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Election Commission reviews Haryana assembly election arrangements

September 6, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Chandigarh, Sep 5 (ANI): The Election Commission (EC) on Saturday visited Haryana and met leaders of various political parties to review arrangements being made prior to the Haryana Assembly elections scheduled to be held on October 13.

Chief Election Commissioner Navin Chawla, Election Commissioner S Y Quraishi and Assistant Election Commissioner Alok Shukla met leaders of Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party, Communist Party of India(M), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD)and Indian National Lok Dal (INLD).

Congress Secretary Rajinder Singh Saini represented the party in the meeting and assured the EC that Congress was committed to follow its directions.

Meanwhile, INLD General Secretary Ajay Chautala and BSP’s state President Parkash Bharti said that the EC should conduct polls through ballot papers instead of electronic voting machines to have a fair election.

According to reports, the EC also held a meeting with the Divisional Commissioners, Inspector Generals of Police (Ambala, Hissar, Rohtak and Gurgaon), Commissioners of Police (Gurgaon and Faridabad) and District Magistrates and Superintendents of Police of 21 districts. (ANI)

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Western envoys expect run-off in Afghanistan election

September 3, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Paris, Sep. 3 (ANI): Western envoys to Afghanistan have said that their respective governments should “be prepared for a run-off” in the Afghanistan presidential election if too many votes are ruled “irregular.”

If no candidate gets more than 50 percent of the vote, a run-off between the top two vote getters will be held. The latest results show that incumbent president Hamid Karzai has 47.3 percent of the vote with more than 60 percent of the ballots counted.

The meeting of German, French, British, UN, and US envoys to Afghanistan here was regarded as a show of unity and support in the midst of an Afghan mission seen as unpopular in Europe and dubbed by some US media as “Mr. Obama’s war.”

In European circles, the meeting was also seen as an effort to pressure Afghan President Karzai in the wake of some 1,000 complaints of ballot stuffing and fraud now under review, and to garner support for US efforts to target of irregular election behavior and corruption, the Christian Science Monitor reports.

Hosted by French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, the gathering also included British envoy Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles, Germany’s Bernd Mutzelburg, US envoy Richard Holbrooke, Karl Eide of the UN, and 22 other representatives.

The Afghanistan Election Commission is now going through nearly 1,000 complaints, of which 600 have been addressed, the envoys said – predicting they would finish the process by September 17. (ANI)

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U.S.-Afghan ties strained over election: NYT

August 29, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

New York, Aug.29 (ANI): Reports of widespread fraud in the second presidential elections in Afghanistan have introduced an unwanted strain in the relationship between Kabul and the United States.

Afghanistan’s Electoral Complaints Commission said Friday that it had received over 2,000 complaints of fraud or abuse in last week’s election.

Karzai’s biggest rival and former foreign minister, Abdullah Abdullah, showed reporters video of a local election chief in one polling station stuffing ballot boxes.

The vote count has progressed very slowly in Afghanistan – as of Friday, preliminary results with 17 percent of the vote in gave Karzai 44 percent and Abdullah 35 percent. If no candidate wins 50 percent of the vote, a runoff must be held between the top two candidates.

For US President Barack Obama, who is on vacation here in Martha’s Vineyard, and his administration, it is the worst of all possible outcomes.

According to the New York Times, administration officials have made no secret of their growing disenchantment with Karzai, who is viewed by the West as having so compromised himself to try to get elected – including striking deals with accused drug dealers and warlords for political gain.

But Karzai has shrewdly managed to turn that disenchantment to an advantage, portraying himself at home as the only political candidate willing to stand up to the dictates of the United States, according to Western officials.

Last week, Karzai and Richard C. Holbrooke, Obama’s special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, are said to have had a heated interaction in Kabul over the way the elections may have been manipulated.

Holbrooke said that while Washington is maintaining a neutral position on the polls, did express concern about the complaints about fraud and ballot-box stuffing.

Holbrooke is also said to have demanded a runoff election in what one report characterized as the “explosive” meeting with Karzai.

