Election Watch
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ELECTION RESULTS (March–June 2014)
Afghanistan: In the April 5 presidential election, former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah of the National Coalition of Afghanistan won 45 percent of the vote. Former finance minister Ashraf Ghani, running as an independent, won 32 percent, setting up a runoff scheduled for June 14. Independent candidate Zalmai Rassoul, a former foreign minister, won 11 percent of the vote, and Abdul Rasul Sayyaf of the Islamic Dawah Organization of Afghanistan won 7 percent. Four other candidates split the remaining votes. Following his defeat, Rassoul endorsed Abdullah for the runoff. Results from the runoff will be reported in a future issue.
Algeria: In the April 17 presidential election, incumbent Abdelaziz Bouteflika of the National Liberation Front won 82 percent of the vote, defeating former prime minister Ali Benflis, who won 12 percent. Warning of electoral fraud, most of Algeria’s opposition parties boycotted the election. Turnout was officially reported to be 52 percent—down from the officially reported 74 percent of registered voters who participated in the last presidential election.
Colombia: In the May 25 presidential election, Óscar Iván Zuluaga of the recently formed Democratic Center (CD) received 29 percent of the vote, and President Juan Manuel Santos of the Social Party of National Unity (PSUN) won 26 percent. Marta Lucía Ramírez of the Colombian Conservative Party (PC) got 16 percent, and Clara López Obregón of the Alternative Democratic Pole got 15 percent. A runoff election was scheduled for June 15. Elections were held March 9 for the bicameral Congress. In the 102-member Senate, the PSUN won 21 seats, the CD won 19 seats, the PC won 19 seats, and the Colombian Liberal Party (PL) won 17. Members of smaller parties won the remaining 26 seats. In [End Page 178] the 166-member Chamber of Representatives, the PSUN won 39 seats, the PL won 37, the PC won 27, Radical Change won 16, and the CD won 12. Smaller parties won the remaining seats. Results from the presidential runoff will be reported in a future issue.
Egypt: According to official results of the presidential election held May 26–28, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, former head of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, won 97 percent of the vote, defeating Nasserist candidate Hamdeen Sabahi. Opposition groups, including the Muslim Brotherhood and the April 6th Youth Movement, boycotted the election. Despite efforts to increase turnout—a national holiday was declared and polling was extended to a third day—turnout was officially reported to be 47 percent. The chief of the EU observer mission stated, “The presidential election was administered in line with the law, in an environment falling short of constitutional principles.”
El Salvador: In the March 9 presidential runoff, Salvador Sánchez Cerén of the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front of outgoing president Mauricio Funes won 50.1 percent of the vote, defeating Norman Quijano of the Nationalist Republican Alliance. Alleging fraud, Arena filed a petition to the Supreme Electoral Tribunal demanding the annulment of the results, but the petition was dismissed. Observers from the Organization of American States praised the “order and civic spirit demonstrated during the elections.” For more on El Salvador’s election, see the article by Forrest D. Colburn and Arturo Cruz S. on pp. 149–58 above.
Guinea-Bissau: In the May 18 presidential runoff, former finance minister José Mário Vaz of the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC) won 62 percent of the vote, defeating independent Nuno Gomes Nabiam. Nabiam alleged fraud and pledged to challenge the election result in court. In the first round on April 13, Vaz received 41 percent of the vote, Nabiam 25 percent, independent Paulo Gomes 10 percent, Abel Incada of the Social Renewal Party (PRS) 7 percent, and Mamadu Iaia Djaló of the New Democracy Party 5 percent. Eight other candidates split the remaining votes. In elections held simultaneously for the 102-seat National People’s Assembly, PAIGC received 57 seats and the PRS received 41.
Hungary: In April 6 elections for the 199-seat Hungarian National Assembly, the Fidesz-KDNP of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán won 44...
