Latest news with #elections
Free Malaysia Today
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Internal sabotage caused Umno's election losses, says Asyraf
Umno secretary-general Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki greeting party members at the delegates meeting of the Rantau Panjang Umno division yesterday. (Bernama pic) PETALING JAYA : Sabotage by party members, not the strength of rival parties, led to Umno's losses in the 2022 general election (GE15), says Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki. 'That (sabotage) is what we want to avoid in the future,' the party's secretary-general told reporters after opening the delegates meeting of the Rantau Panjang Umno division yesterday, Bernama reported. He reminded party leaders and members to remain united and avoid any discord to ensure a big victory at the next general election (GE16). In GE15, Umno won only 26 parliamentary seats and 31% of the popular vote, the worst election performance in its history compared to its 2004 high point, when it won 102 seats and 65% of the popular vote. Asked about moves for Umno to leave the unity government and go solo in GE16, he said: 'We have never been alone in a general election as the country's stability and prosperity would not be achieved if the struggle was done individually.' He added that the Umno Supreme Council will continue to defend the unity government.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Fulton County Commissioners Barrett, Arrington bids to unseat Chairman Robb Pitts
The Brief District 3 Commissioner Dana Barrett and District 5 Commissioner Marvin Arrington Jr. are challenging longtime Commission Chairman Robb Pitts, citing the need for new leadership in Fulton County. Barrett criticizes Pitts for being disconnected from residents' needs and failing to protect Fulton County's elections, highlighting his controversial nomination of Republican Lee Morris to chair the Board of Elections. Both Barrett and Arrington emphasize the need for progressive leadership, with Barrett specifically pointing to the unsustainable condition of the aging Fulton County Jail as a key issue. ATLANTA - Two Fulton County commissioners have announced plans to challenge longtime Commission Chairman Robb Pitts, saying the county needs new leadership in the face of mounting challenges. What we know District 3 Commissioner Dana Barrett and District 5 Commissioner Marvin Arrington Jr. both confirmed they will run for chairman, setting the stage for a high-profile race ahead of the 2026 election. Barrett, a first-term Democrat, criticized Pitts as being disconnected from the needs of residents. "The chairman has been in office since 1977 and he is just really just out of touch with what the citizens of Fulton County need during these modern and challenging times we are living through," Barrett said. She accused Pitts of failing to defend Fulton County's elections during a period of increasing scrutiny and political tension. "Our elections are under attack at the county level, all across the country — in particular in Fulton County," Barrett said. "He has not only not done enough to protect our elections, but he's actually put our elections in jeopardy." Barrett pointed to Pitts' nomination of Republican Lee Morris to chair the county's Board of Elections as an example. Morris later withdrew his name after criticism. Barrett also took aim at Pitts' stance on the aging Fulton County Jail on Rice Street, which she described as unsustainable. "There were six of seven — everybody but the chairman — who said we needed a new jail. Until the political winds shifted," she said. "Whether we need a jail that was originally being talked about at the $1.68 billion or we can do a smaller, newer facility, the building at Rice Street is not sustainable." Arrington, a veteran commissioner known for his outspoken style, has also launched a campaign website and held early fundraisers. Like Barrett, he argues the county needs more progressive leadership. While some observers have questioned why both Barrett and Arrington are entering the race, Barrett said their shared goal is unseating Pitts. "I said I was running before knowing that he was," Barrett said. "He and I have talked about it, and we both have decided we are running because the chairman is not the right leader for Fulton County." The other side Pitts has not yet commented publicly on his challengers. The Source FOX 5's Aungelique Proctor spoke with Fulton County District 3 Commissioner Dana Barrett and District 5 Commissioner Marvin Arrington Jr. as well as staff for Fulton County Chairman Rob Pitts.
