Election Watch

ELECTION RESULTS (December 2010-March 2011)

Belarus: In the December 19 presidential election, incumbent Alyaksandr Lukashenka, who has been in power since 1994, won 79.7 percent of the vote. Andrei Sannikov won 2.6 percent and none of the other eight candidates won more than 2 percent. The OSCE said that the election was marked by "a lack of independence and impartiality of the election administration, an uneven playing field and a restrictive media environment, as well as a continuous lack of transparency at key stages of the electoral process." During peaceful protests in Minsk on election night by thousands of people denouncing alleged vote-rigging, protestors were beaten by police. Seven of the nine candidates who ran against Lukashenka, along with hundreds of other people, were imprisoned. Most detainees had been released by February, but dozens of them, including three candidates, continued to be detained as the government began sentencing them for participating in the protest.

Benin: A presidential election was scheduled for March 13; results will be reported in a future issue.

Cape Verde: In February 6 elections for the 72-seat National Assembly, the African Party for the Independence of Cape Verde, led by Prime Minister Jose Maria Neves, won 51 percent and 37 seats, while the Movement for Democracy won 42 percent and 33 seats. The Democratic and Independent Cape Verdean Union won 5 percent and 2 seats.

Central African Republic: In the January 23 presidential election, incumbent François Bozizé of the National Convergence "Kwa Na Kwa" party (KNK) won 64 percent of the vote. Former president Ange-Félix Patassé, whom Bozizé ousted in a 2003 coup, won 21 percent. In concurrent elections for the 105-seat National Assembly, the KNK won 26 seats, the Central African People's Liberation Movement won 1 seat, and independent candidates won 8 seats. The opposition, citing irregularities and believing that the presidential vote was fraudulent, plans to boycott the runoff for the remaining seats, which is scheduled for March 20; results will be reported in a future issue.

Chad: Elections were held on February 13 for the 188-seat National Assembly. According to provisional results, the Patriotic Salvation Movement of President Idriss Déby—who has been in power since 1990—together with its allies (former president Lol Mahamat Choua's Rally for Democracy and Progress and former prime minister Delwa Kassiré Koumakoye's National Rally for Democracy and Progress) won 133 seats. Opposition party National Union for Democracy and Renewal, led by Saleh Kebzabo, won 11 seats.

Estonia: Parliamentary elections were held on March 6; results will be reported in a future issue.

Haiti: According to the final results of the November 28 presidential election, former first lady Mirlande Manigat won 31 percent of the vote, and musician Michel Martelly won 22 percent. Manigat and Martelly advanced to the runoff after ruling-party candidate Jude Célestin, who also won 22 percent, withdrew from the race under international pressure due to alleged fraud. A presidential and parliamentary runoff was scheduled to be held on March 20; results will be reported in a future issue.

Kosovo: In December 12 elections for the 120-seat National Assembly, Prime Minister Hashim Thaçi's Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) won 32 percent of the vote and 34 seats, while the Democratic League of Kosovo, led by Priština mayor Isa Mustafa, won 25 percent and 27 seats. The Self-Determination party, led by former student leader Albin Kurti, won 13 percent and 14 seats; the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo, led by Ramush Haradinaj, a former Kosovo Liberation Army commander charged with war crimes at the UN tribunal in The Hague, won 11 percent and 12 seats; and the New Kosovo Coalition, led by Behgjet Pacolli's New Kosovo Alliance (AKR), won 7 percent and 8 seats. No other major party passed the 5 percent threshold to gain a seat in the legislature, and the remaining seats were won by or reserved for minority parties. The PDK, AKR, and several minority parties formed a governing coalition. The European Parliament's observation team noted that while generally the elections were conducted well, allegations...