Oh, right, our guys won.
"Boycott, violence mar Jordanian election; Progovernment results expected" by Jamal Halaby, Associated Press / November 10, 2010
AMMAN, Jordan — The expected progovernment results will strengthen King Abdullah’s course of strong ties with Washington and limited criticism of Israel, though Jordan’s public has fiercely scorned the Jewish state over the stalled peace talks with the Palestinians.
Yeah, poor Iswael bein' picked on again!
“This parliament will be a talk shop, just like the previous ones,’’ said Mohammed el-Haj, a 24-year-old cashier at an Amman convenience store who saw no point in voting. “Lawmakers don’t do anything for us. They just make speeches, but nothing more. . . . It’s only words, but no deeds.’’
I know the feeling, fellow citizen of the world.
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In Amman, rival sides clashed in several upscale neighborhoods, hurling stones, breaking shop windows, and setting trash bins afire. In one case, police had to use tear gas to disperse crowds. No casualties were reported.
When Iran did that it was breaking news.
Southwest of the capital, more than two dozen people wielding knives and axes tried to force voters in the city of Madaba to vote for their candidate....
Weighing heavier on people’s minds in this election was the growing poverty in a country bereft of natural resources....
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Also see: Jordan's King Losing His Grip
Looks like he just tightened it.
"King’s allies win majority in Jordan; Foes boycott vote as unrest grows" by Jamal Halaby, Associated Press / November 11, 2010
AMMAN, Jordan — While the outcome announced yesterday ensured that Abdullah will encounter little opposition in Parliament, there were signs of growing unrest on the streets as more Jordanians grapple with poverty and increasingly come to resent the government’s failure to confront Israel more forcefully over stalled Mideast peace efforts....
What didn't make the web cut:
Among Jordan's public and Islamist opposition, there is a great deal of anger toward Israel, which they accuse of dragging its feet in peace talks with the Palestinians.
About half of Jordan's 6 million people are of Palestinian families, who loathe Israel and blame it for displacing them in two Mideast wars since 1948.
Well, if the blame fits.... !!
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"Opposition party suppressed ahead of Egypt elections; But signs of rift in ruling class have appeared" by Ernesto Londono, Washington Post / November 27, 2010
CAIRO — The vote and its aftermath are likely to be a harbinger of how the Arab world’s largest state, a key US ally, will handle its first change of guard in decades....
In recent weeks, the government has silenced critical media outlets and jailed hundreds of members of the Muslim Brotherhood, the country’s largest opposition bloc, which has been outlawed but fields candidates as independents....
Egyptian officials have ignored calls from Washington and others to suspend an emergency law that gives security forces wide powers to suppress rallies and demonstrations.
Officials have also refused to allow international observers to monitor the polls....
After a decade during which Egyptians saw glimmers of hope for political reforms, the opposition is weaker and rudderless on the eve of election day, according to analysts and politicians outside the ruling party....
The ruling party presented more than one candidate for several seats, which analysts interpreted as a sign of growing internal rifts between the party’s old guard and a younger, probusiness faction....
Anonymous ruling party officials have been quoted as saying the elder Mubarak intends to run for reelection next year. Many here are not convinced and see the latest blitz of Gamal Mubarak appearances as an effort to boost his standing, particularly within segments of the ruling class, such as the military, that view him warily.
Also see: Mubarek's Dying Wish
Leading the Way in Egypt
Odds and Ends of Egypt
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Related: Protesters allege fraud in Egypt’s parliamentary election
"Unrest erupts in Egypt with allegations of vote rigging in parliamentary elections" by Associated Press / November 30, 2010
ALEXANDRIA, Egypt — Protesters set fire to cars, tires, and two polling stations, clashing with police firing tear gas in riots that erupted around Egypt yesterday over allegations that the ruling party carried out widespread fraud to sweep parliamentary elections....
Islamic fundamentalist Muslim Brotherhood figures admitted they could do little to stop vote rigging, fearing that protests could make their movement appear violent and bring a harsher crackdown amid uncertain political times....
Sunday’s parliamentary vote was overshadowed by a presidential election set for next year, which is clouded in uncertainty because the man who has ruled Egypt for nearly three decades, 82-year-old President Hosni Mubarak, has had health issues and underwent surgery earlier this year....
He's setting up the son just like the Korean dude.
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Also see: Egypt voters give Mubarak allies most seats
Crying fraud, opposition parties pull out of Egypt elections
The move is a blow to efforts by this top US ally to portray itself as a democracy. Egypt’s government has staunchly defended the fairness of last Sunday’s election, despite reports by independent rights groups of blatant rigging in favor of the ruling party.
Related: Massive vote rigging
More the rule than exception with most of the world's elections.
