Noticias

TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran has called off plans to hold the two upcoming elections using electronic voting machines, Spokesman for Iran’s Guardian Council (GC) Nejatollah Ebrahimian announced.

Speaking to the Tasnim News Agency on Wednesday, Ebrahimian pointed to a meeting of the GC earlier in the day and said the issue of using electronic ballot boxes in the upcoming elections was raised in the session and the majority of the GC members voiced their opposition to the plan.

KABUL (Pajhwok): The Social Justice Movement (SJM) on Thursday termed the Independent Election Commission (IEC)’s date announcement for the parliamentary and district council elections as “illegal and unjustifiable.”

The civil society group said the announcement had hurt people’s trust over the unity government regarding reforms in the county’s electoral system and holding new elections by fresh election commissioners under a transparent system.

Earlier, the process was to be held through secret ballot.

Moving an amendment in the Sindh Local Government Act 2013, senior education and parliamentary affairs minister, Nisar Khuhro, said the move would make the election process transparent.

Al-Mustaqbal chief ex-PM Saad Hariri has informed his movement's officials that Saudi Arabia continues to veto the candidacy of Free Patriotic Movement founder MP Michel Aoun for the presidency, al-Akhbar daily reported on Wednesday.

Several officials, including al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc leader MP Fouad Saniora, traveled to Saudi Arabia on Monday following Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea's endorsement of Aoun.

KABUL (Pajhwok): The newly-formed opposition party, Security and Stability Council (SSC), on Monday said it would not participate in future elections until electoral reforms were implemented.

Earlier in the day, Independent Elections Commission (IEC) Chairman Yousuf Nuristani told a news conference in Kabul that the panel was technically prepared to hold the delayed parliamentary election on October 15, 2016.

Nine women and 281 men. Such is the composition of the Iranian parliament. Rights activists believe this lopsided gender imbalance is one reason why so many discriminatory laws against women have been passed by the current legislature, in office since 2012. Ahead of the upcoming Feb. 26 parliamentary elections, a group of women's rights activists organized Changing the Male-Dominated Face of the Parliament, a campaign to address the dearth of women in the legislature.

Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil stressed Sunday that “nothing justifies postponing the parliamentary polls,” as the FPM held unprecedented internal elections based on the “proportional representation” system.

Bassil voiced his remarks during an inspection tour that saw him visit Akkar, Baalbek-Hermel, Jezzine, Jbeil, Keserwan, Beirut and Aley.

The FPM's polls were aimed at electing regional committees.

ISLAMABAD: The Senate is set to implement a new code of conduct which envisages serious penalties for violators including suspension of house membership.

The upper house of parliament passed a draft code of conduct for senators with a majority vote on Thursday. Only three senators, two from JUI-F and one from the ruling PML-N, opposed the initiative. They argued that it would open floodgates of complaints which could in turn tarnish the image of politicians.