Obama administration officials accused Karzai’s agents of leaking to the news media select portions of the exchange between the two men, in order to make it look as if Washington is trying to force the rightful winner of the Afghan presidential elections – Karzai – into holding a runoff to satisfy American demands.

Whatever the case, the atmosphere may now have become so poisoned between the United States and Karzai that the Obama administration will be hampered no matter what course it takes. (ANI)

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IAF pilots brave bullets from Naxals to facilitate ballot

May 14, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

New Delhi, May 14 (ANI): Facilitating the unenviable task of conducting the electoral process, the Indian Air Force (IAF) pressed into service two IL-76, four AN-32 transport aircraft, 25 medium-lift helicopters and four Chetak helicopters during the just concluded elections.

The helicopters drawn from 13 different IAF airbases across the country were provided to Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Nagaland, Tripura, Orissa, West Bengal, Jammu and Kashmir and the Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

While flying over most areas for poll-related duties may seem routine, sorties over the naxal affected regions for some pilots proved anything else but routine.

For the Mi-17 crew of Squadron Leader R Dhobhal and Flying Officer K Prakash, facilitating the battle of ballot in their call of duty also turned out to be an experience of facing bullets fired by naxals.

The incident occurred on April 16, at Binagonda in Gadchiroli District, bordering Chhattisgarh in Maharashtra.

Tasked with airlifting a polling party of five members and EVMs, the Mi-17 crew was airborne from nearby Aheri to pick up the election officials from Binagonda and drop them at Laheri, a mere five-minutes flying-time away.

“The additional superintendent of police, Laheri, Jayakumar and I were overseeing the loading of the men and EVMs when I heard the burst of fire through the din of the rotating rotors,” said Squadron Leader Dhobhal, a veteran of two UN missions, where he had honed his skills in dealing with such scenarios.

“Getting away quickly for safety of the crew, passengers and the aircraft was all that was on my mind. In less than 15 seconds, we were clear of the helipad,” he added.

A closer inspection on landing revealed a bullet hole made by a 7.62 mm calibre bullet in the tail boom of the helicopter.

The aircraft was repaired and safely ferried back to Nagpur. No major damage was done and the quick response of the vigilant crew averted what could have resulted in a major mishap.

It may be recalled that last year on November 14, the IAF lost an aircrew when Maoist rebels fired at their Mi-8 helicopter during a similar poll-related flying task in Pedia in Bastar region of Chhattisgarh.

By the end of the last phase of elections on May 13, the IAF altogether undertook a total of 930 sorties and 780 hours were flown towards election task that included airlifting 6792 passengers, 137 tons of election material and 436 electronic voting machines.

In an unprecedented airlift effort undertaken by the IAF’s transport fleet, two IL-76 and four AN-32 aircraft airlifted 3234 central para military forces from Imphal to Kalaikunda in three days, from April 26-28.

As in the past, the significant role of IAF helicopters pilots has come in for fulsome praise and their contribution acknowledged by the Ministry of Defence, Home and the State governments.

N Gopalaswami, former Chief Election Commissioner just ahead of his retirement on April 20, also appreciated the important contribution of the IAF in the conduct of the elections, this year. (ANI)

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Christopher Hill set to be US ambassador to Iraq

April 21, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

WASHINGTON: The US Senate on Monday cleared the last major obstacle to veteran diplomat Christopher Hill’s confirmation as US ambassador to Iraq,
voting to end debate on his embattled nomination.

The 73-17 vote set the stage for a final confirmation ballot as early as Tuesday or Wednesday, when Hill, the US representative to six-party talks on North Korea’s nuclear problems, was all but certain to get the green light to go to Baghdad.

Despite overwhelming support from President Barack Obama’s Democratic allies and many Republicans, Hill’s nomination stalled on opposition from Republican Senator Sam Brownback, who forced Monday’s so-called cloture vote.

But lawmakers — even some who expressed reservations about Hill getting the post — said the United States could not go without an ambassador to Baghdad at what was seen as a critical time in Iraq.

