Latest news with #politicalUncertainty
RNZ News
6 days ago
- Politics
- RNZ News
No extended time for Samoa election prep, court rules
The first day of the first sitting of Samoa's parliament for 2025 Photo: Parliament of Samoa Samoa's Supreme Court has ruled against extra time for the Electoral Commission to complete the electoral rolls ahead of an early election. It follows the formal dissolution of its parliament on 3 June in the wake of several months of political uncertainty. Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata'afa had said she would call for the dissolution of parliament if Cabinet did not support her government's budget. MPs from both the opposition Human Rights Protection Party and Fiame's former FAST party joined forces to defeat the budget with the final vote coming in 34 against, 16 in support and 2 abstentions. Samoa's Electoral Commissioner said his office has filed an affidavit to the Supreme Court, seeking legal direction and an extra six weeks to complete the electoral roll ahead of an early election. But the court has ruled there will be no extension. More to come.
The Independent
03-06-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Resource-rich Mongolia faces political uncertainty after the prime minister resigns
Resource-rich Mongolia is facing political uncertainty following the resignation early on Tuesday of its prime minister in the wake of protests over endemic corruption in the landlocked Asian country, squeezed between China and Russia. Before he lost the confidence vote in the parliament, Prime Minister Oyun-Erdene Luvsannamsrai warned that his removal could undermine Mongolia's fledgling democracy. The vote followed weeks of protests sparked by reports of lavish spending by his son and calls for him to step down. The reports, which cited expensive jewelry and helicopter rides for the son's female companion, underscored the vast gap between Mongolians who have grown extremely wealthy off the country's exports and much of the rest of the population, mired in poverty. Here is a look at why what is happening in Mongolia matters: A fledgling democracy between two big powers Mongolia, a country of about 3.5 million people, borders Russia to the north and China to the south. Its stunning alpine mountains interspersed with vast deserts hold an abundance of coal, copper and other natural resources used in high-tech manufacturing. The question of who benefits from the wealth has been a key issue since Mongolia began negotiating with foreign mining giants — rumors of secret deals and under-the-table payments have circulated for years. After Mongolia threw off Communism at the end of the Cold War, it lost generous Soviet Union aid packages. Since then, it has been slowly becoming a democracy but is struggling to avoid falling into debt while holding Chinese and Russian interests at bay. China is a particularly important neighbor as its ruling Communist Party buys up 92% of Mongolia's exports. A 'spiders' web' of the greedy Over the years, the capital of Ulaanbaataar transformed itself from a city of clunky Soviet-era buildings surrounded by traditional herders' felt tents known as gers, into a metropolis of shopping malls and fancy hotels. The protesters have said the country's mineral riches have benefited business interests and the wealthy, while many Mongolians still live in poverty. Early on Tuesday morning, Oyun-Erdene only got 44 votes of support in the 126-seat legislature — the State Great Khural — well short of the 64 needed, according to the head of the counting commission, M. Narantuya-nara. Oyun-Erdene accepted defeat, saying it had been an honor to serve the nation through the coronavirus pandemic, Russia's war on Ukraine and the ongoing strife over U.S. tariffs. But he also warned of the threat of a 'spider's web' of special interests that he said are working to hold the Mongolian people back. What happens next? Oyun-Erdene, who ran a coalition government, will remain prime minister until his replacement is elected in parliament, most likely from the ranks of opposition lawmakers. Those who pick his successor will likely also have to find a platform that will satisfy the demands of the largely young and well-educated class that has led the protests. That could include moving ahead with a national sovereignty fund introduced recently to better help spread the wealth. In stepping down, Oyun-Erdene defended his integrity but said he had made the mistake of 'paying insufficient attention to social and internal political matters.' He also warned of political instability ahead, saying it "could lead the public to lose faith in parliamentary rule and potentially put our democratic parliamentary system at risk of collapse.' What do experts and the ordinary people say? Erin Murphy, deputy director and senior fellow of India and emerging Asian economics at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said it's not easy to "build that foundation for democracy' at a time when Mongolia also must tackle economic problems. Julian Dierkes, a Mongolia expert at the University of Mannheim in Germany, said he doesn't expect any major policy changes, whoever becomes the next prime minister. 'They will be selected on the basis of personal networks and patronage,' Dierkes said. Many people on the street seemed worried for the future and some defended the outgoing prime minister on Tuesday. Oyun-Erdene should not be responsible for his son's failings, said Gansukh Batbayar, a military retiree in Ulaanbaatar who lauded what he described as Oyun-Erdene's efforts to 'confiscate illegally earned assets and money of corrupt officials' and distribute it more fairly. 'We barely survive in these chaotic times and our pensions are very small,' said an older woman on a public bus in Ulaanbaataar, who declined to give her name to speak about the political developments. She counts on her children "to have food to eat and a roof over my head,' she said. ___
