Elections

People are "disappointed" by Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus's announcement to hold elections in April 2026, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) said on Saturday, asserting that April is not the "right time" to conduct polls. The party reiterated its demand for polls by December this year. "April is not the right time for polls in Bangladesh in any way, BNP Secretary-General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir told journalists. His statement came a day after Yunus, during a televised address to the nation on the eve of the Eid-ul-Adha festival, announced that national elections would be held in the first half of April next year. Yunus' announcement was followed by an urgent virtual meeting of the standing committee of former prime minister Khaleda Zia's BNP, presided over by the party's acting chairman and Zia's son Tarique Rahman from London. In a statement, the BNP said Yunus' address meant an unwarranted delay in arranging the election, adding that it ignored the nation's aspirations, caus

Millions of South Koreans are voting Tuesday for a new president in a snap election triggered by the ouster of Yoon Suk Yeol, a conservative who now faces an explosive trial on rebellion charges over his short-lived imposition of martial law in December. Pre-election surveys suggested Yoon's liberal archrival, Lee Jae-myung, appeared headed for an easy win, riding on deep public frustration over the conservatives in the wake of Yoon's martial law debacle. The main conservative candidate, Kim Moon Soo, has struggled to win over moderate, swing voters as his People Power Party remains in a quagmire of internal feuding over how to view Yoon's actions. This election serves as another defining moment in the country's resilient democracy, but observers worry a domestic divide worsened by Yoon is far from over and could pose a big political burden on the new president. The past six months saw large crowds of people rallying in the streets to either denounce or support Yoon, while a ...

Months of a political drama in South Korea is drawing to a close, with the country poised to elect a new president this week to succeed Yoon Suk Yeol, a conservative leader who was toppled over his ill-fated imposition of martial law. Surveys show liberal Lee Jae-myung maintaining a solid lead over his main conservative rival, Kim Moon Soo, who wants an upset victory. Whoever wins, the new president will forgo the usual two-month transition and serve one full, five-year term at a time when South Korea faces crucial challenges including a severe left-right political divide, the Trump administration's tariff policy and North Korea's expanding military partnership with Russia. Here is a look at the two main candidates standing for the June 3 election: LEE JAE-MYUNG Lee, 60, the Democratic Party candidate, was the driving force behind an opposition-led campaign to oust Yoon, whose December 3 marital law decree plunged South Korea into turmoil. Lee said he initially thought Yoon's ...

Voting was due to end at 9 p.m. (1900 GMT), with exit polls published soon afterwards. The electoral commission says it hopes final results will be announced on Monday morning or early afternoon

ECI announces bypoll schedule in Gujarat, Kerala, Punjab, and West Bengal; mobile deposit rules and 100-meter canvassing restrictions to ensure smooth polling

Albania's prime minister on Wednesday thanked hundreds of thousands of voters who supported his Socialist Party in the last parliamentary elections, backing his pledge to take the country into the European Union in five years. Edi Rama, leader of the left-wing Socialist Party, held a celebratory rally in Tirana's main Skanderbeg Square. The event, attended by thousands of supporters waving Albanian and EU flags, took place in front of a big poster prepared for Friday's European Political Community summit, or EPC, a forum that gathers European leaders with the aim of boosting security and prosperity across the continent. With only diaspora ballots remaining to be fully counted, the ruling Socialists achieved a landslide victory, winning 83 seats in the 140-seat Parliament in the May 11 polls, according to the Central Election Commission. With those numbers, the Socialists are likely to govern alone. Rama's Socialist Party says it can deliver EU membership in five years, with ...

Born to Indian immigrant parents, Anand was a lawyer and law professor for over 20 years before entering politics

Lebanese voted Sunday in the country's first local elections in almost a decade, months after a US-brokered ceasefire ended a war between Israel and Hezbollah. The first round of voting, which is taking place by region, was in the Mount Lebanon districts including Beirut's battered southern suburbs, where Hezbollah headquarters are located and much of their leadership including veteran leader Hassan Nasrallah were killed in Israeli airstrikes during the 14-month war. The polls for mayors and municipal councils, though not as significant as Lebanon's parliamentary election set for 2026, are a barometer of how much the devastating war that left over 4,000 people dead and entire neighbourhoods destroyed has impacted support for politicians and parties, especially in the south where Hezbollah and allies are strong. Hezbollah and fellow Shitte party the Amal Movement are expected to win most votes for municipal councils and mayors in Beirut's southern suburbs. Flags of the parties and .

