Latest news with #oppositionParties
Al Jazeera
2 days ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Cameroon's 92-year-old president seeks eighth term in office
Cameroon's president, Paul Biya, who is 92 years old, has announced plans to run for an eighth term in this year's presidential election on October 12. Biya, who is the world's oldest serving head of state, made the announcement in posts on X on Sunday in both French and English. 'I am a candidate in the presidential election,' he wrote. 'Rest assured that my determination to serve you matches the urgency of the challenges we face.' Biya, who is seeking a new term that could keep him in office until he is nearly 100, came to power more than four decades ago in 1982, when his predecessor, Ahmadou Ahidjo, resigned. His health is the subject of frequent speculation, most recently last year when he disappeared from public view for 42 days. His re-election bid had been widely anticipated but not formally confirmed until Sunday's social media post. Biya had been posting regularly on his verified X handle in the buildup to the announcement. In 2018, in a first, he also used social media to announce his candidacy for that year's presidential contest, marking a rare direct engagement with the public on digital platforms. Members of the governing Cameroon People's Democratic Movement (CPDM) and other supporters have since last year publicly called for Biya to seek another term. But opposition parties and some civil society groups argue his long rule has stifled economic and democratic development. Two former allies have quit the governing coalition and announced plans to separately run in the election. 'President Biya's announcement to run again is a clear sign of Cameroon's stalled political transition. After over 40 years in power, what the country needs is renewal – not repetition. Cameroonians deserve democratic change and accountable leadership,' Nkongho Felix Agbor, a human rights advocate and lawyer, told The Associated Press news agency. Sunday's announcement is sure to revive debate over Biya's fitness for office. He seldom makes public appearances, often delegating responsibilities to the powerful chief of staff of the president's office. Last October, he returned to Cameroon after a 42-day absence, which had sparked speculation he was unwell. The government claimed he was fine but banned any discussion of his health, saying it was a matter of national security. Biya scrapped term limits in 2008, clearing the way for him to run indefinitely. He won the 2018 election with 71.28 percent of the vote, though opposition parties alleged widespread irregularities. The cocoa- and oil-producing Central African nation, which has had just two presidents since independence from France and the United Kingdom in the early 1960s, is likely to face a messy succession crisis if Biya were to become too ill to remain in office or die. Besides Biya, several opposition figures have also declared their intention to run, including 2018 runner-up Maurice Kamto of the Cameroon Renaissance Movement, Joshua Osih of the Social Democratic Front, lawyer Akere Muna and Cabral Libii of the Cameroon Party for National Reconciliation. All have criticised Biya's long period as head of state and called for reforms to ensure a fair vote in 2025. Under Biya, Cameroon has faced economic challenges and insecurity on several fronts, including a drawn-out separatist conflict in its English-speaking regions and ongoing incursions from the Boko Haram armed group in the north.
Japan Times
24-06-2025
- Politics
- Japan Times
Japan sets Upper House election for July 20
The government said Tuesday that an election for the House of Councilors, the upper chamber of parliament, will take place on July 20. The official campaign period will start on July 3 in the election for the 248-seat Upper House, in which 125 seats — 75 in constituencies and 50 under proportional representation — will be contested. The campaign will focus on ways to address rising prices and political fund issues. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Monday that his ruling coalition aims to secure a majority in the Upper House. The bloc needs to win at least 50 seats to achieve the goal. Opposition parties want to block his goal after the ruling coalition lost a majority in the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of parliament, in an election last year.
Bloomberg
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Bloomberg
Israel's Netanyahu Dodges Early Election as Iran Tensions Rise
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government survived an attempt by opposition parties to dissolve parliament early Thursday, as tensions spiked over Iran's nuclear program. The bill was voted down 61 to 53 after hours of negotiation during which Netanyahu persuaded some ultra-Orthodox allies to stick with him despite their anger over attempts to draft religious men into the military, ending a long-time exemption. Details of the compromise weren't immediately made available.
