ELECTION RESULTS (June–September 2005)
Afghanistan: Parliamentary elections were scheduled for September 18; results will be reported in a future issue.
Albania: In July 3 elections to the 140-member People’s Assembly, the Democratic Party (DP) of former president Sali Berisha won 56 of the 100 seats filled by direct ballot, while the ruling Socialist Party (SP) won 42, down from 73. Of the 40 seats allocated by proportional representation, 24 went to DP allies (most prominent among them the Republican Party, with 11 deputies), and 12 went to parties allied with the SP.
Bulgaria: On June 25, elections were held for the 240-member National Assembly. The Coalition for Bulgaria (KzB), dominated by the Bulgarian Socialist Party, won 82 seats; the National Movement Simeon II (NDSt) won 53; the Movement for Rights and Freedom, 34; the Ataka Coalition, 21; the United Democratic Forces, 20; the Democrats for a Strong Bulgaria, 17; and the People’s Union, 13. Lacking a majority, the KzB formed a governing coalition with the NDSt.
Burundi: In July 4 legislative elections—part of a UN-backed plan ending 12 years of interethnic fighting—the National Council for the Defense of Democracy–Forces for the Defense of Democracy (CNDD-FDD), a party combining the once-exiled Hutu opposition party with its former armed wing, garnered 58 percent of the vote. Former president Domitien Ndayizeye’s Front for Democracy won 22 percent, while the Union for National Progress, the largest Tutsi party, won 7 percent. On August 19, the new parliament elected former rebel leader Pierre Nkurunziza to be president; according to the peace plan, the president will be elected by popular vote in 2010.
Egypt: Presidential elections were scheduled for September 7; results will be reported in a future issue. [End Page 179]
Ethiopia: Parliamentary elections were held on May 15. For results, see the article by John Harbeson on pp. 144–58 of this issue.
Guinea-Bissau: In a June 24 presidential runoff, former military ruler Joao Bernardo “Nino” Vieira (independent) won with 52 percent, defeating Malan Bacai Sanha of the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC). In the June 19 first round, Sanha had won 35 percent and Vieira, 29. The PAIGC contested the second-round results, alleging widespread fraud, but the Supreme Court dismissed the complaints. International observers deemed the election free and fair.
Iran: Presidential elections were held on June 17 and 24. For results, see the article by Vali Nasr on pp. 9–22 of this issue.
Kyrgyzstan: Acting president Kurmanbek Bakiyev claimed a landslide victory in the July 10 presidential election with 89.5 percent of the vote. His closest rival, Tursunbay Bakir-Uulu, won only 4 percent.
Lebanon: In elections held from May 29 to June 19 for the National Assembly, 72 of the 128 seats went to the Future Tide coalition led by Saad Hariri, the son of assassinated former prime minister Rafiq Hariri. The coalition aligns Hariri’s Future Current party with the Progressive Socialist Party. A coalition between the Amal party and Hezbollah, the main Shi’ite political force, won 35 seats, while 21 seats went to the Free Patriotic Movement of former prime minister Michel Aoun and former president Sulayman Franjiyah.
Mauritius: In July 3elections, the opposition Social Alliance won 38 of the 62 seats in the National Assembly, while the ruling coalition of the Socialist Movement and the Militant Movement held on to only 22 seats.
Poland: Parliamentary elections were scheduled for September 25; results will be reported in a future issue.
Suriname: In May 25 elections to the 51-seat National Assembly, President Ronald Venetiaan’s New Front for Democracy and Development won 23 seats, while the National Democratic Party won 15 seats. The People’s Alliance for Prosperity won 5, the new coalition A-Combination won 5, and the A1 Coalition, 3.
UPCOMING ELECTIONS (October 2005–September 2006)
Argentina: legislative, 23 October 2005
Azerbaijan: parliamentary, November 2005
Belarus: presidential, September 2006
Benin: presidential, March 2006 [End Page 180]
Bolivia: presidential and legislative, 4 December 2005
Burkina Faso: presidential, 13 November 2005
Cape Verde: parliamentary, December 2005; presidential, February 2006
Chad: parliamentary, April 2006
Chile: presidential and legislative, 11 December 2005
Colombia: presidential and legislative, April 2006
Costa Rica: presidential and legislative, 6 February 2006
Côte d’Ivoire: presidential, 30 October 2005
East Timor: parliamentary, August 2006
Egypt: parliamentary, November 2005
Fiji: parliamentary, September 2006
Gabon: presidential, December 2005
Guyana: presidential and parliamentary, March 2006
Haiti: presidential and parliamentary, 13 November 2005
Honduras: presidential and legislative, 27 November 2005
Hungary: parliamentary, April 2006
Liberia: presidential and legislative, 11 October 2005
Mexico: presidential and legislative, 2 July 2006
Palestinian Territories: parliamentary, 25 January 2006
Peru: presidential and legislative, 9 April 2006
Poland: presidential, 9 October 2005
Sao Tomé & Príncipe: parliamentary, March 2006; presidential, July 2006
Solomon Islands: parliamentary, December 2005
Sri Lanka: presidential, December 2005
Tanzania: presidential and parliamentary, 30 October 2005
Uganda: parliamentary, May/June 2006
Ukraine: parliamentary, March 2006
Zimbabwe: presidential, March 2006
Election Watch provides reports of recently decided and upcoming elections in
developing nations and the postcommunist world. Elections in nondemocratic nations are included when they exhibit a significant element of genuine competition or,
in the case of upcoming elections, when they represent an important test of progress
toward democracy. Some of the data for Election Watch come from the International
Foundation for Election Systems (IFES), a private, nonprofit education and research
foundation that assists in monitoring, supporting, and strengthening the mechanics
of the electoral process worldwide. For additional information, visit www.ifes.org.