Australia's re-elected Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Sunday was greeted by well-wishers at a Sydney cafe and said the country had voted for unity over division. Albanese's center-left Labor Party won an emphatic victory in elections on Saturday. As vote counting continued, the government was on track to win at least 85 seats in the 150-seat House of Representatives, the lower chamber where parties need a majority to form an administration. Labor held 78 seats in the previous Parliament, and gaining seats in a second term is rare in Australian politics. The Australian people voted for unity rather than division, Albanese told reporters in the crowded caf in the inner-suburban Leichhardt where he and his fiancee, Jodie Haydon, gathered with colleagues and supporters for coffee. We'll be a disciplined, orderly government in our second term, just like we have been in our first, he added. He noted that he had frequented the cafe as a child with his late mother, Marryanne Albanese,

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and his People's Action Party (PAP) has secured two-third seats or the 65 required from 97 contested in the general election held on Saturday to form the next government in Singapore. The opposition Workers' Party has won six seats and is leading in four seats. As results are coming in, the PAP is leading in the rest of the seats. Wong and the PAP had sought a new mandate from the general election in the midst of uncertainties caused by the US trade tariff to global economies. The PAP, Singapore's oldest and largest political party that has ruled the city-state ever since independence, has secured absolute majority to rule the prosperous country for the next five years. About 2.6 million Singaporeans voted on Saturday for 92 contested seats as PAP's Group Representation Constituency for Marine Parade-Braddell Heights had a walkover on nomination day on April 23. This was Wong's first election as prime minister of the global-business focused Singapore

The second phase of the polls will be held on May 7 in the remaining 13 districts, and the counting of votes will take place on May 11

A total of 2,758,846 registered Singaporean voters are heading into polling booths for the 19 General Election 2025 (GE2025) to elect the next government which is set to face strong global headwinds caused by trade tariffs announced by the United States, the biggest trading partner of the Southeast Asian city-state. Voting began at 8 am on Saturday at 1,240 stations set up island-wide, with polling polling booths set to be be closed at 8 pm and results expected late at night. Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, completing nearly a year in office, is seeking a fresh mandate for the ruling People's Action Party (PAP), which has governed the city-state since independence and steered its development into a global financial hub. Singapore is in the cross road between US and China trade war, a diplomatic source said, adding that the trade focused island has strong diplomatic and economic relations with both the giant economies, a fall off from which will affect its future progress. Multination

The top two candidates seem to agree on major problems: A crisis of affordability, Trump's actions and menacing words, the economy, and crime

The suspect, identified as Kai-Ji Adam, was caught by bystanders and handed over to the police. Investigators have noted that the suspect had a history of mental health issues

Around 28 million registered Canadians will cast their ballots across 343 districts as the country goes to the polls after Justin Trudeau resigned from the prime ministerial position last month

BJP MP Anurag Thakur on Tuesday said the implementation of the 'one nation, one election' formula would be a win-win situation for the country as it would not just cut the expenses incurred in conducting various polls but also save a lot of time. "Elections were held in Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir within a few months of the Lok Sabha polls (last year). Then elections were held in Maharashtra, Jharkhand and Delhi. So, there are at least five assembly elections in a year. "If all the polls are held simultaneously, it will reduce the expenditure, save time and increase the voting percentage as well," Thakur told reporters in Srinagar on the sidelines of a party event on 'one nation, one election' (ONOE). The former Union minister said conducting simultaneous polls would reduce the expenditure of the candidates, political parties, and help the country save money. "Around Rs 1.5 lakh crore was spent in the (2024) Lok Sabha elections -- by political parties, candidates, other instituti

Australians began voting Tuesday at general elections as campaigning was overshadowed by the death of Pope Francis. Polling stations opened to voters who for a variety of reasons will be unable to vote on May 3. Around half the votes are expected to be cast before the election date. Both Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and opposition leader Peter Dutton cancelled campaign events planned for Tuesday out of respect for the late pontiff. Flags were flown at half staff from government buildings across the country where a 2021 census found 20% of the population were Catholics. Albanese was raised as a Catholic but chose to be sworn in as prime minister when he was elected in 2022 by making a secular affirmation rather than by taking an oath on a Bible. Albanese attended a Mass in honour of the pope in Melbourne's St. Patrick's Cathedral on Tuesday morning. I try not to talk about my faith in public, Albanese told reporters. At times like this, I think what people do is they draw on w

With the US administration's crackdown on immigration and questions being asked about the issue of migration in Canada and Australia as well

Singapore's parliament was dissolved Tuesday, paving the way for general elections in which the city-state's long-ruling People's Action Party will seek to strengthen its dominance under Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. The Elections Department is expected to set a date for the polls later in the afternoon. Victory is virtually assured for the PAP, which has led Singapore since its independence in 1965. But Wong, who was sworn in as Singapore's fourth leader in May last year, wants to clinch a stronger win after the PAP suffered a setback in 2020 polls over voters' rising discontent with the government. Wong succeeded Lee Hsien Loong, who stepped down after two decades at the helm. Lee's departure marked the end of a family dynasty started by his father, Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore's first leader who built the colonial trading outpost into one of the world's richest nations during 31 years in office. In the 2020 polls held during the COVID-19 pandemic, the PAP maintained its supermajority

Leader of the Democratic Party Lee Jae-myung is the front-runner in the elections. Lee lost to Yoon with a margin of less than 1% votes in 2022