Latest news with #politicalappointments
Yahoo
26-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
NC Republicans unveil sweeping elections bill. Could it ‘purge' nonpartisan staff?
North Carolina House Republicans unveiled a broad elections bill that could convert about a third of the State Board of Elections' nonpartisan civil service staff into political appointees, alongside a host of other changes to ballot counting, voter ID and more. Lawmakers released the amended bill, House Bill 958, late Wednesday night and pushed it through a 30-minute committee hearing without public comment on Thursday morning over the objections of Democrats, who said it would lead to a 'purge' of the agency. Rep. Phil Rubin, a Wake County Democrat, said the bill would exempt the agency from 'the rule that you have to hire the best person for the job and that you can't hire and fire based on politics — and I cannot think of an agency where that is more important than the Board of Elections.' The bill is unlikely to get a full vote anytime soon as the legislature plans for an extended summer recess. But it could emerge as a key piece of legislation — and source of debate — once lawmakers return. It comes just a month after Republicans gained a majority on the State Board of Elections and ousted longtime Executive Director Karen Brinson Bell, replacing her with a lawyer who has worked for the state's top Republican lawmakers. If the bill passes, the new director, Sam Hayes, would gain the ability to make 25 positions within the agency exempt from the State Human Resources Act — allowing him to hire and fire them at will. Speaking to reporters after the hearing, Hayes rejected the idea that the bill would lead to a purge, saying instead that it would ensure he 'can put people in these positions that align with my vision for the agency — that is not a partisan vision. 'There are a number of things I've laid out that I would think that anybody, Democrat, Republican or independent or third party could could get on board with,' he said. '... Watch what we do here before you pre-judge it. I have not made any drastic changes and what I'm looking to do is to make elections more efficient, more secure and most importantly, follow the law.' In addition to the staffing changes, the bill also makes a wide variety of amendments to existing election law. Many of these provisions got limited debate time due to the short committee meeting, prompting Democrats to unsuccessfully seek to delay a vote. HB 958 softens some ballot counting deadlines passed last year in Senate Bill 382, a controversial power shift bill passed in the final days of the lame duck legislature's veto-proof Republican supermajority. The bill would give counties more time to count absentee and provisional ballots — though still significantly less than they had before SB 382. Thursday's bill would also ban ranked choice voting statewide, a practice that has never been widely implemented in North Carolina but was recently in the news following the New York City mayoral election and the apparent primary win of Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani. HB 958 would also clarify state law to say that a voter's ballot cannot be counted if they die between the time their ballot was cast and 6:30 a.m. on Election Day. This matter drew controversy in the November election after Wake and Rowan counties counted some votes from people who died before Election Day. Another provision in the bill would ban state and county election board members from making partisan political statements — a policy largely already in place. However, Democrats took issue with another portion of this section that appears to prohibit elections officials from encouraging voters to turn out for elections — even in a nonpartisan way. 'We don't want to encourage turnout for a particular candidate, but just at large, I think that we would like for our county and elections administrators to promote voting,' Rep. Pricey Harrison, a Guilford County Democrat, said. Rep. Hugh Blackwell, a Burke County Republican and the committee's chair, said the section was intentional but that changes may come in future versions of the bill. 'The idea is that we want the state board to focus on the conduct of the election and that the responsibility for turnout is better handled by other folks,' he said. 'We were trying to draw a line and we may not have gotten it just at the sweet spot.' The bill also addressed an issue brought about during Jefferson Griffin's unsuccessful six-month legal battle to overturn his loss in the 2024 state Supreme Court election. It would clarify that military and overseas voters are required to provide photo ID to vote. These voters were previously exempted from the requirement, prompting Griffin to challenge thousands of these ballots from voters in Democratic-leaning counties. Thursday is the last day of legislative action before lawmakers leave for a summer recess following the failure of House and Senate Republicans to agree on a comprehensive state budget.
Telegraph
02-06-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Lisa Nandy to be quizzed on football regulator after accusations of cronyism
Kogan, a media executive nominated as the first chair of the new football regulator in April, told MPs last month that he had made 'very small' contributions both to Nandy and Sir Keir Starmer's 2020 Labour leadership campaigns. The admission reignited the row over 'crony' appointments by the party, which was accused by the Conservatives of breaching transparency rules. A DCMS spokesperson said: 'We have received the letter from the commissioner for public appointments and we look forward to cooperating fully with his office. The appointment is in the process of being ratified in the usual way.' Kogan appeared before the Culture, Media and Sport select committee on May 7 after being named by Nandy as the Government's preferred choice to lead the new body. 'I am prepared to declare now, on the public record, that five years ago I contributed very small sums of money to both the leadership campaigns of both Sir Keir Starmer and of Lisa Nandy,' he said, after reports he also donated £75,000 to Labour MPs. 'That hasn't been discovered by the press and I am happy to declare it now,' he said, insisting he had 'total personal independence from all of them', and had 'never actually been particularly close to any of the individuals to whom I have donated money'. He told MPs: 'I'm not really susceptible to any pressure, including political pressure, and the so-called ties to the Labour Party are, in fact, far less than have appeared in the public press. 'I don't believe that I have undermined that [independence] by writing books about the Labour Party, being on the LabourList board or being a donor, but clearly that's a judgment call that others may need to make, rather than myself.' Kogan added that he had 'never had a one-on-one meeting' with Starmer and had not met him since he became Prime Minister, but recognised there was 'a perception of bias'. The donations to Starmer and Nandy's leadership campaigns are understood to have been below the threshold for public declaration. A source told Telegraph Sport they were each less than £3,000. 'Fans promised impartiality but are being handed political appointee' But Louie French, the shadow sports minister, said the failure to disclose those donations publicly when Kogan was put forward for the role was 'a clear breach of the governance code on public appointments' and called for an investigation. He said: 'The decision to install David Kogan – a major Labour Party donor and former director of LabourList – as chair of the Independent Football Regulator, without disclosing his extensive personal political donations to Keir Starmer, is a serious breach of public trust. 'Fans were promised an impartial and independent regulator, but instead they are being handed a political appointee whose impartiality is already in question.' The Prime Minister's official spokesman said Kogan's appointment had been 'made as a result of fair and open competition' and run 'in accordance with the Government's code on public appointments'. The spokesman repeated that all rules had been followed when asked whether Nandy or Starmer had declared the donations from Kogan during the appointment process. He said: 'The declaration process as set out by the rules has obviously been followed. The process for appointing him to the role has been followed and will continue to be followed.' Stuart Andrew, shadow culture secretary, said: 'This appointment bears all the hallmarks of yet more Labour cronyism. After significant public pressure, Lisa Nandy has belatedly stepped aside from the process, a necessary move that highlights just how compromised this selection has become. 'No 10 must now come clean about the involvement of the Downing Street appointments unit and special advisers in promoting David Kogan as the preferred candidate. The public has a right to know whether this was a fair and impartial process, or yet another case of political patronage disguised as due diligence. The decision to launch an inquiry is welcome.'
