Russian voters deal Putin and party an election blow

Russian voters dealt Vladimir Putin’s ruling party a heavy blow on Sunday by cutting its parliamentary majority in an election that showed growing unease with his domination of the country as he prepares to reclaim the presidency.

Incomplete results showed Putin’s United Russia was struggling even to win 50 percent of the votes, compared with more than 64 percent four years ago. Opposition parties said even that outcome had been inflated by fraud. (more…)

Islamists Claim a Decisive Victory in Egypt’s Vote

Islamists claimed a decisive victory on Wednesday as early election results put them on track to win a dominant majority in Egypt’s first Parliament since the ouster of Hosni Mubarak, the most significant step yet in the religious movement’s rise since the start of the Arab Spring. (more…)

Moderate Islamist party wins Tunisia poll amid postelection clashes

Tunisia declared the moderate Islamist Ennahda party the winner of elections held over the weekend, taking 90 of 217 seats in an assembly that will write a new constitution, state media reported. (more…)

Tunisians gear up for historic vote

Tunisian voters on Saturday weighed their choices on the eve of the Arab Spring’s historic first elections nine months after the surprise toppling of strongman Zine el Abidine Ben Ali that started it all.

Campaigning ended at midnight for the vote the previously banned Islamist Ennahda party is tipped to win, (more…)

Mansour: Palestine vote is Lebanon’s top priority at UN

Foreign Affairs Minister Adnan Mansour told a local radio station Monday that voting for the recognition of a Palestinian state will be one of Lebanon’s priorities once it takes over the helm at the United Nations Security Council next month. (more…)

Egypt: Election sweep boosts Mubarak

With the results of Sunday’s parliamentary elections in Egypt, the regime of President Hosni Mubarak sent a powerful message that it will brook no dissent as the country moves toward a potential presidential transition as early as next year. By sweeping almost all the seats, Mubarak’s National Democratic Party paved the way for the octogenarian to secure yet another term as head of state—or perhaps install his son, Gamal, as president. (more…)

Iraq: Vote recount has not changed the March results

An official with Iraq’s election commission says the recount of the Baghdad vote has not changed the result of the March parliamentary election in which a Sunni-backed candidate narrowly won over the Shiite prime minister.

Qassim al-Abboudi says the results of the recount “are compatible” with the original count of the March 7 vote.

Prime minister Nouri al-Maliki won the Baghdad vote but alleged fraud and demanded a recount in the capital, which accounts for about a fifth of parliament’s 325 seats. (more…)

Jumblatt: Sectarian politics prevented lowering of voting age

Democratic Gathering bloc leader MP Walid Jumblatt told Al-Manar television on Monday that sectarian considerations led to the failure to lower the voting age from 21 to 18 in the parliament earlier in the day.

Sixty-six out of the 100 MPs who attended Monday’s parliamentary session abstained from voting on Article 21 of the constitution, which pertains to the legal voting age.

Jumblatt also said that the Democratic Gathering bloc decided to respect its diversity and allow its members to vote on the issue as they please.

The bloc members who are part of the Progressive Socialist Party voted with lowering the voting age, whereas the independent members abstained. (Now Lebanon)

Parliament votes against lowering voting age to 18

The Lebanese parliament failed to adopt a draft law on lowering voting age from 21 to 18. While many MP’s vocalized support for the amendment, 66 abstained from voting. MP Marwan Hamadeh told the Voice of Lebanon radio station on Monday that he supports linking the draft law to lower the legal voting age to granting Lebanese living abroad the right to vote from their countries of residence. He added that the granting Lebanese emigrants the right to vote is as important as allowing Lebanese youth to cast their ballots.

“Abstaining from voting [on the draft law pertaining to lowering the legal voting age] is not to drop the proposal, rather it is to maintain the voting rights of Lebanese youth and emigrants,” Hamadeh said.

Youth activists held a sit-in in Riad Solh square to call for lowering voting age.

Speaker Berri adjourned the parliamentary session until 6:00 p.m. 15 other draft laws were adopted.