Globe and Mail
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Globe and Mail
Carney will meet the House, where the little things will matter
Mark Carney will meet the House of Commons for the first time this week, and his Liberals are a few votes shy of a majority. But it's not the survival of his government that he has to worry about – not yet. It's the little things. Every party in the opposition he faces is returning bruised, weakened in one way or another. The Conservatives are returning without their leader, Pierre Poilievre, who spent months demanding an election, then lost the vote and his seat. The Bloc Québécois, which last fall set deadlines for concessions from the government, is now chastened from the loss of a third of their caucus. The NDP are a leaderless, status-less, penniless corporal's guard of seven MPs who publicly disagreed on who should take temporary charge. It would take all three of those parties banding together to bring down Mr. Carney's Liberals on a confidence vote. They won't be mustering that kind of moxie anytime soon. Yet that doesn't mean Mr. Carney can be confident he will be able to govern like he has a majority. In a minority Parliament, the opposition will have the power to trip up the government in lots of little ways. In the last Parliament, the Commons ground into gridlock. Legislation didn't move for two months because of a procedural tussle: The Conservatives moved a privilege motion over the government's refusal to cough up some documents and filibustered it, speaking day after day. With an election coming, the Bloc and the NDP didn't want to side with the Liberals to lift the siege. There won't be that kind of scorched-earth tactic now. Mr. Poilievre has promised more collaboration, and there won't be as much public tolerance for obstructionist tactics when there's a newly-elected government promising crisis-atmosphere action. But when opposition MPs control the Commons, they have the power to cause headaches and embarrassments for the government in power – taking up time, making headlines and sometimes eroding its reputation. If opposition MPs outnumber Liberals on Commons committees, they could vote for the government to produce internal documents – such as the ones from the now-defunct Sustainable Technology Development Canada that led to last fall's Commons standoff. They could also launch hearings into government missteps and scandals summoning senior civil servants and other witnesses. In the last Parliament, opposition parties launched nearly two years of hearings into ballooning costs and contracting abuses in the development of the Canada Border Services Agency's ArriveCan app. They never got to the bottom of things but produced regular examples of government ineptitude. Mr. Carney may be a new prime minister, but the Liberals have 10 years of tenure behind them, and past missteps could be unearthed to serve as future banana skins. What's not yet clear is just how much power the opposition will have over the workings of Parliament. With only seven seats, the NDP doesn't have the official status that bring a seat on the Commons' Board of Internal Economy, which allocates parliamentary resources and budgets. Without party status, the party could be cut out of seats on parliamentary committees, too. But such questions about money and committee membership, and whether the Lliberals will retain a majority on some committees, will be up for negotiation. If the Liberals don't throw a bone to the NDP, the Conservatives and Bloc might – and Liberals must worry that the three parties could band together to rewrite the rules of the Commons to give the opposition more control. Why does it matter? Governments don't win re-election in parliamentary committees. But they can take up time and attention, and they are a platform for the opposition to erode the government's popularity. The fact that the opposition parties are licking wounds now means that there's a good chance that some, perhaps all, will feel stronger in a year or 18 months – and maybe willing to brave another election. New Democrats might feel they could regain party status in another election. If the trade-war crisis dissipates, the Bloc might feel they're less likely to be squeezed out in an election that doesn't revolved around the question of which leader will handle U.S. President Donald Trump. And the Conservatives might eventually like their chances to wrest power. In the meantime, it's the little things in a minority Parliament that could cause Mr. Carney a lot of trouble.
RNZ News
23-05-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
Labour accuses govt of trying to avoid scrutiny by passing bill under urgency
Usually Parliament would not sit beyond midnight. File photo Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone A post-Budget debate about changes to an accommodation supplement unusually dragged on into the early hours of Saturday morning, as opposition parties tried in vain to block the changes. The House sat under urgency to debate a dozen bills, when a vote on the Social Assistance Legislation (Accommodation Supplement and Income-related Rent) Amendment Bill was called at about 11.30pm. Usually, Parliament would not sit beyond midnight, but once a vote commences, it cannot stop without leave. That leave was sought by Labour MP Kieran McAnulty, but denied by government MPs. Instead, opposition parties filed several minor amendments, dragging out the proceedings. McAnulty accused the government of trying to avoid scrutiny by passing the bill under urgency. "There's no reason for this bill to go through under urgency, it's got nothing to do with the Budget really," he told RNZ. "They are going to try and save money from this bill to fill the gaps in their Budget. "It should go to select committee and New Zealanders should have an opportunity to have their say." "We saw this with the Pay Equity Bill recently and now they're doing it with this bill as well, and we oppose it. Many New Zealanders don't know it's happening, because it's getting rushed through." Under the change, every boarder a person has will be taken into account, when their accommodation supplement is calculated by Work and Income. Currently, only those with three or more boarders have their supplement reduced. McAnulty said more than 7000 people would be affected by the changes, which would reduce subsidies by roughly $100 a week. "We don't think it's a good idea for the government to be taking that sort of money away from people, so we're pretty keen to fight it, and that's why we put up a lot of amendments to try and improve the Bill, and to keep the debate going." Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston said the Bill addressed the inconsistent treatment between landlords who have renters and those with boarders. "I want to emphasise to the House that these changes will only affect those who receive board payments and not any housing subsidy paid to the boarder. It will only impact those people who are unfairly advantaged over those who receive another form of income. "Most people who receive housing subsidies will not be impacted by these changes," she told the House. "It just means that border number one and border two are treated in the same way that borders three, four and five are." The opposition also criticised how the process unfolded, with McAnulty saying the presiding officer should not have allowed a vote to be put to the committee. "If a member calls for a vote, they have to say it in a very specific way and, if they don't, then the the presiding officer shouldn't allow that to be put to the committee." A move to recall the Speaker to resolve the disagreement was blocked by government MPs. "Whatever way the Speaker decides, we respect and then we move on," McAnulty said. "There is a strong convention in Parliament that, if a member moves to recall the Speaker, that is not opposed and so, in this instance, the government opposed it twice, which goes against all conventions and is really disappointing, because ultimately, it means that the government can, once it gets into committee, shut down the opposition's ability to ensure that the rules are being followed." McAnulty said Labour was happy to own up to causing the late night at Parliament, but said the government should front on its decision not to recall the Speaker. "We're accountable for the number of amendments that we put forward and the delay in the debate, but it'll be very interesting to see if the government decides to front up, and explain why they wouldn't let the Speaker come and rule on that matter," he said. Leader of the House Chris Bishop told RNZ the proposed recall of the Speaker was "ridiculous". "You don't recall the Speaker over someone allegedly calling for a vote in slightly the wrong way." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