“We need an ambassador in Iraq. We need it desperately,” said Republican Senator Saxby Chambliss, who had been guarded about the nomination.

Republican Senator Richard Lugar, an early and influential supporter of the nomination, said the North Korea talks had shown Hill could manage regional politics like those that will shape Iraq’s future.

“We must seek to reassure allies and send adversaries a clear message that the United States remains committed to regional stability and has no intention of leaving a vacuum in Iraq that can be exploited,” said Lugar, the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

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Rebel ambush kills policeman in Indonesia’s Papua

April 16, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Jakarta – Separatist rebels ambushed a police truck in Indonesia’s Papua province Wednesday, killing one officer and wounding five others, state media reported.

The officers were travelling in Jayawijaya district to pick up ballot boxes from last week’s elections when they were attacked, Papua police chief Bagus Eko Danto said, according to the Antara news agency.

One officer died while being airlifted to the provincial capital Jayapura, Bagus said.

Last week, five people were killed in separate attacks blamed on rebels hours before Indonesians went to the polls for legislative elections.

Police said at least five migrants from other parts of Indonesia have been killed since last month in attacks by suspected separatists.

Papua, home to a low-level separatist insurgency, has seen a surge in violence this year. Independence supporters have also staged rallies since last month demanding a referendum on self-determination for the predominantly Christian region.

Papua was a Dutch colony and remained one after 1949 when Indonesia gained independence. In 1961, Indonesia invaded Papua, sparking a brief war with the Netherlands.

The United Nations intervened, and ceded Papua to Indonesia in 1962. It formally became part of Indonesia seven years later, after a referendum that Jakarta was accused of manipulating. (dpa)

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Bouteflika wins third term as Algerian president

April 11, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

By Lamine Chikhi and Hamid Ould Ahmed

ALGIERS (Reuters) – President Abdelaziz Bouteflika took 90.24 percent of the vote in a presidential election to win a third five-year term as leader of Algeria, an oil producer with a lingering Islamist insurgency.

An opposition party which had called for a boycott of the polls alleged fraud on an “industrial scale” and a newspaper reported rioting east of the capital — a reminder of the anger over poverty and unemployment felt in parts of the country.

Announcing the result on Friday, Algerian Interior Minister Noureddine Yazid Zerhouni said: “This is a victory for the Algerian nation as it builds democracy.”

A close Bouteflika ally, Zerhouni said that if there were any voting irregularities they could not have had a significant effect on the result in the vast Muslim country that lies across the Mediterranean from the European Union.

The newspaper El Watan said on its website people protesting against the result blocked roads with burning tires and clashed with police in Kabylie province east of Algiers. The report could not immediately be confirmed.

The mountainous province has a history of anti-government protests. Two police officers were injured in an explosion at a polling station there during voting on Thursday.

Algeria cooperates with the United States in its fight against al Qaeda. U.S. State Department spokesman Richard Aker acknowledged some concern about fraud allegations, but said: “We are looking forward to working with President Bouteflika.”

Victory for Bouteflika, 72, a veteran of Algeria’s war of independence from France, was never in doubt. He faced only lightweight rivals in the ballot and had a well-funded campaign.

Election officials put turnout at just over 74 percent, higher than in the last presidential vote and a sign that many of Algeria’s 34 million people ignored the opposition calls for a boycott.

“The high turnout means that the supporters of the boycott have neither political nor social influence,” said Mohamed Lagab, professor of political science at Algiers University.

FRAUD ALLEGATIONS

Algerian lawmakers cleared the way for Bouteflika to stand for a third term by abolishing term limits, a move that critics said could allow him to serve as president for life.

The opposition Front of Socialist Forces accused the authorities of artificially inflating the turnout. “(There was) a real tsunami of massive fraud which reached an industrial scale,” the party said in a statement.

In its Friday edition, El Watan published a front-page caricature of Bouteflika with a crown on his head. “A coronation that surprised no one,” it said.

The election result matters to the outside world because Algeria, an OPEC member, has the world’s 15th largest oil reserves and accounts for 20 percent of the EU’s gas imports.

