.:: The double standards of Western countries to Democracy::.

 
 

The example of Russia (01.12.07):

 

"The President and his party have won with a stunning result", and the Russians have elected Vladimir Putin at the Duma elections to their national leader, the closely with the Kremlin affiliated youth movement "Nashi" ("ours") announced on a Handbill.
 

The beauty of error:

 
The elections are on Sunday and the pamphlet should obviously be distributed on Monday. But employees of a printing house in Moscow, previously published the paper.
 
After the Opposition was de facto declared to public enemy, the State machinery tries hard to hinder them in election. Important Forces were not allowed to the ballots; the Militia is a permanent guest at the Kremlin-Critics and confesses election material. Companies were threatened if they spend for the opposition, the TV denies the broadcasting of the election spots, in the big broadcast studios they are only mentioned negative or quoted with useless things, while Wladimir Putin and his party "United Russia" are present permanently. Although the Russian law obligates the head of state during the election campaign to neutrality and prohibits any recommendation for an election party Putin urged the Russians on television, to choose "United Russia". Even politicians, who recently were loyal to Putin, are outraged about the repression and manipulation, “This has no more to do anything with fair elections, it's incredible how the laws are violated," complains Gennadij Gudkow of the party "Just Russia ". This is also Kremlin-close and is managed by a confidant of Putin, but lost the "most favored nation clause", since the Putin runs for the competing party “United Russia". In the election he was hindered permanently, his meetings with voters were banned, not even in the university where he studied, he was allowed to talk to students the former KGB colonel accuses. "Many civil servants, doctors and teachers are forced to vote and to photograph with the mobile phone ticking "United Russia ".
 
A Moscow doctor, who wishes to remain anonymous, reported how the leaders of his local hospital were ordered to the headquarters of the Kremlin party. "All employees are required to participate in the elections and to vote, as it is prescribed," warned the party functionaries. If the order was not to be followed, the threat was dismissal - or the closure of the hospital. The young doctor, who not really wanted to go to the election, now will select Putin's party: "Should I risk the dismissal? And who knows what would happen if other would come to power."
 

http://www.focus.de/politik/ausland/tid-8185/russland_aid_227817.html
 

This is hardly to be expected. "Come to the elections, and choose whoever you want to select. It will be all right anyway, "said Vladislav Surkow, the chief of the Kremlin administration, at a meeting with entrepreneurs. Opposition politician Garry Kasparov then believe that the seats in Parliament are not be given by the ballot box, but in the Kremlin. The former world chess champion, who sat in prison from Saturday to Thursday because of the participation in a banned demonstration, described the upcoming election as a farce. Due to massive manipulation the polls will not be legal, Russia will become de facto a "one-party dictatorship." According to a survey by the Center Lewada only a third of Russians believes in a real election, almost 50 percent believe the polls for an imitation, and are convinced the Kremlin dictates the outcome. 85 percent track the campaign with no or hardly any attention. 83 percent of Russians believe that they have no influence on the decisions of the Kremlin. Unlike in the West in the opinion of Lewada CEO Lew Gudkow elections are for the majority not as a political competitor, but as a formality and “ceremony to legitimize the party which is in power" A clear victory for the Kremlin's party "United Russia", with 70 percent or more is in Moscow is an clear case. Besides that, only the entrance of the communists in the Duma seems to be secure. They criticize the social ills, but to keep criticism of Putin himself low. Tremors about the entrance in the Duma have due to the seven-percent hurdle, the Kremlin-loyal Liberal Democrats circled around the political clown Vladimir Schirinowskij and the with the support of the Kremlin established party "Just Russia" with the Putin confidant Sergei Mironov. The opposition parties "Yabloko" and "PLC" are counted as chanceless.

 
http://www.focus.de/politik/ausland/tid-8185/russland_aid_227818.html
 
 

The example of the USA (07 11.2000):

 

The 54th Election of the President of the United States of America took place.