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
'Past their due date'? Justin Greene's rivals in Santa Fe mayor's race call out his 'lack of experience'
Santa Fe County Commissioner Justin Greene came out swinging Wednesday when he formally announced his campaign for mayor. Though he didn't drop any names, Greene, now the seventh candidate to jump into the crowded race, asserted some of his rivals are "retired" and "just past their due date" — perhaps not the wisest choice of words in a city with an increasingly growing graying population. In a wide-ranging interview Thursday on The New Mexican's Around the Roundhouse podcast, Greene, 56, sought to clarify his remarks after being asked whether such a message would resonate in a city where a quarter of the population is over the age of 65 and among the most loyal voters. Santa Fe mayoral candidate Justin Greene shares his vision for the city and touts his experience "The point that I was making there is that we need an effective mayor, right?" he said. "Everybody, everybody — even kids that can't vote, right? — have a voice in our governance, right, and talking about the future and talking about things that are needed in the time right now. Right now, we need somebody that's effective, so somebody that's at the peak of their career with the knowledge base, you know, hasn't been sitting on the sidelines for a decade." Former councilors fire back Asked which candidates he was specifically referring to who are has-beens, Greene didn't call out anyone by name. "Some people had run for mayor in the past, and maybe this is time for some new blood," he said. Two of the candidates, Ron Trujillo and JoAnne Vigil Coppler, are both former city councilors who have unsuccessfully run for mayor. Both were defeated by Mayor Alan Webber, who announced in May he would not be seeking a third term. "Is that who we're talking about here?" The New Mexican asked Greene. "I'll let you. Yeah. OK. Thank you," he responded with a smirk. Vigil Coppler fired back at Greene with a retort reminiscent of former President Ronald Reagan when he was asked during a presidential debate in 1984 if he was too old to be president at age 73. "If Mr. Greene wishes to display his ego by making discriminatory remarks about a candidate's age, then I am free to exploit his middle-age youth and complete lack of experience," said Vigil Coppler, 71. During the 1984 debate against Democratic opponent Walter Mondale, Reagan, a Republican known for his sharp wit and sense of humor, quipped, "I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent's youth and inexperience." Vigil Coppler said Reagan's remark remains one of the best lines in American politics, though she noted her remark wasn't plagiarized because it was different. "I'll tell you something else," she added. "Perhaps Mr. Green is taking a line out of the current mayor's playbook [because] he told one of the department directors that she reminded him of an expired date on a milk carton on the shelf." Vigil Coppler declined to disclose the director's identity, saying she asked her not to. A spokesperson for Webber declined comment. Trujillo, who is the same age as Greene, swung back at Greene, too. "There's no expiration on fighting for Santa Fe or caring about its future," he said. Trujillo also noted Greene is campaigning for mayor while serving out his first term as a county commissioner. "Commissioner Greene serving half a term doesn't make him the expert on who's seasoned or who should run for mayor," Trujillo said, adding he delivered "real results" to his council district during his 12 years in office. "I fulfilled my commitment to the voters who elected me to three full four-year terms," he said. "I didn't quit on them to chase a higher-profile office." Greene said he has a responsibility to finish out his term as a county commissioner. "I'm sure that I can balance both of them," he said, referring to his mayoral campaign and his elective office. Not the only Spanish speaker During his campaign announcement Wednesday, Greene also said he believed he is the only mayoral candidate who speaks Spanish, which is false. At least two others, Trujillo and Oscar Rodriguez, a former Taos town manager and Santa Fe finance director, can speak the language. Rodriguez, whose Spanish is impeccable, unlike Greene's, said he's known Greene "as a friend" for years. "Now I'm thinking that I regret so much that I was not able to talk to him in Spanish. Had I known, I would have told him about all my consulting experience in Latin America, precisely in the area of city services," said Rodriguez, who repeated his response word for word in Spanish. Greene speaks closer to what is known as Portuñol in Latin America, or a mixture of Spanish and Portuguese. He said his first second language was Portuguese, which he said he is stronger in than Spanish, primarily because of his Brazilian wife. When informed by The New Mexican on Thursday that other mayoral candidates speak Spanish, Greene said it was good to know. "I think that is definitely an aspect that allows us to reach out to different communities across Santa Fe," he said. As far as saying some of the candidates are past their prime, Greene said he has friends who are seniors who say they wouldn't have the energy to be mayor. "This is going to be an energetic, hard job to do for four years," he said. "As a county commissioner, I'm super hardworking." Greene said he attends "meeting after meeting," routinely collaborates with county staff and responds to constituents at all hours of the day. "I get responses from constituents that are like, 'Wait, did you just email me [on] Sunday morning at three o'clock in the morning?' " he said. "If I'm up, and my phone is near me, I will respond as best I can, and that's just who I am, just a hard worker. "And so that was the point, there, right? You know, some people when they get to a point in their life, they should enjoy retirement. I'm just not there yet."
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Board approves Ranked Choice Voting summary that residents will see on petitions
The Brief A new form of voting for elected officials may be presented as a ballot proposal in Michigan in 2026. On Friday, the state canvassing board gave its blessing to the petition language that citizens can sign if they want to see it on the ballot next year. Instead of a single election where the candidate with the most votes wins, ranked choice voting allows people to rank their favorite candidates. (FOX 2) - The Michigan Board of State Canvassers approved the language that petitioners pushing to change the state's voting processes would show to residents as they gather signatures for a potential future proposal. Ranked Choice Voting is not how Michigan currently elects its officials. But residents may get the opportunity to approve implementing it in the 2026 midterms. Big picture view The board that approves language that campaigns can use when gathering signatures for ballot proposals gave the green light to the group that wants to change how Michigan elects candidates for office. On Friday, the Michigan Board of State Canvassers approved the summary that Rank MI Vote can show residents when it gathers signatures in hopes of putting the issue before voters. The effort is still in its early planning stages. But if the group gets enough people to sign onto their petitions, it would appear as a ballot proposal during the 2026 midterms. If a majority of voters approve the proposal, it would change Michigan's constitution. Instead of the candidate with the most votes winning an election during one round of voting, voters would rank their favorite candidates. The backstory Voters have the opportunity to rewrite the Michigan constitution using ballot proposals. But the journey a proposed constitutional amendment takes before appearing on a ballot is a lengthy one. It starts with a citizen-led petition drive. When a group wants to change something about the state constitution, they bring it to the canvassing board, which works to summarize the proposed change in 100 words or less. After approving the summary, the group must obtain enough signatures from voters before they can get it to appear on the official election ballot. Only then can citizens vote for or against the constitutional change. Dig deeper On Friday, the canvassing board approved summary language that Rank MI Vote will take to voters as it seeks to obtain enough signatures. The election method allows voters to rank their favorite candidates in a race. If a candidate receives more than half of the first choices, they win the race. If no candidate wins the most first-choice votes, then the lowest-ranked candidates will be eliminated, and their voter's choices will be reallocated to their second choice. The proposal would also move up the summer primary earlier in the year to allow for enough time. Below is the summary language approved by the canvassing board: Require Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) for federal offices, governor/lieutenant governor, attorney general, and secretary of state, allowing voters to numerically rank candidates by voter preference starting in 2029, count votes in rounds, eliminating lowest-ranked candidate, and reallocating their votes to remaining ranked candidates until candidate with most final round votes is declared the winner, allow voters to rank at least four more candidates than positions to be nominated/elected, unless insufficient number of candidates, authorize local jurisdiction to adopt use of RCV in local elections, move August primary to June or earlier in even-year elections. Require legislative funding and implementing legislation. The Source The Michigan Board of State Canvassers meeting on Friday was used while reporting this story.
