Election Watch

Bangladesh: In January 5 elections for the 300 directly elected seats of Parliament, incumbent prime minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed’s Awami League (AL) won 235 seats. The AL’s coalition partners—the Jatiya Party (JP), the Bangladesh Workers’ Party (BWP), and the National Socialist Party (Jasad)—won 34, 6, and 5 seats, respectively. Independents and members of smaller parties won the remaining 20 seats. The AL’s primary political rival, Khaleda Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), boycotted the election because the AL failed to heed the BNP’s demand to step down and allow a caretaker government to administer the elections. For more on Bangladesh’s elections, see Ali Riaz’s article on pp. 119–30 above.

Chile: In the December 15 presidential runoff, former president Michelle Bachelet of the Socialist Party of Chile won with 62 percent of the vote, defeating Evelyn Matthei of the Independent Democratic Union.

Colombia: Legislative elections were held March 9; results will be reported in a future issue.

Costa Rica: In the February 2 presidential election, Luis Guillermo Solís of the Citizens’ Action Party (PAC) won 31 percent of the vote and Johnny Araya of outgoing president Laura Chinchilla’s National Liberation Party (PLN) won 30 percent, setting up a runoff scheduled for April 6. José María Villalta of the progressive Broad Front (FA) won 17 percent, and Otto Guevara of the Libertarian Movement Party (PML) won 11 percent. With polls showing Solís well ahead of his opponent, Araya announced on March 5 that he would halt his campaign, although his name would remain on the ballot for the runoff. In elections held [End Page 179] concurrently for the 57-seat Legislative Assembly, the PLN won 26 percent of the vote and 18 seats, and the PAC won 23 percent and 13 seats. The FA won 13 percent and 9 seats; the Social Christian Unity Party won 10 percent and 8 seats; the PML won 8 percent and 4 seats; and the National Restoration Party won 4 percent and 1 seat. Smaller parties split the remaining seats.

El Salvador: In the presidential election on February 2, Salvador Sánchez Cerén of the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front of outgoing president Mauricio Funes won 49 percent of the vote. Norman Quijano of the Nationalist Republican Alliance won 39 percent, setting up a runoff election, which was held on March 9. Former president Antonio Saca of the Unidad coalition won 11 percent. Results from the runoff will be reported in a future issue.

Libya: Elections were held on February 20 for the 60-seat Constituent Assembly. Political parties were not permitted to compete in the elections. Eleven seats remained unfilled due to violence or threats of violence. Another two seats designated for Amazigh candidates were unfilled due to an Amazigh election boycott demanding greater representation and guarantees that Amazigh will be designated an official language. Turnout was officially reported to be 45 percent of registered voters.

Madagascar: In the December 20 presidential runoff, Hery Rajaonarimampianina, an ally of outgoing president Andry Rajoelina, won with 53.5 percent of the vote, defeating Jean-Louis Robinson, an ally of former president Marc Ravalomanana, who resigned in 2009 under military pressure. Robinson called for a recount and pledged to bring his case before the African Union (AU) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC). In elections held concurrently for the 155-seat National Assembly, Rajaonarimampianina’s Together with Andry Rajoelina coalition won 49 seats and the Ravalomanana Movement won 20 seats. The VPM-MMM coalition of former deputy prime minister Hajo Andrianainarivelo won 14 seats. Former prime minister Albert Camille Vital’s Hiaraka Isika Party won 5 seats. Independents won 41 seats. The other seats were won by smaller parties, with 4 seats remaining vacant. SADC and AU observers offered generally positive assessments of the elections, both calling them “credible.”

Maldives: Parliamentary elections were scheduled for March 22; results will be reported in a future issue.

Mali: In elections held on November 24 and December 16 for the 147-seat Parliament, President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta’s Rally for Mali won [End Page 180] 66 seats, and its allies, including former interim president Dioncounda Traoré’s Alliance for Democracy in Mali, won another 49. The Union for the Republic and Democracy of Soumaïla Cissé, who opposed Keïta in the August 2013 presidential election, won 17 seats.

Serbia: Parliamentary elections were scheduled for March 16; results will be reported in a future issue.

Slovakia: The presidential election was scheduled for March 15; results will be reported in a future issue.

Thailand: Elections were held on February 2 for the 500-seat House of Representatives, but they were boycotted by the opposition and protests and unrest disrupted polling in more than 10 percent of districts. The Election Commission has announced that it will not release results until those elections that were postponed are held.