Tag Archives: links

First Past the Post: July 12

Mexico is poised to overtake Brazil as Latin America’s largest economy.

An early September election in Quebec seems very likely.

Don Braid comes to grips with what a Prime Minister Thomas Mulcair could mean for Alberta.

Silvio Berlusconi seems likely to run for Italian premier in the spring.

Spanish prime minister Mariano Rajoy will raise the country’s VAT from 18% to 21% and implement additional budget cuts, including limiting unemployment benefits to just six months.

First Past the Post: June 12

A boozy brawl in Canada over a new online sales law for wine.

Chávez kicks off his presidential campaign in earnest in Venezuela.

Mexican presidential candidates faced off Sunday night in a debate: Animal Político weighs in with reactions. Juan Manuel Henao reacts here.

The Leveson inquiry is starting to cleave the UK’s governing coalition.

Italy’s prime minister Mario Monti brings together the president and top political leaders in a crisis meeting as Europe enters another choppy period.

Neo-nazis on the rise in Saxony.

Putin’s anti-protest law is giving new life to Moscow protesters.

Rajoy meets the Spanish press, take two.

First Past the Post: June 7

The president of Estonia unloads both barrels on Paul Krugman. (UPDATE: Krugman shrugs).

Henrique Capriles steps down as Miranda state governor to focus on the Venezuelan presidential campaign.

Haunting photo essay of the new Athens.

The misery of being Greek, from someone who knows.

Russian president Vladimir Putin pushes anti-protest law through the Duma. Alexey Nalvany does not care for this.

Incoming Hong Kong chief exec Leung Chun-ying is planning his first 100-day blitz.

 

First Past the Post: June 6

The economics blogosphere — from all sides of the debate — is noting with some alarm Martin Wolf’s latest column in the Financial Times:

Before now, I had never really understood how the 1930s could happen. Now I do. All one needs are fragile economies, a rigid monetary regime, intense debate over what must be done, widespread belief that suffering is good, myopic politicians, an inability to co-operate and failure to stay ahead of events.

Former Senegalese president Abdoulaye Wade, who was defeated by Macky Sall in March 2012, is now under suspicion of embezzlement of public assets upon leaving office.

More Tahrir Square protests demanding Ahmed Shafiq’s disuqalification from June 16’s Egyptian presidential runoff.

Recently defeated Serbian president Boris Tadić says his party may be close to forming a parliamentary majority with the Progressives.

Germany’s Pirate Party has growing pains.

More evidence that Kim Han-gil is emerging as the Democratic United Party’s presidential candidate for December’s election.

 

First Past the Post:June 4

In an apparent dirty trick, someone is putting up “Diosdado for president” posters in Caracas — Diosdado Cabello is president of the Asamblea Nacional and an ally of ailing Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez, who would be one of several potential PSUV candidates for Venezuela’s presidency in the event of Chávez’s death.

More confirmation that the Greek election comes down to who can get the best deal from Europe without getting booted from the eurozone.

In losing the ‘no’ campaign on the Irish referendum, did Gerry Adams win the next general election?

Voting in Libya’s first post-Gaddafi parliamentary elections, scheduled for June 19, has been postponed.

In Australia, Kevin Rudd and Malcolm Turnbull both remain more popular than their respective rivals, Labor prime minister Julie Gillard and Coalition opposition leader Tony Abbott.

First Past the Post: June 1

A stripper, a porn star, the Church of Blessed Consumerism and other screwball French legislative candidates.

Tyler Cowen on the economic future of Italy, Greece and the eurozone.

Ahn Cheol-soo is moving closer toward running in South Korea’s December presidential election. No word on whether his Angry Birds-themed commentary will return.

Spain is leaking capital in what has become the Rajoy government’s first (and perhaps largest) test.

Violence in Kosovo might be the Nikolić presidency’s first test in Serbia.

The latest round of talks on tuition have collapsed in Quebec.

 

First Past the Post: May 31

Dan Rather says the end is near for Hugo Chávez (note that Venezuela is set to hold its presidential election on October 7).

Polling seems light so far in today’s Irish referendum on the fiscal compact. Results are due to be announced by tomorrow evening.

The most important data point for the next week (at least) in European politics.

New Serbian president Tomislav Nikolić was sworn in today, even as the expected Democrat-Progressive parliamentary government has yet to take full shape.

First Past the Post: May 30

Lesotho’s opposition parties have done better than expected in the election and are now in discussions to replace the ruling Lesotho Congress of Democracy.  The leading opposition party is the All Basotho Convetion, headed by former LCD member and former foreign minister Tom Thabane.  Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili has been in office in Lesotho, a small African kingdom of 2 million people, completely surrounded by South Africa, since 1998.

More polling data from Greece showing that New Democracy is surging.

More polling data from Greece showing that SYRIZA is surging.

Which European country is the biggest slacker?

La Presse has the latest polling numbers from Quebec  (the headline finding is that Liberals and PC are tied).

Hollande-Merkel schism watch: Syria.

The afterlife of former British prime minister Tony Blair.

Kim Han-gill may be outpacing former South Korean prime minister Lee Hae-chan to become leader of the Democratic United Party. Presidential elections will be held in December.