BREAKING: Georgia Accuses Russia of Bombing
The Government of Georgia (GoG) accused Russia of bombing a rural village 40 miles north of Tiblisi, the Georgian capital. According to the GoG, two Russian bombers entered Georgian airspace and dropped an air-to-surface bomb near the village of Tsitelubani. Luckily, the bomb did not explode. The Russian air force denies the accusation. The targeted village lies on the border of South Ossetia, a region of Georgia seeking autonomy and supported by Russia.
Ivory Coast President Announces Elections by Year’s End
During a televised national address, President Gbagbo announced that he would seek to hold presidential elections by December. The Ivory Coast is effectively divided between the government administered south and the rebel controlled north. Progress has been slow since a peace deal in March, but some see the potential elections as a way out of the prolonged crisis. However, there are serious concerns about whether legitimate elections can take place in such an environment and whether they will meet international standards.
Second Round of Congolese Elections Fail to Meet Standards
Parliamentary elections last week in the Republic of Congo failed to meet international expectations. The first round of voting was held in June and received criticism from domestic and international observers. While polls were scheduled to open at 7am, voting in the capital of Brazzaville did not start until 10am. Voters who claimed to have cast ballots for the opposition in the first round said there names were now absent from the voter rolls.
New PM in East Timor Greeted with Riots and Violence
After weeks of political deadlock following tight parliamentary elections in June, Xanana Gusmao was selected as the new prime minister in East Timor. No party won a majority of seats in the parliament and a political stalemate resulted between the two leading political figures, Mr Gusmao and Mari Alkatiri. The impass was broken when the current PM threw his support behind Gusmao.
Kazakhstan Makes Case for OSCE Presidency, Opposition Claims Sham Elections
At an OSCE meeting this week, the Government of Kazakhstan (GoK) reported progress towards consolidating a democratic form of government as an attempt to preempt opposition to the scheduled Kazakh presidency of the OSCE in 2009. Parliamentary elections scheduled for August 19th have brought renewed focus on the state of Kazakh democracy. These elections are taking place two years ahead of schedule because of recent constitutional changes. Opposition parties claim that they are struggling against an undemocratic electoral system as they are prohibited from organizing political rallies, their commercials are banned from television, and unfair state-controled media coverage which focuses negative coverage on opposition groups.
