Canada and the World Backgrounder articles from September 2000

Canada and the World Backgrounder archives from September 2000

A Crisis of Confidence.(democratic process in the public opinion)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... For four decades, voters in mature democracies have shown a steady decline in the trust they place in the people they elect to run government on their behalf The statistics present a sorry picture: * In 1968, 45% of Canadians agreed...

The Power of Choice.(electoral politics in history)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... The idea that all citizens in a country should have a hand in voting for public officials to lead them and make decisions on their behalf is quite new. It wasn't until 1856 that the first secret ballot was held; that was in Australia For...

Not for the Faint of Heart.(electoral politics in Canadian history)
September 1, 2000... The development of democratic voting in open and free elections has a turbulent history in Canada Early elections in Canada could be pretty rough and tumble affairs, marked by violence and corruption. Only a small minority of people had...

The Rules of the Game.(electoral law and procedures in Canada)
September 1, 2000... Today, elections in Canada are conducted in about as clean a way as it's possible for them to be held. From the preparation of voters' lists to the counting of ballots every step is scrutinized carefully to prevent cheating We've gotten...

Grey Money.(campaign fund regulations in Canada)
September 1, 2000... On the surface, the Canada Elections Act keeps money from tainting the election process - but, that's just on the surface It takes money to run an election campaign - lots of it. There's advertising to pay for, pamphlets, billboards,...

Distorting the Vote.(proportional representation in electoral proceedings in Canada)
September 1, 2000... In almost every single election in Canada, federal and provincial, over the Last three decades, the winning party has been one that the majority of voters voted against. Not surprisingly then, following every election there are always people...

On the Trail.(how the media is used in political campaigns)
September 1, 2000... Despite the fact that Canadians vote for local MPs, the focus in our elections is overwhelmingly on party leaders Election campaigns are often not pretty to watch. John Laschinger and Geoffrey Stevens wrote in their book Leaders and Lesser...

May the Best Strategy Win.(campaign practices during electoral proceedings in Canada)
September 1, 2000... Party leadership contests are largely outside the rules that apply to general elections in Canada. As a result, they tend to be free-for-all affairs little short of tactical warfare Most party leaders start out with a seat in Parliament...

Presidential Assurances.(electoral fraud preventive measures in Mexico)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... The Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) that has run Mexico since 1929, lost its hold in the country's election in July 2000. In what former U.S. president Jimmy Carter described as a free and fair, and "almost perfect" election, the winner...

Pursuing Power.(presidential elections in Peru)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... Elections come in a variety of flavours, and not all of them are sweet. The Economist described the April 2000 presidential election in Peru as a "big step backwards" for the Latin American region, because of "its lack of fairness and...

No Cheating.(India's elections)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... India is the world's biggest and probably its most chaotic democracy. In 1996, a rulebook was issued for candidates which critics say has taken all the fun out of elections; there'll be no more burning of effigies, bribing of voters, or "vulgar...

Chaos at the Polls.(efforts to vote in Haiti and Tanzania in 1995 were hampered by problems)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... In June 1995, Haitians were scheduled to vote in their first election since democracy was restored the previous fall, but there was mass confusion. Voting day arrived with closed polls across the country as a result of chaos and assassination...

Election Results Suspect.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... Counting votes in the 1999 Indonesian election took weeks, raising suspicions that one or two bogus ballots might have found their way into the pile waiting for scrutiny. Indonesia hadn't had a free election since 1955 and the process had many...

Quote ... Unquote ...(celebrities)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... Elections are won by men and women chiefly because most people vote against somebody rather than for somebody. U.S. journalist Franklin P. Adams If voting changed anything, they d make it illegal. Graffiti Without general...