Drama behind the 2020 elections results

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Drama behind the 2020 elections results - Stabroek News

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Last August 2 was the fourth anniversary of the declaration of the outcome of the March 2, 2020 elections.

The article Drama behind the 2020 elections results appeared first on Stabroek News.

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April 2007 national elections—the country’s first transition from one democratically elected president to another—were marred by widespread allegations of fraud, ballot stuffing, violence, and chaos. Just days before the election, the Supreme Court ruled that the election commission’s decision to remove from the ballot Vice President Atiku Abubakar, a leading candidate and a bitter rival of President Olusegun Obsanjo, was illegal. Ballots were reprinted, but they only showed party symbols rather than the names of candidates. Umaru Yar’Adua, the candidate of the governing party, won the election in a landslide, taking more than 24.6 million votes. Second-place candidate Muhammadu Buhari tallied only about 6 million votes. International observers called the vote flawed and illegitimate. The chief observer for the European Union said the results “cannot be considered to have been credible.” An election tribunal ruled in Feb. 2008 that although the election was indeed flawed, the evidence of rigging was not substantial enough to overturn the election results.

The rebel group in Nigerias oil-producing region, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, declared a cease-fire in September. Since the insurgency broke out in 2004, Nigerias oil production has been significantly reduced, from about 2.5 million barrels a day to 1.5 million.

Deadly violence broke out in July 2009 in northeastern Nigeria between government troops and an obscure fundamentalist sect, Boko Haram, which is opposed to Western education and seeks to have Sharia law implemented throughout the country. The groups name translates to Western education is sinful. As many as 1,000 civilians died in the battles. The fighting began after militants attacked police stations and seemed to be preparing for a pitched religious war against the government. The police, followed by the army, retaliated and unleashed a five-day assault against the sect. The groups leader, Mohammed Yusuf, was killed in the campaign and the group was nearly decimated.

Belgian rider Remco Evenepoel returns from injury with hopes that he can challenge the likes Simon Yates and Egan Bernal in the Giro d'Italia.

The “Love and Hip Hop Atlanta” alumna recently sent a lifetime supply of shade over to her ex and father of her 3-year-old daughter Bonnie Bella, Stevie J. Instead of recognizing him for Father’s Day, she chose to honor her fiancé DJ Balistic Beats as the only father in her daughter’s life.

Hernandez took to Instagram on Sunday, June 21, and posted a series of photos that showed Beats and baby Bonnie Bella spending time together.

One Instagram user felt Hernandez was extremely disrespectful to Stevie J. and remarked: “Wooow this is wrong.

Last August, Stevie J. was awarded temporary custody of baby Bonnie after Hernandez reportedly violated their custody agreement.

Stevie J. has yet to comment on Hernandez’s Father’s Day post, but judging by the mother of one’s words, it seems she and the “Hitman” music producer are back at odds.

[FrontPageAfrica] Ganta -- A one-day demonstration fueled by some angry residents over the burning of a warehouse Tuesday paralyzed the commercial city of Ganta in Nimba County.

The first inhabitants of the region [now Equatorial Guinea] are believed to have been Pygmies, of whom only isolated pockets remain in northern Rio Muni. Bantu migrations between the 17th and 19th centuries brought the coastal tribes and later the Fang. Elements of Fang may have generated the Bubi, who immigrated to Bioko from Cameroon and Rio Muni in several waves and succeeded former Neolithic populations.

The Annobon population, native to Angola, was introduced by the Portuguese via Sao Tome.

The Portuguese explorer, Fernando Po (Fernao do Poo), seeking a route to India, is credited with having discovered the island of Bioko in 1471. He called it Formosa (pretty flower), but it quickly took on the name of its European discoverer [it is now known as Bioko]. The Portuguese retained control until 1778, when the island, adjacent islets, and commercial rights to the mainland between the Niger and Ogoue Rivers were ceded to Spain in exchange for territory in South America (Treaty of Pardo).

From 1827 to 1843, Britain established a base on the island to combat the slave trade. The Treaty of Paris settled conflicting claims to the mainland in 1900, and periodically, the mainland territories were united administratively under Spanish rule.

