Election Watch

ELECTION RESULTS
(December 2019–March 2020)

Afghanistan: In the September 28 presidential election, incumbent Ashraf Ghani was reelected with 50.6 percent of the vote, avoiding a runoff and defeating Afghanistan Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, who received 39.5 percent. The results were announced on February 18, after months of recounts following accusations of fraud and technical failures on election day. Local election observers criticized the transparency of the vote, and Abdullah also declared victory.

Algeria: In the December 12 presidential election, former prime minister Abdelmadjid Tebboune was elected with 58 percent of the vote, defeating Abdelkader Bengrina, who won 17 percent, and former prime minister Ali Benflis, who won 11 percent. This was the first election since President Abdelaziz Bouteflika stepped down following widespread protests against his twenty-year rule. Many protesters boycotted the election, in which every candidate was associated with the previous regime. Voter turnout was a record low of 40 percent, and the announcement of Tebboune's victory was met with widespread protests.

Azerbaijan: In February 9 snap elections for the 125-seat National Assemby, the New Azerbaijan Party of President Ilham Aliyev won 72 seats, the Civic Solidarity Party won 3 seats, and the remaining seats were won by smaller parties and independents. Observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe criticized the elections as held "within a restrictive environment and under laws that curtail fundamental rights and freedoms" and raised concerns about the honesty of vote tabulation. Large-scale protests against the election results were violently suppressed by police.

Cameroon: On February 9, elections were held for the 180-seat National Assembly. The vote was marred by violence in the Anglophone regions of the country, leading the Constitutional Council to order a new election in those regions. Results will be reported in a future issue.

Comoros: In January 19 and February 23 elections for the 24 elected seats in the Assembly of the Union, the Convention for the Renewal of Comoros party of President Azali Assoumani won 20, the allied Orange Party won 2, and the remaining two seats were won by independents. All opposition parties boycotted the vote.

Croatia: In the January 5 presidential runoff, former prime minister Zoran Milanoviæ of the Social Democratic Party was elected with 53 percent of the vote, defeating incumbent Kolinda Grabar-Kitaroviæ of the conservative Croatian Democratic Union. In the first round, held on December 22, Milanoviæ won 30 percent, Grabar-Kitaroviæ won 27 percent, and nationalist folk singer Miroslav Škoro, who ran as an independent, won 24 percent.

Guyana: Parliamentary elections were held on March 2; disputes over the verification process in an electoral district have delayed the release of the results, which will be reported in a future issue.

Iran: In February 28 elections for the 290-seat Islamic Consultative Assembly, conservative candidates won 195, reformists won 18, and independents won 40. Thirty-seven seats remain undetermined. In the lead-up to the vote, the Guardian Council disqualified more than seven-thousand candidates, mainly reformists, including ninety incumbents. Voter turnout nationwide was 43 percent, the lowest since 1979, and in Tehran turnout was 26 percent.

Mali: Parliamentary elections were scheduled for March 29; results will be reported in a future issue.

Peru: In January 26 elections for the 130-member Congress, Popular Action won 25 seats, Alliance for Progress won 22, the evangelical Agricultural People's Front of Peru won 15, the Fujimorist Popular Force won 15, Union for Peru won 13, Podemos Perú won 11, We Are Peru won 11, and the remaining seats were won by smaller parties. Elections were scheduled early after President Martín Vizcarra dissolved Congress in September.

Saint Kitts and Nevis: Parliamentary elections were held on February 28; final results have yet to be announced and will be reported in a future issue.

Slovakia: In February 29 elections for the 150-seat National Council, the Ordinary People and Independent Personalities party (O¼aNO) led by Igor Matoviæ won 53 seats, defeating the Direction–Social Democracy (Smer-SD) party of Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini, which won 38. Sme Rodina won 17, the far-right Kotleba–People's Party Our Slovakia...