According to the rules of 22 Amendments were incumbent Bill Clinton, after two terms of office, not again a candidate. In the race for the nomination, therefore, became the acting vice-president Al Gore to.

The Republicans have opted for Texas Governor George W. Bush.

 

However:

 
In some electoral district the election machinery did not went properly, the election machines themselves are considered outdated. Where standards are prescribed by law, they apply only to new equipment (see alsoObscure reporting methods to evaluate the ballots).
 
There was no uniform counting standards. Whether, for example, only fully punched holes were rated as valid votes, or if already slightly torn vote fields indented, has been handled differently depending to the constituency.
 
The official confirmations of the choice-men of 20 states were not filed on time to the 13th December in Washington.
 
In the 3141 districts of the United States, everyone has its own rules for voting and counting.
 
In Palm Beach County, a confusing ballot paper (sample ballot) was used, which meant that presumably
 
about 19,000 votes are invalid
 
about 3000 votes, which presumably were assigned Al Gore, went to Pat Buchanan, who in comparable the constituencies received only to the 500 votes.
 
Some voters in Florida have complained that they have been prevented to use their right to vote.  The black civil rights activist Jesse Jackson also told of incidents in other southern states. On 7th November in polling stations mainly black citizens have been sent home with the argument that they ran out of the ballot papers.  In other cases, voters simply were indicated that the polling stations were closed, even if they were not. Similar incidents were also reported by the president of the mightiest American Black Organization NAACP, Kweisi Mfume (Reuters 10.11.2000) (U.S. Justice Minister Janet Reno announced that she will pursue these complaints.)
 
According to a study (the NY Times) was every11th African American vote not  being counted.
 
Die Zeit 50/2000
 
Washington Post vom 12. November 2001
 
 

Because of the constitutional time frame the counting had to be finished within a fixed period.

 
Gore asks for patience in counting the votes in Florida (AP 13.11.2000)
 
Republicans request an injunction against the re-count  (yahoo)
 
Purchased demonstrators to have prevented re-counts [Rent-a-mob]. (Kleine, schmutzige Tricks Die Zeit vom 7. Dezember 2000, S. 10)
 

Forecasts and projections were presented as final results. It is surprising that even during the election results were announced, although because of outstanding postal votes there were no fixed results before 17th of November.

 
Further urns with unresolved votes appeared later (Reuters, 9 November 2000).
 
Voters in Martin County and County Selmore complained that invalid postal votes (for Bush) have been altered and have been counted (Klageschrift Taylor v. Martin County (PDF), further Gerichtsdokumente).
Would the by the district courts rejected claims have been successful, the votes and electoral majority in Florida would probably for the advantage of Gore.
 
In Alaska more People are being signed in election lists than there are people allowed to vote. (LA Times vom 11. Dezember 2000).
 
In Indiana the electoral rolls swarm of dead, hardened criminal and multiple registered (LA Times vom 11. Dezember 2000).
 
In Milwaukee, Marquette University student confessed to the Los Angeles Times that they had given their votes up to four times ( "It's easy to vote more than once," the student said. "No one seems to care." - LA Times, 11 December 2000.
 
In Texas, there are "vote Whores," who do a favor to the people to get the postal ballot documents. In some cases, the votes collector bought the documents or they stole from them from letter boxes (LA Times, December 11, 2000).
 
Election letters do not arrive or arrive somewhere: Several days after Steven and Barbara Forrest and her 29-year old son from the State of Washington sent away their selection envelopes they were found by the Danish couple Brian and Helle Kain on the island of Fyn near Copenhagen in their post (LA Times, December 11, 2000)
 
By misunderstandings with the counting and the wait of the postal votes, for the first time it seems to be that postal votes in Florida are still to be counted.
 