Free Malaysia Today
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Public roles not ‘political souvenirs', think tank tells PM
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said on Saturday that political appointments made by a government to qualified individuals do not constitute an abuse of power. PETALING JAYA : A think tank today cautioned that Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's justification of political appointments as rewards for party service sends a dangerous message. In a statement, the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS) said the prime minister was effectively saying that public roles could be handed out 'like political souvenirs rather than earned through merit and competence'. 'Political appointments are not favours to be exchanged. They are positions of public trust that carry real responsibility. 'Whether or not appointees come from political backgrounds, all such appointments must be based on merit, integrity, and professional experience. 'Only through a transparent and performance-driven process can we ensure that our public institutions are led by individuals who can serve the people effectively,' its CEO Aira Azhari said. Speaking at the PKR national congress on Saturday, Anwar said political appointments made by a government to qualified individuals did not constitute an abuse of power. He said such appointments were a 'reward' that individuals deserved for their service and contributions to the success of the political party that eventually formed the government. Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh praised Anwar for his remarks, saying on Sunday that the government finally 'understood' Barisan Nasional's way of doing things. However, IDEAS said that state-owned enterprises carried significant fiscal risk, and that even a handful of poorly governed institutions could cause serious economic damage. It said appointing capable, ethical, and experienced directors was not just good practice, but an economic necessity. 'While there are political realities the prime minister must deal with, transparency, accountability and good governance are not principles that can be compromised,' Aira said.
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Now Anwar understands why BN did it, Umno Youth chief says of past political appointments
KUALA LUMPUR, May 25 — Umno Youth chief Datuk Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh has defended Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's remarks that political appointments by a government do not constitute abuse of power. In a Facebook post, Muhamad Akmal also thanked the Tambun MP for what he described as finally understanding the Barisan Nasional (BN) government's previous actions. 'Alhamdulillah. Thank you, Prime Minister, for finally understanding what the BN government did in the past,' he wrote, as reported by Utusan Malaysia. Anwar, during his winding-up speech at the Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) National Congress in Johor Bahru yesterday, said governments should be allowed to appoint qualified individuals, and such appointments were not a form of power abuse. 'We should give positions to those who are qualified, as a reward for their decades of service and contribution to the party's struggle,' he said. He also shared that many individuals had sacrificed their careers and savings to support the party without expecting anything in return. 'I remember a man named Pak Kudus in Tanjung Karang. He was one of the earliest to support me after I was sacked, living only on a pension of RM1,800 a month,' Anwar said. 'There were academic lecturers and medical specialists who lost their jobs and spent hundreds of thousands of ringgit, yet never asked for anything in return and lived the rest of their lives modestly,' he added.
Malay Mail
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Malay Mail
Now Anwar understands why BN did it, Umno Youth chief says of past political appointments
KUALA LUMPUR, May 25 — Umno Youth chief Datuk Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh has defended Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's remarks that political appointments by a government do not constitute abuse of power. In a Facebook post, Muhamad Akmal also thanked the Tambun MP for what he described as finally understanding the Barisan Nasional (BN) government's previous actions. 'Alhamdulillah. Thank you, Prime Minister, for finally understanding what the BN government did in the past,' he wrote, as reported by Utusan Malaysia. Anwar, during his winding-up speech at the Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) National Congress in Johor Bahru yesterday, said governments should be allowed to appoint qualified individuals, and such appointments were not a form of power abuse. 'We should give positions to those who are qualified, as a reward for their decades of service and contribution to the party's struggle,' he said. He also shared that many individuals had sacrificed their careers and savings to support the party without expecting anything in return. 'I remember a man named Pak Kudus in Tanjung Karang. He was one of the earliest to support me after I was sacked, living only on a pension of RM1,800 a month,' Anwar said. 'There were academic lecturers and medical specialists who lost their jobs and spent hundreds of thousands of ringgit, yet never asked for anything in return and lived the rest of their lives modestly,' he added.