Spain lacked the wealth and the interest to develop an extensive economic infrastructure in what was commonly known as Spanish Guinea during the first half of this century.

Through a paternalistic system, particularly on Bioko Island, Spain developed large cacao plantations for which thousands of Nigerian workers were imported as laborers.

At independence in 1968, largely as a result of this system, Equatorial Guinea had one of the highest per capita incomes in Africa. The Spanish also helped Equatorial Guinea achieve one of the continents highest literacy rates and developed a good network of health care facilities.

[Dalsan Radio] The long-awaited Lower House elections for Somaliland members of parliament has kicked off in Mogadishu Monday after series of delays.

Joe Biden, the Democrat nominee, accused President Donald Trump on Monday of not wanting Americans, especially people of color, to vote in the upcoming general election.

Biden, who for weeks has argued a vote for the Democrat ticket is the only way to “end …

As flu season approaches, the V.I. Health Department is urging residents to prioritize their well-being by getting vaccinated against the flu virus, especially the elderly and young children who are the most susceptible to severe flu-related complications, the department announced.

MEDFORD, NEW JERSEY, USA, May 29, 2020 / EINPresswire.com / -- Today, Joulebook announced the release of their revolutionary skill marketplace across the USA.

Joulebook skill marketplace is a trusted space for people and businesses to buy and offer services, fostering an ecosystem for growth and success.

“If you are one of 35+ million Americans who have lost their job during Covid-19, Joulebook is perfect for you to get back up on your feet, by taking control of your income via participating in the skill marketplace.”

The ultimate goal of Joulebook is to help shape local communities by supporting better livelihoods where people can contribute their unique skills to others and customers can expect high quality work to reach goals.”

Service providers can start selling their skills through transparency and convenience while having Joulebook take care of the vexing front office and back office tasks such as: sales, on-demand scheduling, booking, communications, billing, payments, reports, location management, two-way reviews, price comparison, performance metrics, etc.

A Newzroom Afrika journalist has been arrested while covering the municipal elections in Soweto.

Thousands of people turned out in Denver to march for justice in the police killing of 23-year-old, Elijah McClain.

READ MORE: Cops involved in death of Elijah McClain put on ‘non-enforcement’ duties

The day-long protest event began with a 1 p.m. rally and march followed by a 4 p.m. youth-led protest.

A kid cheers at a rally outside the Aurora Police Department Headquarters to demand justice for Elijah McClain on June 27, 2020, in Aurora, Colorado.

Naomi McClain, Elijah’s sister, told The Denver Post that it was good to see so many people out to remember Elijah.

READ MORE: Sherri Shepherd says Elijah McClain reminds her of son in tearful video

Police utilized a chokehold to detain the young man, and an ambulance was called.

Tolbert was ousted in a military coup on April 12, 1980, by Master Sgt. Samuel K. Doe, backed by the U.S. government. Does rule was characterized by corruption and brutality. A rebellion led by Charles Taylor, a former Doe aide, and the National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL), started in Dec. 1989; the following year, Doe was assassinated. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) negotiated with the government and the rebel factions and attempted to restore order, but the civil war raged on. By April 1996, factional fighting by the countrys warlords had destroyed any last vestige of normalcy and civil society. The civil war finally ended in 1997.

In what was considered by international observers to be a free election, Charles Taylor won 75% of the presidential vote in July 1997. The country had next to no health care system, and the capital was without electricity and running water. Taylor supported Sierra Leones brutal Revolutionary United Front (RUF) in the hopes of toppling his neighbors government and in exchange for diamonds, which enriched his personal coffers. As a consequence, the UN issued sanctions against Liberia.

In 2002, rebels—Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD)—intensified their attacks on Taylors government. By June 2003, LURD and other rebel groups controlled two-thirds of the country. Finally, on Aug. 11, Taylor stepped down and went into exile in Nigeria. By the time he was exiled, Taylor had bankrupted his own country, siphoning off $100 million and leaving Liberia the worlds poorest nation. Gyude Bryant, a businessman seen as a coalition builder, was selected by the various factions as the new president.