Japan Times
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Japan Times
Protests grip Bangladesh as pressure mounts on Yunus-led government
Primary school teachers in Bangladesh joined public sector workers in protests against the interim government on Monday amid growing discontent and political uncertainty in the South Asian country. Nobel peace laureate Muhammad Yunus, 84, took over as interim head of the country of 173 million last August after deadly student-led protests forced then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to flee to India. Yunus' administration has faced pressure from civil servants, teachers, political parties and the military as the caretaker government attempts to guide the country through a fragile transition before holding a general election. The government issued an ordinance on Sunday allowing the Ministry of Public Administration to dismiss public servants for misconduct without lengthy procedures, sparking outrage across the bureaucracy. Government employees continued their demonstrations for a third consecutive day on Monday, calling the ordinance "repressive" and demanding its immediate withdrawal. Thousands of teachers in government primary schools also began indefinite leave from work on Monday, demanding a hike in wages. In the face of protests by the employees of National Board of Revenue, the interim government was forced on Sunday to withdraw an order to dissolve the tax body and replace it with two divisions under the finance ministry. The strike was then called off. Political uncertainty also deepened last week after a top student leader said Yunus said he could step down if political parties cannot agree on reforms and an election timeline. Wahiduddin Mahmud, the planning adviser in Yunus' Cabinet, however, said the de facto prime minister was not quitting. "We are not going anywhere till our job is done," Mahmud said during the weekend, adding that Yunus acknowledged the obstacles but remained committed to holding a fair election. The interim government has been caught between competing demands for swift general elections and reforms. Yunus has said the elections could be held by June, 2026 while the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), led by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, has been pushing for polls by December. Bangladesh's army chief, General Waker-Uz-Zaman, added to the pressure by calling for elections to be held in December during a speech last week, expressing his dissatisfaction over the political situation. Yunus convened a last-minute meeting of his Advisory Council on Saturday and also held talks during the weekend with the country's main political forces, including the BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami, and the student-led National Citizen Party. Leaders of other political parties also met Yunus. "We are in a war-like situation," Yunus' press secretary Shafiqul Alam told reporters on Sunday. "After the Awami League's activities were banned, attempts are on to destabilize us in various ways. We have to get out of this situation." The registration of Hasina's Awami League party was suspended this month, effectively barring the party from contesting the next election.
CBC
15-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
Alberta secession talk 'unhelpful,' ATCO chief executive says
The chief executive of ATCO Ltd. says discussions around Alberta secession are already hurting the investment climate. Nancy Southern says Asian partners in a major hydrogen project have said they won't make final investment decisions unless there is certainty around the Alberta separatism question. She says the prospect of Alberta independence is raising too many questions for companies to feel confident making big investment decisions. Those include how it would get its products to coastal ports, what kind of trade deals it would have with its neighbours, what currency it would use and how stable the economy would be. In reaction to Southern's comments, Charles St-Arnaud, chief economist with Alberta Central, told CBC News "it's not surprising. We know businesses don't like political uncertainty." He said the same has been observed in every case where there's a question of independence or a chance of a referendum, for example in Quebec and Brexit in London. "That uncertainty becomes a headwind for investment." Southern said she understands Albertans' frustration with the federal government over environmental regulations affecting the energy sector, but that she believes Prime Minister Mark Carney wants to change things. "I think the separatist discussion is very unhelpful and not constructive to Alberta," Southern said in an interview following her company's annual shareholder meeting. St-Arnaud said he anticipates more people may follow Southern's lead, speaking out about the negative consequences of secession talk in the province. "For most businesses, especially those who have to attract capital from outside Alberta or even companies that are kind of on the fence of whether or not they should be investing in Alberta or in Ontario or B.C., it can be a deciding factor in terms of whether or not investment happens in the province," he said.
