Upcoming Elections

Here is a useful list, and summary of the upcoming elections this year around the world:


COUNTRY DATE ELECTION TYPE
Sudan April 11, 2010 Presidential First Round
Hungary April 11, 2010 Parliamentary First Round
Sudan April 11, 2010 Legislative
Sudan April 11, 2010 Subnational - Legislative
Ethiopia May 23, 2010 Parliamentary
United Kingdom June 7, 2001 Parliamentary
Mauritius May 5, 2010 Parliamentary
Kenya May 2010 Referendum (Tentative)
Solomon Islands April 2010 Parliamentary
Nauru April 24, 2010 Parliamentary (Snap)

Period in review: April 2-8, 2010

United Kingdom (Apr 09, 2010)

British Prime Minister Gordon BROWN on Thursday promised far-reaching electoral reforms if voters return his Labour Party to power, but critics say the promise is too little too late. Spokespeople for the Liberal Democrats, the UK's third largest party, and major electoral reform groups argue BROWN should have sought legislation authorizing a promised 2011 referendum before calling elections scheduled for May 6. Some media have reported that the pledge is meant to woo Liberal Democrats into a coalition government in the event that voters seat a hung Parliament. BROWN'S proposals include switching from plurality elections to the Alternative Vote, mandating fixed four-year terms for Members of Parliament, replacing the House of Lords with an elected Senate, and formalizing the British constitution. The Conservative Party opposes said changes, opting instead for reform of boundary delimitation rules. Next month's election is likely to be the UK's most competitive since 1992, with opinion polls suggesting no clear winner.

Kenya (Apr 02, 2010)

Kenya's National Assembly has approved a draft constitution that would impose checks on Presidential power, among other reforms, if ratified at a yet-to-be-called referendum this year. The new document would create a Senate, a permanent Supreme Court, legislative oversight of Cabinet appointments, legislative impeachment powers, elected county governments, an expanded bill of rights, prohibition on joint membership of Parliament and the Cabinet, and other checks-and-balances. The draft is the result of 12 months of deliberations by a Committee of Experts. Institutional reform has been a key issue in Keyna for nearly two decades, with the last such referendum failing in 2005. Violence rocked the country after a disputed 2007 election, culminating in the creation of a Prime Ministership, which went to opposition Presidential candidate Raila ODINGA.