Election News
South Africa Braces for a Milestone 2024 Election
After 30 years of dominating South Africa politics, the ruling African National Congress will confront its most difficult election this month, with most opinion surveys predicting it will lose its parliamentary majority for the first time.
The ANC’s reputation, once admired under Nelson Mandela’s leadership and regarded as a beacon of hope by the Black majority following the fall of apartheid in 1994, has been tarnished by record levels of unemployment, widespread poverty, the collapse of some government services, and more than a decade of corruption scandals, leaving voters disillusioned.
President Cyril Ramaphosa is hoping for re-election on May 29. However, if the ANC loses its majority, it would be forced to form a government in a coalition, which would be a first for the country and might complicate governing in Africa’s most sophisticated economy.
South Africans do not directly elect their president, but rather vote for parties that are allotted seats in Parliament based on their share of the ballot. Following that, lawmakers select the head of state.
Ramaphosa was a major member in the ANC in the early 1990s, and he was once considered Mandela’s apprentice. He left politics to become a successful businessman before returning to serve as South Africa’s deputy president in 2014. He became president in 2018 when Jacob Zuma resigned amid corruption charges.
Ramaphosa has tried to repair the ANC’s credibility by cracking down on government corruption. However, during his president, unemployment has climbed to 32%, the highest in the world, and he has struggled to reduce poverty.
Electricity Crisis in South Africa
An electricity crisis has caused 62 million power outages across the country as a result of problems at the state-run electricity supplier. It had a negative impact on the economy and Ramaphosa’s reputation as someone who could solve South Africa’s problems, even though the blackouts were caused by mismanagement during the Zuma administration.
The ANC is still projected to win the most votes, but if it obtains less than 50%, it will require coalition partners to reelect Ramaphosa, who is 71 years old.
John Steenhuisen leads the Democratic Alliance, the largest opposition party. The centrist DA has claimed to “rescue” South Africa from the ANC’s corruption and ineptitude, but has yet to win a national election. The DA received 22% of the vote in the last national election in 2019, while the ANC won 62%.
The DA reached a pre-election deal with smaller opposition parties, thinking that their combined vote would secure a majority and depose the ANC. However, they would all need to dramatically expand their share, which is considered implausible.
Economic Freedom Fighters
Steenhuisen, 48, is the sole white leader among South Africa’s major political parties. In a society where race remains at the forefront of national awareness, critics argue that the DA serves the interests of the white minority more than the 80% of South Africans who are Black.
Since its founding in 2013 by Julius Malema, a former ANC youth leader ousted from the ruling party, the Economic Freedom Fighters have risen quickly to become South Africa’s third largest party in Parliament.
His fiery, far-left language has made the 43-year-old South African politician the most divisive, but his argument that the ANC has failed poor, Black South Africans has found momentum, particularly among unemployed and disenfranchised youth.
The EFF has advocated for mine nationalization and land transfer to poor Blacks. The party, which adheres to Marxist doctrine, claims that economic disparity based on race persists decades after apartheid, with whites generally wealthy and Blacks impoverished.
Security concerns for the 2024 election
Malema and other EFF MPs have frequently interrupted opponents’ speeches in Parliament and gotten into scuffles with security personnel, bringing a militant brand of politics to the heart of South Africa’s democracy. The EFF is a potential coalition partner for the ANC, while neither party has stated whether there is an agreement.
Former President Zuma added a fresh dimension when he declared in December that he would leave the ANC he once commanded and return to politics with a new party.
Zuma’s MK Party is unlikely to threaten the top three, but it is expected to severely diminish the ANC vote just as the ruling party confronts its most difficult electoral test. The 81-year-old former leader continues to command support, particularly in his home region of KwaZulu-Natal.
His reemergence has also raised security concerns for the election, as his conviction for contempt of court and subsequent prison sentence in 2021 sparked a week of rioting and looting that resulted in the deaths of over 350 people in South Africa’s worst violence since apartheid’s final days.
Zuma is battling in court over whether his criminal history bans him from running for Parliament. There is concern about unrest if he gets disqualified. Even if he isn’t, his new reputation as an agitator is sure to exacerbate tensions ahead of a key election.
Source: AP
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Trudeau Determined to Avoid Early Election After NDP Coalition Ended
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau emphasised he does not want an early election and said he will want to work with his former partner just hours after the New Democratic Party (NDP) withdrew from an agreement it had with the current Liberal Party Government.
“I look forward to conversations with Mr. (Jagmeet) Singh about how we’re going to continue to demonstrate that confident countries invest in their citizens, invest in their future, because that’s what we’re doing,” Trudeau said, addressing the media in the town of Rocky Harbour, in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. That declaration came shortly after Jagmeet Singh, who has been in power since March 2022, declared his party was leaving the Supply and Confidence Agreement.
As in previous years, Trudeau continued, “I’ll let others focus on politics, but I will point out that I really hope the NDP stays focused on how we can deliver for Canadians, rather than focusing on politics.”
With Trudeau’s party in the minority in the Commons, the opposition Conservative Party is preparing to call for an early election through the possibility of a no-confidence resolution when the House reconvenes on September 18.
The timing of the motion is still unknown, according to reports from Pierre Poilievre, the leader of the Conservative Party, who stated, “At this time, we don’t have a calendar to indicate when we can put forward a motion.”
“After Sellout Singh did this stunt today, he is going to have to vote on whether he keeps Justin Trudeau’s costly Government in power,” he stated, putting further pressure on the NDP.