European governments fear turmoil in Algeria could led to a flood of illegal migrants.

Supporters say Bouteflika deserves credit for steering Africa’s second-largest country back to stability after the government and Islamists fought a civil conflict in which an estimated 150,000 people were killed in the 1990s.

Some sections of the population feel disenfranchised from the political process and analysts say that helps feed Algeria’s low-level Islamist insurgency, now affiliated to al Qaeda.

(Additional reporting by Washington bureau; Writing by Christian Lowe; Editing by Jonathan Wright )

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BJP launches ‘referendum’ on illegal money in Gujarat

April 11, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Ahmedabad, Apr 11 (ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday launched ‘referendum’ to seek people’s view about getting back the black money stashed by Indians in illegal accounts abroad.

The results of the two-day referendum, which is being carried out on the instructions of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, would be made public later.

Voters were seen exercising their franchise in the cardboard-made ‘ballot boxes’ here.

“It would be good if the black money comes back for the development of the country. As a common man, I have also exercised my franchise in this opinion poll conducted by the BJP,” said Kaushik Patel, spokesperson of BJP Gujarat unit.

BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Lal Krishna Advani vowed to get back the black money in illegal accounts abroad, as the party stepped up its campaign for good governance in the general election.

As per Advani, up to 1.5 trillion dollars are held by Indians abroad. Advani said this money could be used for development of the country.

Retrieving money has been a major issue in the G-20, as the major countries in the group called for a crackdown on tax havens.

The pledge was a highlight of the BJP’s manifesto, which also promised low taxes to boost India’s slowing economy.

Meanwhile, Ram Naik, senior BJP leader and party’s candidate from Mumbai North parliamentary constituency, campaigned in a train in Mumbai.

Naik, who will witness a straight fight with Congress nominee Sanjay Nirupam, accused the Central Government of ignoring the commuters of local trains by not reducing the fares.

“People will teach the Congress a lesson for their step-motherly treatment and ignorance of Mumbai train commuters. In the whole country rail fares have been reduced but not in local trains,” Naik said. (ANI)

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Teacher union’s Sats boycott threat

April 10, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Industrial action over Sats tests is expected to move a step closer this weekend. Skip related content
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Industrial action over Sats tests moves a step closer as NUT members are asked to vote
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Have your say: Education

The leader of the National Union of Teachers says she is confident its members will vote for a ballot.

Christine Blower, acting general secretary, said it was “extremely likely” that a vote on boycotting next year’s tests will be agreed.

But she added she still had some hope that the Government would scrap the tests and the union action could be avoided.

The NUT and the the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) announced last month that they plan to put an identical resolution before members calling for a boycott. They say that continuing the tests – in English, maths and science – beyond this year is “unacceptable”.

Speaking as the union’s annual conference was about to begin in Cardiff, Ms Blower said: “I think it’s extremely likely the motion will be accepted, the Executive has already agreed it. We still hold out some hope that we won’t have to do it.

“The announcement earlier this week that it’s not set in stone is a way forward towards getting rid of league tables and getting rid of testing.”

Schools Secretary Ed Balls said on Monday that he had “no intention” of abolishing testing for 11-year-olds, but added it was likely the current system would be reformed before next year.

Ms Blower urged Mr Balls to make further indications that the system will be reformed.

Ministers need to have the confidence and trust in teachers to carry out assessment, she said, adding that the union was not against testing completely.

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Italian government fails in bid to extend migrant detention period

April 9, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Rome – Italian lawmakers rejected a bid Wednesday to triple the amount of time illegal immigrants can be detained in holding centres, in a rare defeat for Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s ruling coalition.

In a narrow vote, opposition deputies – joined by some members of Berlusconi’s own conservative coalition – voted against extending the period from two months to six months.

The opposition amendment to a government security decree containing the provision won approval with 232 votes for and 225 against, in parliament’s lower-house Chamber of Deputies. There were 12 abstentions.

“I am incensed,” Interior Minister Roberto Maroni, one of the strongest proponents of the measure, said after the vote.

