tried to open up Iran both politically and economically, Mr. Ahmadinejad went into reverse, uttering polemics against the West and suppressing the freedom of opinion as well as the opposition.

Panama Has Voted: After Torrijos Comes Martinelli

On May 3 of this year, the Panamanians elected their next president, their next parliament, the members of the corregimientos – the lowest tier in the country’s administrative hierarchy – and Panama’s representatives in the Central American Parliament. At nearly 60 percent of the vote, the outstanding winner of the presidential election was Ricardo Martinelli of the Cambio Democrático (CD).

Parliamentary Elections in India - Voters Favour Clarity in Politics and a Secular State

India’s new parliament was elected from April 16 to May 13 this year. The contest for representation on the Lok Sabah, the lower house of India, was joined by nine national, 47 state and 500 minor and/or regional parties. 714 million Indians were called upon to cast their vote on a total of five days. The strongest party to emerge with 206 seats in parliament was Congress (INC), which now forms the government. The Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) came in second.

Report on the Presidential Elections in Mongolia on May 24, 2009

On May 24 of this year, the Mongolians elected their next president. A total of 1.5 million registered voters had to choose between two candidates: the current incumbent, N. Enkhbayar of the Mongolian Revolutionary People’s Party (MRPP), and his challenger, Ts. Elbegdorj, who was standing for an opposition alliance consisting of the Democratic Party (DP), the Civil Will Republican Party (CWRP), and the Civic Alliance Party (Greens).

Russia´s Iran Policy Against the Background of Tehran´s Nuclear Programme

On June 27 this year, when demonstrators took to the streets of Tehran to vent their fury at the official result of the recent parliamentary elections, the foreign secretaries of NATO and their Russian counterpart, Mr Lavrov, decided to resume work in the NATO-Russia Council. NATO’s leaders have come to appreciate by now that suspending activities was a mistake; it has become clear that solving security-policy problems is impossible without involving the Russian side.

The Importance of Improving African Competitiveness

There are several reasons why Africa should endeavour to improve its competitiveness: to begin with, Africans are not competing against each other for shares in the global market; rather, the continent as a whole should strive to secure its position on the global export and service markets. In this context, it is important to know not only what is happening in one’s own neighbourhood but also what strategies are being pursued by other countries.

The Lake Kivu Consensus

An Agenda for a Competitive Africa

Today, the only way a country can suffer real injustice at the hands of the global economy is by being excluded from it. Reforming for competitiveness has thus emerged as a leading African priority. There is no one path to a competitive economy. But all countries that aspire to a future beyond aid must diagnose and remedy the shortcomings that limit their participation in global trade.