Nicolás Maduro, the simultaneously reviled and celebrated socialist President of Venezuela, is facing another contested vote in November’s upcoming regional elections, according to CNN. The rise and fall of Maduro’s political legitimacy parallel that of other populist leaders in Latin America, but recent events indicate that Maduro may finally achieve the legitimacy he desires.
Read MorePrime Minister of North Macedonia Zoran Zaev has resigned after his party suffered a historic defeat in local elections on October 31, according to the Associated Press.
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Czech voters gave Prime Minister Andrej Babiš a narrow surprise defeat on Saturday, October 9 during the country’s general election. Babiš and his party, ANO 2011, lost after the two partner parties in his coalition, the Communist and Social Democratic parties, failed to get elected according to the proportional representation system used to elect the lower chambers.
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On October 10, Iraq held their sixth parliamentary election since the fall of Saddam Hussein after the United States-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, reports The New York Times. The parliamentary election decides the 329 members of the Council of Representatives who elect Iraq’s president and confirm the prime minister.
Read MoreFollowing the announcement of the retirement of Angela Merkel, Germany held a federal election on September 26, 2021, the first without its Chancellor in almost 16 years. According to the Guardian Germany uses a system in which voters cast two votes, one directly for a representative and another for a party.
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The presidency of Jair Bolsonaro, the conservative populist who has been president of Brazil since 2016, is under challenge, as opposition protests held across the country this week are calling for his impeachment. According to MercoPress, reports indicate that his support nationwide is dwindling, with national opinion polling placing him in the 22 to 30 percent approval range, with elections being scheduled for next year.
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Voters in Ecuador elected Guillermo Lasso, a conservative banker, to serve as president for the next four years. Lasso won the runoff election with just 52.5 percent of the votes, reports The Economist, after claiming a spot in the runoff with a lead of a half a percentage point.
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On March 8, Thailand’s Bangkok Criminal Court detained three pro-democracy activists on the charge of insulting the monarchy, according to Human Rights Watch. Al Jazeera states that 15 other protesters were indicted over attending anti-government rallies on charges of sedition and disobeying a ban on public assemblies.
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In a recent ruling, the Supreme Court of Brazil overturned the corruption conviction of former two-term President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (Lula), according to BBC News. The conviction was related to the massive anti-corruption investigation known as “Operation Car Wash” that exposed the largest corruption scandal in Latin America. The Supreme Court, however, ruled that Lula’s conviction was invalid because the court he was tried in lacked jurisdiction.
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the country’s longest serving prime minister, has been charged with three counts of corruption. According to BBC News, Netanyahu is accused of fraud and a breach of trust. His opponents allege that he accepted expensive gifts, such as cigars and wines, from billionaire businessmen.
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