The Independent
8 hours ago
- Business
- The Independent
Starmer to warn of ‘backroom stitch-up' in Welsh elections
Sir Keir Starmer will warn of a 'backroom stitch-up' between the Tories, Reform UK and Plaid Cymru ahead of key elections in Wales next year. In a speech to the Welsh Labour conference, the Prime Minister is set to say that a coalition of those parties would be a 'return to the chaos and division of the last decade' and risk rolling back the progress his party is starting to make. Welsh First Minister Baroness Eluned Morgan meanwhile will call next year's polls a 'moment of reckoning' and 'serious threat' as Reform UK is 'rising' and Plaid Cymru 'mobilising'. And Labour will announce funding to help those made redundant by the Tata Steel closure in Port Talbot. Reform UK is eyeing an opportunity to end Labour's 26 years of domination in the Welsh Parliament at the Senedd elections in May next year. Labour performed poorly in this year's local elections in England, which saw Nigel Farage's party win a swathe of council seats. Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has not ruled out making deals with Plaid Cymru or Reform at the next Senedd election. Welsh Labour leader Baroness Morgan will say the election is not going to be a 'routine affair'. She will add: 'It will be a moment of reckoning. Reform are rising. Plaid are mobilising. And across the country, people are asking big, serious questions about the kind of future they want for Wales. 'This is not a moment to look away. This is the moment to look forward – a moment of maximum opportunity and, yes, also of serious threat. It's time to stand up. It's time to get involved.' The conference in Llandudno comes on the heels of Sir Keir's U-turn on welfare policy to avert a major backbench rebellion that will leave Chancellor Rachel Reeves facing a scramble to fill a potential hole in her budget this autumn. Ahead of marking a year in office next week, Sir Keir will point to moves his Government has made since the election that he says bring direct benefits to Wales, including international trade deals that give a boost to brands such as Penderyn whisky and legislation to bolster workers' rights. Wales Secretary Jo Stevens is set to announce a new £11 million fund for businesses offering skilled employment in Port Talbot as it seeks to help those left unemployed by Tata Steel's closure of the steelworks. The fund is made up of £6.78 million from the Government and £5 million from Tata Steel. 'The Tories abandoned our steelworkers. Reform want to cancel the Electric Arc Furnace, throw away 5,000 jobs, and send people back down the mines. 'We have the backs of our steelworkers, their families and local businesses,' Ms Stevens will say. Sir Keir will tout the advantages of having parallel Labour governments in Westminster and Wales, with Baroness Morgan leading the latter as a 'fierce champion'. 'This is the party that has got wages rising faster in the first 10 months than the Tories managed in 10 years. This is the government that is cutting bills and creating jobs. This is the movement that will rebuild Britain and renew Wales,' Sir Keir is expected to say. Labour is the party with the 'interests of working people at their heart' and 'it always will be', he will say. 'Or, there's the other option. The risk of rolling back all the progress we're beginning to make. A return to the chaos and division of the last decade. 'A backroom stitch-up between the Tories, Reform and Plaid. And once again, it will be working families left to pick up the bill. 'Whether that's with Reform, or with Plaid's determination to cut Wales off from the rest of the country – with no plan to put Wales back together.' The Conservatives have said that Labour has 'let Wales down for far too long'. Shadow Welsh secretary Mims Davies said: 'Divisions between a complacent Welsh Labour and Starmer's failing UK Government in Westminster have simply not improved Wales's outlook, despite the fabled benefit of two Labour Governments in Wales, which is absolute bunkum.' She also added: 'Labour has let Wales down for too long, taken people for granted and now the PM is making a mess of the entire United Kingdom.'