It amounted “to an amnesty for illegal immigrants and represents an irresistable call for more landings,” on Italy’s shores by those making clandestine crossings of the Mediterranean from North Africa, Maroni said.

The current limit of two months in which migrants can be detained at reception camps is insufficient to allow proper identification, which according to Maroni, is necessary to pave the way for their repatriation.

Maroni is a member of the anti-immigration Northern League, a party which says current procedures allow illegal immigrants to pass off as refugees eligible for asylum, thus avoiding expulsion from Italy.

Observers noted that in Wednesday’s secret ballot at least 17 members of Berlusconi’s conservative coalition must have voted in favour of the amendment which was tabled by the centre-left Democratic Party and centrist Catholics of the Union of Christian Democrats (UDC).

Government measures aimed at curbing illegal immigration including the prolonged detention of people in holding camps, has drawn criticism from the Catholic Church and human rights groups.

Earlier this year on the southern islet of Lampedusa, local residents joined would-be immigrants who had broken out from an overcrowded camp, to protest the government decision not to transfer migrants to other facilities elsewhere in Italy.

In Italy government decrees become effective immediately, but to remain in force for more than a few months they need to be approved by parliament. (dpa)

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‘Bullet shadow over ballot’

April 5, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Delhi Police Commissioner YS Dadwal on Thursday assured that “adequate security measures” for the upcoming elections are being taken, keeping in view the prevailing security scenario. “We have deployed Quick Reaction Teams and commandos.

Mobile patrolling across the city has also been intensified to keep a tight vigil before and during the Lok Sabha elections on May 7,” said Dadwal. The commissioner refused to comment about a letter that was received at the office of the Deputy Commissioner of Police, South Delhi, which threatened terror attacks in the Capital.

“I would not like to comment on individual inputs,” he said. The top brass of the Capital’s police on Thursday also held a meeting with police chiefs of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana for coordination during the elections.

Dadwal said the discussions focused on the smooth conduct of elections in the region bordering the Capital. “The officers deliberated upon the ways to enhance intelligence sharing and border checks between the states.

We share a cordial and constructive relationship with our neighbouring police forces,” Dadwal said. Security at the Indira Gandhi International Airport, however, is already on maximum alert, said Central Industrial Security Force spokesman Rohit Katiyar.

‘Snatching cases down in the Capital’ Dadwal also claimed that verification of motorcycles across the city had helped in reducing snatching cases involving motorcycles. “There has been a 30 per cent decrease in snatchings involving bikers in the city while robberies involving motorcycle-borne criminals have gone down 71 per cent,” said Dadwal.

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Voter card is just an identity proof for many

April 3, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

New Delhi, April 2 (IANS) Even as a large number of people, especially young first-time voters, are looking forward to casting their ballot, there are quite a few who are content to use their voter card just as a proof of identity.

‘I got my voter I-card made because it works as an identity proof in many places. I have no interest in politics and I’m not going to vote. I think choosing a leader in today’s political scene is like choosing bad from worse,’ Kanika Vanvari, a Delhi College of Engineering student, told IANS.

‘After listening to Varun Gandhi’s hate speech and nomination of criminals by political parties, I don’t want to vote. I think people should abstain from voting and teach these politicians a lesson,’ said another student, Teena Jha.

‘I am happy enough to have my voter ID as an identity proof during identity verification in different institutes or while renting a house or getting an internet connection. It is better than having to vote for a candidate you don’t really believe in.’

Similarly, for Sarita Devi, who works as a domestic maid, getting her voter I-card this time has come as a huge relief – not because she wants to exercise her franchise but because having an identity proof makes life more convenient.

‘My husband and I migrated from Darbhanga (Bihar) to Delhi six years ago. But without any identity and residential proof things have been very difficult. Sometimes they ask for identity proof in the homes that I go to work in and I don’t have anything to show. Even getting a mobile phone connection is difficult. So getting this voter ID is a boon,’ she said.

But when asked if she will use her card to vote this time, Sarita Devi sounded hesitant.