“I certainly hope that the NDP will stay true to its fundamental values, which is making sure that Canadians get the support they need and keeping away from the austerity, the cuts, and the damage that will be done by Conservatives if they get the chance,” stated Trudeau, expressing optimism that early elections can be avoided.
October 2025 will see Canadian federal elections, but Trudeau’s Liberals only have 154 members of the 338-member House. It had made it through until Wednesday morning thanks to the backing of the 25-member NDP caucus.
Posting a video message on Wednesday, Singh claimed to have “ripped up” the accord and stated that “Canadians are fighting a battle.” A struggle for the middle class’s future. Justin Trudeau has often demonstrated his willingness to give up to corporate greed. People feel let down by the Liberals. From Canadians, they don’t deserve another opportunity.
The news coincided with the Trudeau Government’s severe unpopularity, which has negatively impacted the NDP. The non-profit public polling organisation Angus Reid Institute, or ARI, released a survey indicating that the Conservatives have 43% of the vote, a significant 22% lead over the ruling party.
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Kamala Harris Challenges Donald Trump to Transparent Debate with Live Microphones
Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee for the US presidential election in November, called on her Republican opponent Donald Trump to debate her with their microphones turned on during the event.
Kamala Harris and the former president have agreed to debate on September 10th, which will be hosted by ABC News.
“Donald Trump is giving in to his aides, who refuse to allow him to debate with a live microphone. “If his own team doesn’t believe in him, the American people certainly won’t,” Kamala Harris wrote on X.
“We’re running for President of the United States. Let’s have a transparent debate, with microphones on the whole time.”
Trump has stated that he prefers to keep his microphone on and did not like it muted at the last debate against then-candidate Joe Biden.
So-called “hot mics” can help or hinder political campaigns by recording off-hand comments that were not intended for the public. Muted microphones also restrict debaters from interrupting their opponents.
A spokeswoman from ABC did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
The discussion would be the first between Harris and Trump since Biden stepped out of the presidential race following a dismal performance at a CNN debate in June that prompted concerns about his mental acuity.
Tim Walz, the Democratic vice presidential candidate, and JD Vance, the Republican vice presidential candidate, have agreed to a CBS News debate on October 1.
ORIGINAL STORY: Why Kamala Harris Campaign is fighting for Unmuted Debate Mics
Some experts believe the Trump campaign’s eagerness to maintain the muting rule for the Kamala Harris debate on September 10 is because to the great reception he received in June for a more controlled performance than many had anticipated versus Mr Biden. In practice, it rendered interruptions impossible.
The former president, on the other hand, appears unconcerned with the regulation, and has even contradicted his own team’s statements advocating for its continuation. “[It] does not matter to me. I’d prefer to have [the microphones] turned on,” he stated on Monday.
“But we agreed that it would be the same as the last time. “In that case, it was muted,” he explained.
Trump announced on social media Tuesday afternoon that he had “reached an agreement” with ABC for the September 10 debate. He did not mention mics in the post, but did say that the “rules will be the same as the last CNN debate,” which included muted mics.
In the article, he also accused the network of being “unfair,” but added that his team had been guaranteed that the debate would be “fair and equitable.”
With only two weeks until the debate, the Kamala Harris team wants to change the agreed-upon regulations so that both candidates’ microphones are unmuted during the event. What do they believe they will benefit from this change?
More broadly, they feel it has the potential to show viewers an unfiltered, even irritable, Trump, who will be audible throughout Kamala Harris’s speech.
“Our understanding is that Trump’s handlers prefer the muted microphone because they don’t think their candidate can act presidential for 90 minutes on his own,” said Kamala Harris’s spokeswoman.
Election News
Why Kamala Harris Campaign is fighting for Unmuted Debate Mics
Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are scheduled to face battle in their first presidential debate next month, but the campaigns are still fighting about logistics, specifically microphones.
Trump’s campaign is advocating for microphones to be muted when it is the other person’s turn to speak. Joe Biden originally requested this regulation as the Democratic candidate.
Trump’s team eventually consented to the request, which was clearly an attempt by Biden’s campaign to limit disruptions. (The pair’s turbulent first 2020 debate was marked by numerous interruptions, with Mr. Biden finally shouting at his rival: “Will you shut up, man?”)
Kamala Harris Campaign Advocates for Unmuted Mics: Potential Advantages
Some experts believe the Trump campaign’s eagerness to maintain the muting rule for the Kamala Harris debate on September 10 is because to the great reception he received in June for a more controlled performance than many had anticipated versus Mr Biden. In practice, it rendered interruptions impossible.
The former president, on the other hand, appears unconcerned with the regulation, and has even contradicted his own team’s statements advocating for its continuation. “[It] does not matter to me. I’d prefer to have [the microphones] turned on,” he stated on Monday.
“But we agreed that it would be the same as the last time. “In that case, it was muted,” he explained.
Trump announced on social media Tuesday afternoon that he had “reached an agreement” with ABC for the September 10 debate. He did not mention mics in the post, but did say that the “rules will be the same as the last CNN debate,” which included muted mics.
In the article, he also accused the network of being “unfair,” but added that his team had been guaranteed that the debate would be “fair and equitable.”
With only two weeks until the debate, the Harris team wants to change the agreed-upon regulations so that both candidates’ microphones are unmuted during the event. What do they believe they will benefit from this change?
More broadly, they feel it has the potential to show viewers an unfiltered, even irritable, Trump, who will be audible throughout Kamala Harris’s speech.
“Our understanding is that Trump’s handlers prefer the muted microphone because they don’t think their candidate can act presidential for 90 minutes on his own,” said Kamala Harris’s spokeswoman.
Source: BBC
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