A study by the Portland State University concludes that more than 36,000 of the 1.5 million Oregon voters have not filled in their ballots. (LA Times, December 11, 2000).
 
http://www.wahlrecht.de/ausland/us-wahl.html
 
 

Due to legal problems of the correct vote counting in Florida, it took more than a month after the election until a result was found.

 
When finally the Supreme Court banned a re-counting in certain constituencies in Florida, the electoral victory of the Republican candidates was official.
 
George W. Bush, won  the presidential election with a up to date controversial difference of 537 votes in Florida.
 
Since the majority of judges at the Supreme Court are appointed by Republican presidents, already on several occasions the fairness of decision by the Court has been criticized.
 
Recent studies of U.S. media have shown that by a complete recount of the votes in Florida, Gore would have won the election and would have become the U.S. president.
 
Meldung auf Fairvote.org, 2004
 
 

The example of the USA (07. 11.2004)

 

OSCE election observers who observed the election by American invitation confirmed that the international standards for free and fair election for the most part have been complied.

 

However:

 

Problems with electronic voting machines

 
One problem of itself, in addition to the error-prone mechanical election machines are inscrutable electronic voting machines [tp vom 5.11.2004]. This is particularly critical because of the fact that many machines do not create paper printouts, so that a re-counting of votes are impossible (this also fits to voting machines in Germany).
 
The company Diebold uses non-certified software. In part, the software is kept secret.
 
Lack of registration authority, lax admission requirements and no expression on paper:
The election computers were also criticized by the OSCE due to the lack of uniform standards and the lack of paper printouts, without which a control is impossible.
 
In California, Ohio, Nevada and Alaska the controversial machines were not allowed (ADN vom 01.11.2004).
 
In a polling station in Franklin County, Ohio, by a computer breakdown in the election night 3893 electoral votes for Bush were counted too much. In fact he had only received 365 votes  (Heise.de vom 06.11.2004).
 
The candidate Nader questioned the results in New Hampshire and demanded an additional counting  [1].
 
Green and Libertarian have strained a post count in Ohio.
 
On the subject of voting machines, meanwhile there are now a whole series of conspiracy theories and allegations of forgery: embezzle ballots  [6], districts with 139% turnout of election [spiegel-online 11.11.04], [5], differences in results and exit polls  [2] and [3], voices opposed to relation of the ratio of registered party members [4], [TruthOut.org], [Wikipedia.org]
 
In Broward County, Florida, approximately 58,000 postal ballot documents (which is about half of the applications for postal ballot) have not arrived to the voters. The Authority then sent out new postal consignments [netzeitung.de vom 31.10.2004].
 
Tens of thousands of voters are to be registered several times [Spiegel Online vom 22.10.2004].
 
The supported by the Republican National Committee company Sproule & Associates is accused by former employees that in election advertising columns their employees had received instructions, only to register Republicans. Registration cards of Democrats are being destroyed. [Spiegel online vom 23.10.2004]
 
The counties Franklin and Kaiohoca in Ohio as well as Broward, Fort Lauderdale and Miami-Dade in Florida did not want to allow observers to their election said the organization Global Exchange (n-tv vom 22.10.2004).
 
A Republican election Richie Robb man from West Virginia has announced that he does not want to choose George Bush fairvote.com vom 08.10.2004, what he did not  do on the 13th of December in contrary to his announcement. Only in Minnesota was a man giving his vote for the election of the president not John Kerry, but John Edwards.
 

A film director (Michael Moore) from Flint, Michigan, is accused of bribing voters, as he attempts to have moved voters in Michigan with small gifts (potato chips, underwear, noodles) to participate in the election [FTD vom 06.10.2004]

 
 
http://www.wahlrecht.de/ausland/us-praesidentenwahl-2004.html

The example of the Federal Republic of Germany:

 

After thecrowded irregularities in the U.S presidential election , in which the 43rd President only could be announced by a decision of the Supreme Court, the question arises, how would the, the election-GAU (worst case scenario) might look like in Germany, and what irregularities can occur or have occurred.