‘I don’t know. I have no idea about politics and whom should I vote for? In any case, whether it is a new government or new leader, for the poor things hardly change. If they did, I would not be working here. They (politicians) all make empty promises.’

No wonder then that one of the primary concerns of Delhi chief electoral officer Satbir Silas Bedi is to motivate people, especially those who are already registered in the electoral rolls, to come out and vote.

‘One of the most pressing problems is that people who are registered and have valid voter I-cards don’t cast their votes. They use the I-card for all other purposes, as an identity proof in airports, to get phone connections, but not for what it’s meant,’ Bedi told IANS.

Bedi said that in the Delhi assembly elections in November last year, of the 10.6 million people eligible to vote, four million did not. Of those four million, 2.5 million had valid voter I-cards.

But there are many people like Vandana Khavadiya, a final year journalism student, who believe that each vote counts.

‘Even though I think politics is a dirty game, I can’t ignore my responsibilities as a citizen. I will make sure that I vote since this is the first time for me. Each vote counts. My voter I-card is just not an official document I use for availing myself of different services but is primarily meant for exercising my right to choose my own leader,’ Khavadiya said.

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Politicians, not voters to blame for rising anti-political culture in UK

March 11, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, Mar.11 (ANI): Two leading experts have said that they will argue at a debate at the forthcoming Economic and Social Research Council’s Festival of Social Science (March 6 to 15) that the blame for the rise of an anti-political culture in Britain rests with politicians not with voters.

Politics has become “depoliticised” because key decisions have been sub-contracted to independent bodies immune from scrutiny, according to Colin Hay of Sheffield University and Gerry Stoker of Southampton University.

Hay and Stoker, acknowledged authorities on British politics and government, will explain the sources of the current political disaffection and offer ideas for what might be done to re-engage citizens in democratic politics in front of an audience on March 12 at the event at the Showroom Cinema, Paternoster Row, Sheffield.

Titled ‘Re-engaging citizens in democratic politics’, the evening event aims to create an interactive debate between the presenters and members of the audience.

Professor Hay, author of Why We Hate Politics, said that he and Professor Stoker, author of the award-winning book Why Politics Matters, will give brief presentations, before giving the audience an opportunity to debate.

“The event is designed to stimulate a lively discussion, about what might be done to re-animate our polities and to re-engage citizens in democratic politics, especially the young ones whose levels of participation are currently the lowest,” he says.

Their views assume significance in the wake of voter turnout at the 2001 and 2005 General Elections being 59.5 percent and 61.4 percent of the electorate respectively, the lowest ballot box participation since the Second World War.

Hay and Stoker will tell the audience that politicians are wrong to blame the contemporary political disaffection on a decline in civic virtue or on political apathy.

“Politicians offload decisions to others because they no longer trust themselves to govern effectively and in the collective interest,” says Stoker.

“Electoral competition has increasingly been reduced to the level of a beauty content between candidates whose claim to distinctiveness is based less and less on differences in political conviction and a substantive policy platform,” says Hay.

“If we are to reanimate and revitalize our politics, then we need to recreate the space for public and visible decision-making. In short we need to recreate the space for politics.” (ANI)

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Workers at TATA-owned Jaguar vote for a pay freeze

March 6, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, Mar.6 (ANI): Workers at TATA-owned car giant Jaguar Land Rover have voted to accept a shorter working week and a one-year pay freeze to avoid compulsory job cuts.

Members of Unite and the GMB unions accepted the deal – 70 percent to 30 percent – after being urged to vote in favour by union officials.

The deal was thrashed out between union leaders and the company, which has cut around 1,800 agency, production and management jobs in recent months because of the downturn in the motor industry.

Workers at the company’s sites, including Castle Bromwich and Solihull in the West Midlands and Halewood on Merseyside, took part in the ballot on the deal, which is aimed at saving up to 70 million pounds in costs.

The deal involves cutting the working week to four days, while pay will be frozen for one year in order to ensure continued production and avoid compulsory redundancies. (ANI)

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Militancy poses a direct threat to Pak democracy: Zardari

February 18, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Islamabad, Feb.18 (ANI): Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari has said Pakistan is facing a difficult situation as terrorist groups want to impose their agenda across the country, thus posing a direct threat to democracy.

