Australian government will have difficulties with new Senate
With the probable make-up of the Australian Senate becoming clearer, the balance of power looks grim for the government. Almost all the cross-bench factions will be able to veto government … Continue reading
The likely make-up of the new Australian Senate
The shape of Australia’s new Senate is coming into view, and it does not look to be an easy chamber for the Turnbull coalition government. The overall position seems to … Continue reading
Senators will allocate terms of office to themselves
In August, when the newly elected Australian Senate first meets, the senators will face a task with an unusual degree of political and personal seat-interest. A decision must be made dividing … Continue reading
New senators will have unequal voter support
Some of the newly elected Australian Senators will need to brace themselves for a new form of abuse: being denounced as “unrepresentative ‘below-quota’ swill”, to paraphrase Paul Keating’s famous quote. … Continue reading
Australians elect a Parliament, but not a government
The dust is not settling quickly on yesterday’s Australian election. Australians have elected a Parliament, but not an executive government. But then, under Australia’s constitutional system the voters never do … Continue reading
Spanish election solves nothing about government standoff
Last weekend’s re-run of elections for the Spanish parliament has yielded a result almost identical to the inconclusive December 2015 elections, which left the nation without an endorsed government for over six months. … Continue reading
Independent wins Austrian presidency
Independent candidate Alexander Van der Bellen has been elected as the next President of Austria by a slim 31,000 votes over the anti-immigrant Freedom Party’s Norbert Hofer. The result – … Continue reading
Austrian presidential vote a virtual tie
Yesterday’s presidential election in Austria is hanging in the balance, with the leading broadcaster projecting a virtual 50/50 tie. The result will either bring in Europe’s first far-right nationalist elected head of … Continue reading
Sadiq Khan the most popular Mayor of London so far
After a bitter campaign marked by innuendo about the religious faith of the leading candidate, earlier this month London voters elected Labour’s Sadiq Khan as the third Mayor of London. Despite the … Continue reading
Philippines elects president who might shut down parliament
Rodrigo Duterte, the controversial Mayor of the southern Philippine city of Davao, has easily won election as the next President of the Philippines. The leading candidate in recent months, Duterte, … Continue reading
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