All posts tagged "i"

German electoral commission rejects Communist Party on formal grounds

German Federal Election Committee meeting in Berlin - A general view of the Federal Election Committee meeting in the Federal government office (Marie-Elisabeth-Lueders-Haus). The committee determines which minor parties and associations meet the requirements of the Political Parties Act and are admitted to the Bundestag elections on 26 September 2021.

The German electoral commission ruled on Thursday that the German Communist Party (DKP) will provisionally not be allowed to participate in the September 26 elections to the federal parliament for failing to meet the necessary formalities.

The DKP, founded in 1968, had lost its status as a political party for repeatedly failing to submit the required statements on its activities to the authorities within the stipulated deadlines, the commission found.

"Deadlines are deadlines," federal election commissioner Georg Thiel said. The DKP, which garnered just 11,558 votes in the proportional count countrywide in 2017 and thus no seats, has four days to appeal the ruling.

The Marxist-Leninist Party of Germany (MLPD), which secured 29,785 votes in the last elections, has been admitted.

The commission began two days of checking the registration of 87 smaller parties and associations on Thursday to assess whether they meet the legal requirements. Parties passed by the commission still have to submit a stipulated number of signatures from backers.

Under the German electoral system, there is a threshold of 5 per cent to enter parliament that works against minor parties, splinter groups and independents.

Six political groups are represented in the outgoing Bundestag. In order of seats they are: the conservative alliance of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) with its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), the Social Democrats (SPD), the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), the liberal FDP, the hard-left Die Linke and the Greens.

Israeli President Rivlin tasks Netanyahu with formation of government

Israeli President nominates Netanyahu to form new government - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses supporters on stage at the party headquarters after polls closed in the Israeli Parliamentary election. President of Israel Reuven Rivlin on Tuesday nominated Netanyahu, leader of the Likud party, with forming a government. - Noam Moskowitz/dpa

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin has asked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to form a government two weeks after Israel’s fourth election in two years.

Rivlin entrusted the premier with the task after Netanyahu received the most recommendations during post-election talks with party leaders, in a speech from his residence on Tuesday.

Rivlin emphasized that while none of the 13 groups represented in parliament currently held a majority, Netanyahu had slightly better chances of forming a coalition.

However, it was not an easy decision to put Netanyahu in charge of forming the government again, given he is being tried for corruption, Rivlin said.

Netanyahu, the first sitting premier in Israel's history to stand trial, is accused of bribery, fraud and breach of trust in three separate cases. Prosecutors allege Netanyahu systematically accepted expensive gifts and tried to improve media coverage of him in return for favours.

Voters were again evenly split in the last election, giving no candidate a clear path to victory.

As before, the split lies between a bloc supporting Netanyahu and a group of other parties hoping to oust the long-serving leader.

Netanyahu's Likud party again got the most votes, with 30. Next came the Atid party, with 17. It has ruled out a coalition with Likud. The conservative religious Shas party came in third place, with nine mandates.

That presages another round of tough negotiations. The last election resulted in a broad, unstable coalition of political enemies that would have seen them taking turns in the prime minister's office. It collapsed after only a few months amid a fight about the budget.

At least seven dead as fighting in Myanmar shows no sign of ending

Anti-military coup protests in Myanmar - Police officers walk down the street during clashes at a protest against the military coup and detention of civilian leaders in Myanmar. - Aung Kyaw Htet/SOPA Images via ZUMA Wire/dpa

At least seven protesters were killed on Wednesday as security forces used live ammunition on the 30th day of demonstrations against last month's military coup, local media reported and witnesses claimed on social media.

Local media had multiple reports of security forces using force against protesters. The Eleven Myanmar news portal tweeted reports of authorities using tear gas, flash grenades and rubber bullets against protesters in Yangon, the country's largest city.

There were reports of police using live ammunition against the protesters, including unconfirmed reports of one young protester dead in the northern city of Myingyan.

Two other demonstrators, a 37-year-old man and a 19-year-old woman, died in the city of Mandalay, Myanmar Now reported. Other media outlets said there had been four protester deaths in the city of Monywa, but no details were provided.

It is not known how many deaths have resulted from the clashes. On Sunday, there were reports of 18.

The UN Security Council has decided to discuss the matter, most likely in the form of a closed session on Friday. The decision comes amid appeals from inside Myanmar for the UN to send aid. Sources on the ground are referring to it as a "war zone."

Citing election tampering without providing any evidence, the military ousted the democratically elected government at the start of February.

The government's de facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, has been in house arrest since then and is facing charges ranging from sowing disorder to illegally importing walkie talkies.

Although the military is guaranteed a veto-proof minority in the legislature, it seems to have been surprised by the size of the win of Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) in November elections.