Speaking on the occasion of first anniversary of the general election here, Zardari urged his countrymen to unite and fight against the threat.

“A great threat to democracy comes from militancy and militants who want to impose their political and ideological agenda through bullet, instead of ballot. We must stand united and not let them succeed,” The Daily Times quoted Zardari, as saying.

Zardari vowed not to let dictatorship take charge of the country again, and urged all leaders to work for the establishment of peace in the region.

On this day, let us reiterate our commitment to preserve, protect and enhance democracy. Let us vow not to let anyone usurp the rights of the people and not to let dictatorship strike again,” he said.

“We must all join hands to make parliament – the embodiment of the will of the people – truly strong and supreme,” Zardari concluded. (ANI)

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Government against introduction of negative vote concept in elections

January 28, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

New Delhi, Jan.28 (ANI): The Centre has informed the Supreme Court that there was no question of amending the law to introduce a provision allowing a voter to cast a negative vote during elections.

Additional Solicitor General Amarendra Sharan, appearing before a Bench of Justices B. N. Aggrawal and G. S. Singhvi, opposed a plea to amend the law to incorporate such a provision.

Sharan asserted before the Bench that the existing system of polling was in no way violative of the Constitution, as was being alleged.

The Centre mentioned that just as a voter holds the right to vote, he or she has also the choice of refraining from voting or going to the polling booth.

Peoples Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) had filed a PIL in 2004 seeking separate slots in electronic voting machines (EVMs) to give a voter the option of “none of the above”, if he or she does not want to vote for any of the candidates standing in an election.

Despite the Centre opposing the suggestion, the Election Commission in a separate affidavit has stated that it had written to the Union Government as early as in Dec. 12, 2001 recommending such a provision.

According to the Election Commission, it was for the Centre to make amendments to the Representation of Peoples Act for incorporating the provision, as the EC has no powers to decide such issues on its own.

Under the existing provisions of Sections 49(O) and 128 of the Representation of Peoples Act, a voter, who after coming to a polling booth if does not want to cast his vote, has to inform the presiding officer of his intention not to vote, who in turn would make an entry in the relevant rule book after taking the signature of the said voter.

According to the Peoples Union for Civil Liberties, the Section 49(O) was violative of the Constitutional provisions guranteed under Article 19 (1( (a) (Freedom of Speech and Expression) and Article 21 (Right to Liberty) and violated the secret ballot concept.

In other words, it was claimed that if the presiding officer is informed about the intention not to vote, the voter might become vulnerable to intimidation and harassment by the candidates.

Rejecting the PUCL argument, the Centre has maintained that the concept of secret ballot system was relevant only to the Presidential election involving Members of Parliament.

According to Sharan, the election of the President has to be held by means of secret ballot as per clause (3) of Article 55 of the Constitution, whereas for elections to the State Legislatures and Parliament there is no such constitutional requirement.

The Centre submitted that the National Commission to Review the Working of the Constitution had earlier examined the issue of introducing negative votes slots in EVMs but decided not to press for the same as it was not practical.

“It may be unrealistic to expect a reasonable percentage of voters to come simply to say that they do not wish to vote for any of the candidates,” the Centre said.

It said that the exercise would be expensive as a lot of effort would have to be made to motivate people to stand in queues to cast negative votes. Stating that there was no public interest involved in the petition filed by the PUCL, the Centre urged the Apex court to dismiss it.

The arguments in the case would resume on Thursday. It lasted over five hours on Wednesday. (ANI)

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Actors need not be voted for Oscars according to categories they are in

January 9, 2009 By Rajiv Gupta Leave a Comment

Washington, Jan 8 (ANI): It has been revealed that voters for both the Oscars and the SAG awards need not vote for the actors according to the categories the studios have put them in.

The voters can, as per reports, elevate an actor from supporting to lead or send a lead down to supporting, as they see fit.

