Stories about Elections from August, 2020
Calls for unity as Trinidad & Tobago celebrates Independence Day
"The General Election 2020 flipped Trinidad and Tobago over and exposed what can be described as its ugly underbelly […] laid bare seething tensions that have simmered between ethnicities."
Belarusian labour activists pressured as political crisis drags on
Growing labour unrest and strikes at key state-owned businesses have become a major challenge to embattled president Alyaksandr Lukashenka. The authorities have struck back with a pressure campaign against the workers involved.
Collusion accusations grow between Haitian government and organised crime groups
"[...] The gang leaders are seemingly free from persecution so long as they help keep the peace in the neighborhoods they control."
Hong Kong's pro-democracy lawmakers split over Beijing-imposed mandate extension
Accepting an extension granted by Beijing's NPC could be seen as a surrender to the mainland -- while rejection means, in practice, a boycott of the LegCo.
After recounts revealed the same result, Trinidad & Tobago's government is finally sworn in
After a drawn-out recount which failed to affect the original result, the incumbent government has been sworn back into office for another term.
From dubplates to debates: Election campaigning in Jamaica during a pandemic
With rising numbers of COVID-19 cases limiting the ways in which political candidates can campaign, many are producing dubplates — short music videos promoting themselves — to reach the electorate.
‘Concerned IT specialists’ launch database of detained Belarusian protesters
Since August 9, over 7,000 people have been detained in mass protests against the Belarusian government. A new database provides their names and locations — in a bid to get them home safely.
Belarus in turmoil: The view from neighbouring Lithuania
Lithuania has long played an outsized role in European engagement with Belarus. Its capital Vilnius teems with political exiles from Minsk — are today's protesters fated to join them?
How one Telegram channel became central to Belarus’ protests
A channel on the Telegram messeng er service run by four Belarusian journalists in Poland has become a crucial source of information on the political upheavals in their homeland
Trinidad & Tobago's 2020 election results are currently being recounted
The preliminary results of Trinidad and Tobago's general election were clear: the incumbent won, securing 22 of 41 parliamentary seats, but the opposition has challenged the outcome.
After its general election, Trinidad & Tobago's racist underbelly is showing
In a racially heated post-election climate, blogger Amilcar Sanatan advises being "brave enough to call out what is wrong" in order to build a more just and equal society.
An earthquake shook Tanzania. A new law prohibits citizens from speaking about it online.
Revised online content regulations in Tanzania prohibit talking about pandemics, natural disasters or politics without government approval. Is it possible to control essential online conversations? If so, at what cost?
‘This is a partisan movement of a partisan nation': a Belarusian poet reflects on her homeland's turmoil
"The greatest weakness made visible in these past months has been how little the state knows its own people," says poet Valzhyna Mort
Belarusian workers support protesters with growing strikes
Workers across the country are striking in solidarity with Belarusians who have been detained and beaten during mass protests against President Alexander Lukashenka.
Meet the artist embroidering Belarus’ protests
From faraway Prague, the Belarusian artist Rufina Bazlova is paying homage to the protests in her homeland by depicting them in traditional Belarusian embroidery.
Ahead of elections in Trinidad & Tobago, one party promises to build a dome to limit ‘illegal outsiders’
With less than a week until Trinidad and Tobago's general elections, electioneering has reached a fever pitch. Still, no one quite expected a dome as a campaign promise.
Digital rights remain under threat in Malawi despite historic win for democracy
Will the change in the country's leadership bring about meaningful changes to ensure that Malawians enjoy human rights in the digital space?
A city shackled: How Beijing’s security law transformed Hong Kong in one short month
In just one month, Hong Kong sees the criminalization of speech, political purges of dissidents, the suspension of upcoming elections and vanishing press freedoms.
Five months after the elections, Guyana swears in new president
After multiple court actions challenging the election's results, the Guyana Elections Commission declared Mohamed Irfaan Ali of the opposition People's Progressive Party (PPP) as the country's new president.