[MAP] Casablana -- Morocco has made exceptional efforts at all levels to hold legislative, regional and communal elections, despite the constraints related to the Covid-19 pandemic, said, Wednesday in Casablanca, Secretary General of the Constitutional Union (UC), Mohamed Sajid.

On June 13, Chief Election Officer Keith Lowenfield, told the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) that “instances of voter impersonation” have affected the standard of the March 2 Polls and used this and other alleged anomalies to invalidate approximately 25% of the ballots cast but an interview from 2015 shows the same Lowenfield contending that impersonation “is just not possible”.

The article In 2015 Lowenfield said impersonation `just not possible’ appeared first on Stabroek News.

Peaceful protesters gathered outside of an Aurora Municipal Center in Aurora, Colorado to honor the late Elijah McClain, a 23-year-old black man who died after being in police custody last year.

As they watched on, police shut down the peaceful protest and pepper-sprayed protesters, TMZ reported.

In videos on Twitter, police in riot gear are seen marching on to a grassy field and telling protesters to disperse.

At one point, the Aurora Police Department tweeted that some protesters had become rowdy.

When police arrived, CBS reported that protesters chanted “hands up, don’t shoot” with their hands up.

The African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) was formally launched just over a year ago in a blaze of optimism.

It aims to phase out all tariffs on commerce on the continent of 1.2 billion people, a goal that backers say could give trade a mega-jolt as only 15 percent of trade by African nations is with continental neighbours compared to 70 percent with Europe.

\"Everybody can see, objectively, nothing can be done on the 1st of July,\" AfCFTA's brand-new secretary general, Wamkele Mene of South Africa, told AFP.

Then there is the task of figuring out how AfCFTA should dovetail with eight existing regional organisations in Africa, such as ECOWAS and the six-nation East African Community (EAC).

\"The regional economic communities remain, including the customs unions in Africa such as the EAC, ECOWAS and so on,\" said Mene.

The Electoral Office of Jamaica (EOJ) has confirmed that people without a Voter Identification (ID) Card will be allowed to cast their ballot in the September 3 general election.

“In light of President Trump’s disturbing actions and words, we have deep, ongoing concerns over Mr. Ross’s failure to renounce his support for the President,” the letter read.

Each year, WRI grants a Ross Prize for Cities to a business, nonprofit or local government that has brought “transformative change” to a “city’s economic vitality, resilience, environmental sustainability or quality of life.”

“While we understand the importance of funding to WRI’s fiscal health, we believe that key steps still need to be taken given Mr. Ross’s sizable contribution to WRI’s budget and his ongoing prominent association with the organization, which exposes WRI to significant and potentially lasting reputational harm,” staff wrote in the letter.

The nonprofit, whose most recent tax filings show revenue topping $140 million in 2018, recently accepted “a substantial contribution from Mr. Ross without adequately addressing the concerns that a significant number of staff expressed last year and without consulting staff in any meaningful way about the implications of this decision for our collective work,” the letter read.

“We are extremely disappointed that Mr. Ross has failed to meet with a representative group of staff from across the organization, despite explicit indications from senior management that such a meeting would take place,” the letter said.

Cities: Capital--Harare (pronounced Ha-RAR-e), pop. 1.5 million. Other towns--Bulawayo, Chitungwiza, Mutare, Gweru, Kwekwe, Masvingo, Marondera.

Annual growth rate (2003 est.): 0.83%. (Note: the population growth rate is depressed by an HIV/AIDS adult prevalence rate estimated to be 18% and a high level of net emigration.)

Ethnic groups: Shona 71%, Ndebele 16%, other African 11%, white 1%, mixed and Asian 1%.

Education: Attendance--mandatory for primary level. Adult literacy--90.5% (2004 est.).

Health: Infant mortality rate--51.7/1,000 (2006 est.). Life expectancy--men 37 (2006), women 34 (2006).

Branches: Executive--President (chief of state and head of government), Cabinet. Legislative--In the 150-seat House of Assembly, 120 seats are popularly elected and 30 are directly appointed by the president or selected through a process strongly influenced by him. In the 66 seat Senate, 50 seats are popularly elected, 6 are directly appointed by the president, 8 chiefs are elected from the 8 rural provinces (excluding the metropolitan provinces), and 2 are the president and vice president of the Council of Chiefs. Judicial--High Court, Court of Appeal, local and customary courts.

