The people of one of the world’s youngest democracies are embracing an open, public and popular electoral process, writes Damien Kingsbury In a colourful and noisy event, unblemished so far by the violence that marred the first few years of independence, Timor–Leste prepares for its fourth parliamentary elections this Saturday. By conventional criteria, it has …
Last week’s presidential elections, which saw Fretilin’s Francisco ‘Lu-Olo’ Guterres elected president, have set the battleground for parliamentary elections later this year, writes Damien Kingsbury In a red jacket tightly zipped against the ‘cool’ of the morning, Alberto da Silva stood on a rise above the village of Leohitu last week, surveying voters lined up …
Timor-Leste opts for stability over anticorruption in presidential choice Read More »
As persecution of Myanmar’s ethnic Rohingyas accelerates, questions are being asked about why democracy icon and Nobel peace prizewinner Aung San Suu Kyi does not act to stop the violence, writes Damien Kingsbury. As 2017 begins to unfold, the persecution of Myanmar’s ethnic Rohingyas has accelerated. Since the beginning of the year, the UN says …
There may be more to the Philippines’ new president Rodrigo Duterte than his tough guy image indicates In the populist theatrics that are Filipino politics, the overwhelming election of Rodrigo Duterte should not have come as a surprise, even if comparisons with US ‘outsider’ Donald Trump have been as common as they are inaccurate. Unlike …
Tough guy wins in the Philippines, another tough guy waiting in the wings Read More »
The son of former Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos has set his sights on the country’s second-highest office in the coming elections It is perhaps a little unfair to say that only in the Philippines would the people consider electing a politician known by the otherwise clownish name of ‘Bongbong’. But equally, and arguably more fairly, …
DAMIEN KINGSBURY analyses the surprise election of Maithripala Sirisena as president last month and sees it as reflecting a desire for a more open, less authoritarian political process. The recent election in Sri Lanka of the new president, Maithripala Sirisena, has surprised many who thought that ousted Mahinda Rajapaksa would remain in office more or …
Sri Lanka opts for normality with Rajapaksa ousting Read More »
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