“It has always (at least in modern history) been the case that it is up to the individual Academy member voter to determine if a performance is lead or supporting,” Fox News quoted an Oscar insider as saying.

“They are provided a list of ALL eligible performers and then they write them in under the category they wish to nominate for. There is a letter that advises them of this which accompanies the actual ballot.

“The studios/distributors/marketers/etc. can advertise and promote performers however they wish to, but our members are not in any way bound to follow that,” the insider added. (ANI)

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Tom Cruise, Mark Wahlberg, Keanu Reeves up for Worst Actor gong at Razzies

January 8, 2009 By Rajiv Gupta Leave a Comment

Washington, Jan 8 (ANI): Hollywood stars Tom Cruise, Mark Wahlberg and Keanu Reeves are up for the Worst Actor dishonour at this year”s Golden Raspberry Awards.

Cruise has been nominated for his role in ‘Valkyrie’, Wahlberg for ‘The Happening’ and Reeves for ‘The Day The Earth Stood Still’.

Paris Hilton, Jessica Alba, Reese Witherspoon and Diane Keaton are up for the Worst Actress gong, reports Contactmusic.

The ballot nominations also feature ‘Meet The Spartan’, ‘Speed Racer’, ‘High School Musical 3’, ‘The Happening’, ‘Meet Dave’ and Paris Hilton”s ‘The Hottie & The Nottie’ as the Worst Film nods.

The final nominations for the awards will be released on 21 January (09). (ANI)

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Bush’s absence in election season reflects unpopularity

November 5, 2008 By Rajiv Gupta Leave a Comment

Washington – US President George W Bush has been a no-show on the campaign trail as the election season comes to a close, with Republicans worried that his unpopularity will hurt their chances with voters heading to the ballot box on Tuesday.

Bush has not made any public campaign appearances with Senator John McCain or any other Republican running for office in the past few months, limiting his role to a handful of fundraisers behind closed doors.

As the campaign wrapped up over the weekend and McCain was working fervently to close the gap with Democrat Barack Obama, Bush spent his time at the Camp David presidential retreat away from the spotlight. He has no public appearances scheduled for Monday or Tuesday.

“We’re realistic about the political environment that we are in,” White House spokeswoman Dana Perino told reporters Monday. “We’re not immune to the questions that you ask almost daily about popularity approval ratings. We’re aware of it.”

Bush’s job approval ratings have been stuck in the mid-20 per cent range during the last year, hampered by the war in Iraq despite strong signs of progress and by the economic crisis that led to national and worldwide turmoil ahead of the elections. His ratings are the lowest since Richard Nixon.

Bush has been the focus of Democratic attacks throughout the campaign season. Obama ties McCain’s policies to the current president. Democrats challenging Republican seats in Congress exploit their opponents’ legislative records of voting with the White House.

McCain has also been critical of the Bush administration as he seeks to distance himself from the White House, and rebuked Obama in a final October presidential debate for his continued efforts to portray Bush and himself as one and the same.

“Senator Obama, I’m not President Bush,” McCain said. “If you wanted to run against President Bush, you should have run four years ago.”

No sitting president who completed two terms has been so devoid of campaign appearances for his party. Ronald Reagan campaigned aggressively for George Bush’s successful 1988 campaign and Bill Clinton hit the stump for Al Gore in 2000.

Bush even voted for McCain through an absentee ballot rather than show up at a polling booth in Texas. Perino said Bush has closely followed the presidential campaign as well as congressional races, but is comfortable with not playing a role after 14 years of campaigns dating back to his days as governor of his home state.

The president has been focused on his economic recovery plans to ensure he hands over the reigns of government with the country in the best situation possible, and is preparing for a summit this month with leaders of 20 countries to address the global financial crisis, Perino said.

Bush has reconciled his lagging numbers in the polls with his convictions that he always led true to his values to do what he believed was best for the United States and national security, even if the “tough decisions” he made no longer sit well with the public.

“Everybody would like to be popular,” Perino said. “We can all remember that back in high school, everyone really wanted to be popular – and some of us just weren’t.” (dpa)

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