Main political parties: Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF); Movement for Democratic Change (MDC); United Peoples Party (UPP).

[Ethiopian Herald] Ethiopia has recently launched the 2021 Green Legacy program under the motto 'Let's make Ethiopia Greener.' Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (PhD) announced that this year's green legacy program would embrace the East African countries and the nation has prepared over one billion seedlings for its neighboring nations with a view to advancing a shared prosperity across the region. This year, more than 6.6 billion seedlings are to be planted domestically while over one billion of them are to be available to Eritrea

(The Center Square) – A North Carolina native’s wife is among the 17 hostages released Sunday from Gaza as the ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war continued. A fourth exchange was planned for Monday, the fifth day of the temporary ceasefire and the end of it unless extended. Published reports say the truce was mediated by […]

The post Hostage release includes wife of North Carolina native appeared first on The Black Chronicle.

A 6.0 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Indonesia's main Java island on 10 April, as the country reels from a cyclone disaster.

In April 2010, Bashir easily won Sudans first multi-party elections since 1986, with 68% of the vote. Several opposition parties boycotted the election, and international observers questioned the fairness of it, citing ballot-box stuffing and other allegations of fraud. Bashirs supporters cite the marked improvement in infrastructure completed during his presidency—new schools, hospitals, and roads. All are products of the oil boom.

Salva Kiir, head of the Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement, was reelected president of the semi-autonomous South, taking 93% of the vote. A referendum on Southern independence is scheduled for January 2011. President Bashir has vowed to honor the results of the vote. Many fear renewed violence if the referendum passes, as the South is home to about 90% of the countrys oil.

Yamoussoukro is currently the de jure capital of the nation of Cote d’Ivoire. The city had a population of 242,744 people in 2010. Yamoussoukro is located 274 km, or 170 miles, from the country’s de facto capital, Abidjan, where most of the government offices and foreign embassies remain. Although Yamoussoukro has some government agencies, most of its economy revolves around nearby fishing and forestry industries and the manufacture of perfumes. The city is divided into four different divisions: Attiégouakro, Didiévi, Tié-diékro, and the surrounding Commune of Yamoussoukro, which contains 169 villages and hamlets.

The history of Yamoussoukro dates back to 1901 when Yamousso, the son of the regional political leader Kouassi N’Go, ran the village of N’Gokro at the time of French colonization. The village had 475 residents and was one of the 129 Akoué villages in the region. In 1909 the Akoué revolted against the newly installed French colonial administration. They burned a French outpost called the Bonzi station which was located seven kilometers, or 4.35 miles, away from N’Gokro. Simon Maurice, a French administrator at the Bonzi station, was spared from death by the personal intervention of Kouassi N’Go.

After the revolt was put down Simon Maurice transferred the French military outpost to N’Gokro. In gratitude, the French built a pyramid as a memorial to Kouassi N’Go and the town of N’Gokro was then renamed Yamoussoukro to pay homage to its political leader. In 1919 the French named Félix Houphouët-Boigny who was born there in ___, the chief administrator of the town. Over the next four decades, Yamoussoukro remained a small commercial center for a surrounding agricultural region.

When France granted Cote d’Ivoire independence in 1960, Félix Houphouët-Boigny became the nation’s first president, serving until his death in 1993. Beginning in 1964, Houphouët-Boigny sponsored the city’s rapid growth, building a modern highway from Abidjan to Yamoussoukro ostensibly to encourage economic growth in the

The General Legal Council (GLC) confirmed on Tuesday that a three-member disciplinary panel ordered on June 18 that Pearson be disbarred.

In a last-minute bid to retain his licence, Pearson reportedly filed an application with the GLC seeking to have the decision of the disciplinary panel put on hold.

He was found guilty of professional misconduct on October 12 last year, the GLC confirmed.

Pearson is the latest in a string of well-known attorneys who have been disbarred in recent years.

Since the start of the year, three attorneys have been struck from the list of lawyers authorised to practise in Jamaica.