 
The biggest election chaos would probably arise in a combination of a relatively narrow electoral outcome (this would, however be far from as tight as in Florida) coupled with negativen votes (fewer seats because of more votes.) Such a case could not be solved by accurate counting. If a party would demand re-counting or would declare votes to be invalid, then they would have fewer votes for themselves. This would be a bizarre choice to increase the chaos, which could be admired the end of 2000 in the United States. Since negative votes almost always occurred in the former Bundestag-elections, such a constellation would be in a tight election result not even improbable.
 

The largest party may receives less seats than another party, may be because to overhang mandates More easy when the relationship between several coalition possibilities is distorted through overhang mandates and threshold. So the last two federal governments (1994 and 1998) only represented a minority of the electorate, but due to the threshold gained the majority in the Bundestag. The ruling government between1994 to1998 was only due to some overhang seats in a stable majority in the Bundestag, which then also led to the challenge of the legality of the Federal overhang mandates.

 
 

Deadline problems:

 
The Chancellor is elected by the Bundestag and would also be elected, if, after his election a different composition of the Bundestag were to be found. By the principle of the constructive non confidence vote a change of government in this case would be more difficult then an election at the beginning of the legislature, where, under certain conditions, a simple majority may be sufficient.
 
The Federal president is elected by votes-men (Bundestag deputies and delegates from the country's parliament). Even his election is not changed when a different seat distributions in the Bundestag or in councils is noticed.
 
An appeal against the Bundestag election is to made two months after an election in the Bundestag. Exactly this gremmie decides about it whose composition is precisely challenged - and only then, when the newly elected Bundestag already has picked up the work (That it is actually already too late). In addition to that is that there is no statutory time limit within which the Bundestag has to decide on the opposition. So it regularly takes itself about one year’s time. You can then complain against the decision at the Federal constitution court, but the prospects of success are - even if in case of legitimate complaints – as experienced, low. The court has even once turned down a complaint in essence, by the reason that the legislature was anyway almost around, so the disturbing of the illegal composition of the Bundestag is no more important. In another case the Federal Constitutional Court had laid down an election examination complaint for so long, until the legislature had passed, whereupon the court decided that the appeal had had been finished by this.
Some parallels to the US-election chaos, where the U.S. Supreme Court first stopped the re-counting to determine a few days later that now it was too late, are unmistakable.
 
 

Counting Problems:

 
Anyone who believes that electoral margins as in Florida would not happen in Germany is wrong. In the Bundestag election of 1988 alone so much went wrong. (see announcement dated 15.10.1998):
 

Postal votes in the constituency Göppingen emerged days later and have been counted (Teckbote vom 06.Oktober.1998).

 
Several constituencies made election without the prescribed vote envelopes. A result was, that depending on the decision of the relevant District Election Commission, the affected votes were declared at one time for valid and another time were declared invalid. The decisions of the district electoral commissions on the validity of votes can not be corrected or standardized under the current law by the country's electoral committee or the Federal Election. Only in the context of an electoral review - whose inefficiency has been noted above - may an unification be achieved.
 

Computer problems led to that 6600 vote first were "forgotten".

 
In Saarland ballot papers were sent to Letter voters, which were already checked.
 
In Bremerhaven ballots were given out from a neighboring constituency and had to be declared invalid.
 
In Munich, about 50 postal voters got ballot for the wrong constituency.
 
In Brandenburg, the final counting results could be announced several days after the election: Some overtired election helpers in the election night had left aside everything and went to bed, even though the votes were not counted. Other had forgot that a fax machine does not transmit on both sides, so that the results standing on the back have not arrived at the Election Office.
 
This led to the fact that the federal election heads could not announce a real end result in the election night. Therefore he decided, to extrapolate the still missing about 10,000 votes for the "preliminary official results"! In adapting of this extrapolation to the final official outcome two weeks after the election the distribution of seats had to be corrected because of the vote shift back in Brandenburg (the PDS has received an additional mandate of the FDP).
 
