World news, edition 2 2016
More transparency and less corruption needed in African elections
Presidential elections in Uganda this week have resulted in the incumbent, Yoweri Museveni of the National Resistant Movement, being reelected. Museveni has been in power since 1986. The Opposition party, the Forum for Democratic Change, have issued their own vastly different election results. International observers have condemned the election process for its lack of transparency and for actions that distort fairness, such as government-ordered social media blackouts. At the same time, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, opposition parties have come together to strike in protest against efforts by current President, Joseph Kabila, to run for a third term. They have called for elections to be held this year.
Ex-President of the Maldives visits Britain on medical leave from 13 year jail term
Mohamed Nasheed, ex-President of the Maldives who was “forced to resign at gunpoint” in 2012, has been temporarily released from a 13 year prison sentence to visit Britain on medical leave. He is currently embroiled in a case against the Maldivian government regarding his jailing over “terrorist offences”; at the head of the attempt to repeal his sentence is human rights lawyer Amal Clooney. Defending the Maldivian government is Cherie Booth, wife of former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair.
Nasheed said in a press conference in the UK on Monday that he has not yet decided whether he will return to the Maldives to serve the remainder of his prison sentence, despite having signed a document on departure guaranteeing that he would do so. A United Nations working group has determined that Nasheed did not receive a fair trial.
Petrol prices in Venezuela rise by 6,000%
Falling oil prices across the globe have driven Venezuela’s economy – largely based on oil exports – into the ground. Last year, money spent on importing goods outweighed money earned from exporting oil, which hasn’t been true in the past. While the economy is evidently failing, with rising inflation due to excessive money being printed to finance a budget deficit, the rise in petrol prices is seen by some as a symbolic move more than an economic one, as Venezuela’s petrol is still the cheapest in the world at $1.31 AUD per litre.
The symbolic move, aimed at increasing awareness amongst the population about the dire economic situation in the country, may not be enough. Oscar Arias, Nobel Peace Prize winner, has chided the President for his small steps, stating that the only way to return to a functioning economy is to abandon the current model entirely.
P.S. If you’re a casual U.S. politics nerd, results from Super Tuesday (the day with eleven states voting in Presidential primary elections) will start to come in starting noon on Wednesday (our time). (If you’re a non-casual U.S. politics nerd, you knew that already.)