Democracy At Work

The US on Tuesday praised India's parliamentary elections as the "largest exercise of democracy in history", while refraining from commenting on the outcomes of the polls. State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller commended the Indian government and its voters for successfully completing the massive electoral process. "On behalf of the United States, we want to commend the government of India and voters there for successfully completing and participating in such a massive electoral undertaking, and we look forward to seeing final results," he stated during his daily news briefing. Miller emphasised the US stance on not commenting on electoral winners and losers worldwide. "I'm also not going to comment on winners and losers in elections as is our case around the world. What is important for us and what we have seen over the past six weeks is the largest exercise of democracy in history, as the Indian people came to the polls," he added. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on Tuesday

Meta's WhatsApp makes it possible to scale communication thanks to its 'Channels' feature, which can broadcast to thousands

The Biden administration asserted that India was an important strategic partner of the US and added that the status of the relationship is expected to remain unchanged. US State Department spokesperson Mathew Miller was responding to a question at a press conference on Monday on the US-India relationship in the context of some articles and opinion pieces critical of the Indian government published ahead of the Lok Sabha elections in India. To a question on alleged concerns about democratic backsliding in India and the recent statements by the State Department regarding the alleged crackdown on opposition, Miller said, India is the world's largest democracy. It is an important strategic partner of the United States and I expect that to remain true. US officials in the recent past have called India a "very important partner and that the relationship between the two countries continues to grow. However, after the historic Official State Visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Whi

Senegal's little-known opposition figure who was elected president this week in a tightly contested race won over 54 per cent of the votes, according to results released on Wednesday. The presidential election on Sunday marked a stunning victory for 44-year-old Bassirou Diomaye Faye, who was freed from prison less than two weeks ago and is now due to be the youngest leader of the West African nation. The government-backed candidate, former Prime Minister Amadou Ba, conceded to Faye on Monday. President Macky Sall, who had backed Ba, also declared Faye the winner. At a news conference in Dakar, the court of appeals announced Wednesday that Faye won 54.28 per cent of the vote. Ba garnered 35.47 per cent of the votes cast. The results are preliminary -- after all the votes have been counted -- but are expected to be confirmed on Friday. Faye's release from prison followed a political amnesty granted just in time for the balloting. He was little known until popular opposition leader .

This year's summit agenda focused on digital threats to democracy, including misinformation, artificial intelligence, and deep fakes

Sixteen years ago, mass protests in Nepal forced then-King Gyanendra Shah to give up the throne and clear the way for a republic. Now, a new wave of protest is trying to bring him back. The capital of the Himalayan country is again teeming with demonstrators, this time demanding that Shah be reinstated as king and Hinduism brought back as a state religion. Royalist groups accuse the country's major political parties of corruption and failed governance and say people are frustrated with politicians. Come back king, save the country. Long live our beloved king. We want a monarchy, the crowd chanted at a rally last month in Kathmandu. Growing frustration with the present system has led to calls for radical change. Pro-monarchy rallies have been growing larger, and an increasing number of homes and businesses are displaying portraits of the ex-king and his ancestors. Gyanendra was a constitutional head of state without executive or political powers until 2005, when he seized absolute .

Out of the 28 countries in the region that are included in the index, 15 recorded a decline in their score, and only eight registered an improvement

"Immediate decisions are being taken on complaints filed," the poll panel added in its statement

Earlier in the week, the US State Department expressed reservations about challenges to freedom of expression during the ongoing electoral process

The Election Commission's Republic Day parade tableau on Friday rolled down the Kartavya Path showcasing "India--Mother of Democracy". The Lok Sabha election is considered the world's biggest peacetime logistics exercise of movement of people and material. The tableau depicts the conduct of free, fair, inclusive, accessible and participative elections in the country. The front of the tableau shows an inked finger pressing a button to cast a vote on an electronic voting machine (EVM). It also depicts the magnitude of the parliamentary elections, which is due shortly and in which nearly 96 crore people will be eligible to cast their vote in 12 lakh polling stations. Nearly 1.5 crore personnel will be deployed for conducting polling. People from different sections of society have been depicted standing in a queue, showcasing the cultural diversity of the country. In the rear portion of the tableau, the Election Commission's effort towards "No voter to be left behind" has been showca

President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday said the use of modern technology by the Election Commission in the electoral process is an example for all the democracies of the world and hoped that its use will be enhanced in the future. She also appreciated the efforts of the poll panel in ensuring inclusive elections by enhancing the participation of women, persons with disabilities and vulnerable groups. The president was addressing the 14th National Voters' Day event here. The Election Commission was established on January 25, 1950, a day before India became a republic. For the last 14 years, the EC's establishment day is observed as National Voters' Day. In the last 75 years, Murmu noted, the poll authority has organised 17 Lok Sabha elections and over 400 assembly elections. Describing the process of holding Lok Sabha elections as the biggest logistics exercise in the world, she noted that people voted in over 12 lakh polling stations with exercise being managed by 1.5 crore polling .

Retired US officials met with Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen on Monday and praised the island's democratic process that produced a new president-elect and legislature over the weekend in defiance of China's claim of sovereignty over Taiwan and threat to annex it by military force. Taiwan's democracy has set a shining example for the world, a democratic success story based on transparency, the rule of law and respect for human rights and freedoms," former national security advisor Stephen Hadley said. America's commitment to Taiwan is rock solid," he said. Taiwan on Saturday elected current Vice President Lai Ching-te as the new head of government, a move likely to prompt China to maintain its military, diplomatic and economic threats against the island. Hadley was joined by former Deputy Secretary of State James B. Steinberg, who affirmed bipartisan support for Taiwan based on our unofficial but warm relationship, our insistence on exclusively peaceful means to address the cross .

Taiwan's three main parties contesting the election are the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), the Kuomintang (KMT) and the Taiwan People's Party (TPP), only set up in 2019

Courtesy in political dialogue and tolerance of policy dissent are a central requirement of democracy

Business Standard takes a look at, who went up and who came down politics