Even in the European election in 1999 things went wrong. For example, delayed delivered postal votes were sometimes accounted valid and sometimes not. Even the Head of the federal election has objected against this different approach (EuWP 27/99 . BT 14/2761 Anlage 34 Seite 119), ), because he himself or the Federal Election Committee have no right to correct the conflicting decisions of the district electoral commissions. The absurd practice of the election verification process in this case shows that the objection was formally rejected as "manifestly unfounded", despite the fact that concerns of the Federal Electoral head was were total complied.
 
 

Conclusion:

 
There is no reason for Germany to besiege the United States with scorn and ridicule because its electoral chaos. In the case of a tight election result in Germany a similar farce would be to fear, in which even more increases are possible. Most of the problems listed here could be prevented by simple changes in the federal electoral law. The lesson from the experience of the election of the 43rd Presidents of the USA should be the realization that a good election should be prepared to unexpected situations as much as possible. But the German election is not.
 
http://www.wahlrecht.de/lexikon/wahl-gau.html
 
 

The example of Palestine (January 27, 2006)

 

After the victory of Islamists the U.S. government is facing a dilemma. The Bush-powered democratization of the Middle East brings the Hamas to power. In Washington, a debate has begun about how to deal with this contradiction.

 
There was a controversial discussion behind the scenes as to whether the Middle East policy of the United States during the recent years was the right one - and how it could happen that in Palestine the Islamists were chosen to power. Bush's foreign policy strategists had gathered around "the rubble of their Middle East policy," writes today's Washington Post.
 
Even Tamara Cofman Witte, Middle East expert of the influential "Brooking" think-tank sees after the election victory of Hamas potential for discussion in Washington. "There are many questions asked what the result would now mean for the Bush administration and its policies to support democratic forces," says Witten to SPIEGEL ONLINE. The mood is bad: "Some have the impression that democracy is always working against us." Not only in the Palestinian territories now a party come to power, which regards the U.S. as an enemy: In Iran, Iraq, in Lebanon and Egypt Islamists are on the rise.
 
But without the mediation of the United States these elections at this time probably could not have taken place. Because the U.S. has supported the Palestinian Authority, as a political mouthpiece for the interests of the Palestinians. The 500 million U.S. dollars, which the U.S. government issued, last year to the Palestinian Authority and by this to the Fatah of President Abbas to strengthen them, have not prevented the triumph of Hamas. And now the election results illustrate the pitfalls of the U.S. policy of democratizing the Middle East, "complains the Los Angeles Times."
 
Where did the United States fail to use its influence on the peace process between Palestine and Israel? The plan of the Bush administration, despite the warning of Israeli politicians to insist that the elections should be held at the scheduled time went into the wrong direction, writes the "Washington Post". David Makovsky of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy criticized the U.S. commitment after the death of Arafat and the election of Abbas as president for the peace process in the Middle East could have been more robust. In Washington, examination of conscience must now be done - "Soul Searching".
 
http://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/0,1518,397592,00.html
 
 

The example of Algeria:

 
Chadli Bendjedid at the end of the'90s established reforms, which allowed multi-party system.
 
In 1989 in the context of political opening, the fundamentalist Islamic Salvation Front-oriented (FIS) was admitted to the election which won surprisingly victory during the first free elections in 1991.
 
Subsequently, the elections were canceled, President Chadli Bendjedid resigned and the military took over by a High State Committee under M. Boudiaf power.
 
The state of emergency was declared, the FIS banned, the leaders of the Islamic Salvation Front were arrested and internment camps were set up.
 
A bloody civil war flared up between the radical Islamists now operating from the underground and the state organs, which continues until today and so far according to international estimates, has cost more than 100 000 lives.
 
http://www.laender-lexikon.de/Algerien_(Geschichte)
 

to be continued.....