It appears to be election season across the world. There are snap elections in Ukraine where people vote for a new parliament amid the ongoing crisis in the separatist east. In Brazil, the world's seventh largest economy, voters are picking their next president in a run-off election between incumbent President Dilma Rousseff and her rival Aecio Neves, while in neighboring Uruguay, people vote for next president. Tunisians voted in the first election under a new constitution while also in Africa, people in Botswana went to the polls in general elections for the world's largest diamond producer.
Ukraine
Early parliamentary elections were held in Ukraine this weekend, with the nation choosing its new MPs. While the crisis in the country’s east is far from being resolved, most of the parties running for power direct their policies to the west.
Under the Ukrainian constitution, its one chamber parliament (Verkhovna Rada) is the country’s sole legislative authority. MPs (people’s deputies) are elected by secret ballot for a five-year term, under a mixed voting system with a five percent threshold. The parliament starts its work only if at least 300 members are elected, according to the RT.
The previous election was held in October 2012, but this August president Petro Poroshenko, who came to power in June, announced his decision to dismiss the parliament. Poroshenko’s spokesman Svyatoslav Tsegolko said the move was made because the “majority” of MPs in the current convocation of the parliament earlier voted for “dictator-style laws.”
Saying that the parliament, elected under the presidency of ousted Viktor Yanukovich, was no longer relevant, the President called on “democratic forces” in the country to enter the early elections as a united “pro-Ukrainian, pro-European team,” according to Tsegolko.
Twenty-nine political forces which presented their party lists for a nationwide vote are fighting for half of the seats in the 450-member parliament. The other half will be filled by candidates running in individual districts.
Brazil
Brazilians voted on Sunday in a bitterly-contested election that pits a leftist president with strong support among the poor against a centrist senator who is promising pro-business policies to jumpstart a stagnant economy.
The Workers’ Party of incumbent Dilma Rousseff has held power for 12 years and leveraged an economic boom to expand social welfare programs and lift over 40 million people from poverty, the Reuters reported.
But many voters believe Aecio Neves, a 54-year-old former state governor with strong support among upper-middle class and wealthy Brazilians, offers a much-needed change of the guard for Latin America’s biggest economy.
Uruguay
Uruguayans also voted on Sunday in a presidential election with the ruling leftist party trying to fend off a young center-right challenger who promises to undo a pioneering marijuana law.
Outgoing President Jose Mujica, a 79-year-old former guerrilla, is seeking to hand power back to his predecessor Tabare Vazquez, the Reuters wrote .
Between them, Mujica and the 74-year-old Vazquez have delivered a decade of strong economic growth while Mujica legalized abortion, gay marriage and the production, distribution and sale of marijuana.
Tunisia
The northwest African country will see the election of the 217-member legislature, in the first vote under the country’s new constitution and the second since the 2011 uprising that overthrew the regime of the former president, Zine el Abidine Ben Ali.
According to Aljazeera, more than 100 political parties were running. Former Ben Ali officials were allowed to run and were expected to win in regional cities where they remain popular.
More than 5.2 million people were eligible to vote.
The Ennahda party and Nida Tounes, are expected to be among the most popular parties.
Botswana
The ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) won the general elections as it was announced on Sunday.
It secured at least 33 of the 57 parliamentary seats being contested, the BBC quoted the national electoral commission as saying.
A party needs 29 seats to take power. Opposition group Umbrella for Democratic Change won 14 seats.
The BDP party of President Ian Khama has been in power since Botswana gained independence in 1966.
But it has been battling to gain support in urban areas where opposition parties have made recent inroads.
Once elected, the MPs will then choose the leader. President Khama, the son of the country’s first president, is likely to get a second term in office.
