Voting (& other news)

11.07.2006

I voted today in Pennsylvania. I was surprised at how quickly the whole thing went — though it was morning & I was the only person there to vote at the time. It took the polling volunteers all of two minutes to get me ready to vote; the machine was extremely simple & user-friendly. So I was in & out in all of five minutes. Not bad, eh?

A few days ago, voters in Nicaragua cast ballots in their presidential (and legsiative) elections. Of course Ortega placed first (he was never expected not to), but it's amazing how much of the press can't understand — or certainly make clearly explain — electoral systems that aren't simple FPTP (first past the post). Yes, Ortega came in first. But he can only win the presidency if one of two conditions are met: A) he wins at least 35% of the vote and by more than 5% over his nearest rival or B) he wins at least 40% of the vote. Otherwise, he goes to a second round election — which he's expected to lose. Why? Because Ortega is facing a very divided center & center-right; but in a two-candidate race between Ortega & any of the others, he's not likely to beat a concentrated center & center-right alliance against him.

Either way, the new president is screwed, because again the media forgets that it's not just about presidents (why is that? what does that say about people who implicitly think politics should be about a single individual?). If Ortega wins the presidency, he won't have enough support in the legislature to do much more than steer through a centrist agenda. Ditto for anyone-other-than-Ortega.

Unrelated to voting: Saddam was convicted. Interesting. More interesting, however, is that today in court he called for a "reconcilliation" between Iraqis. Is he just pleading for mercy? Has it suddenly sunk in to him that he is, in fact, mortal? Could a prolongued set of new trials in which Saddam acknowledges his faults & behaves w/ remorse be a good thing for Iraqi stability? Again, interesting.

Posted by Miguel at 10:12 AM

Comments

Saddam's death by hanging sentence may have something to do with his pleas for reconciliation, I think. It could be an ex post facto attempt to mitigate the aggravating factors that lead to his sentence. But he has already been sentenced, so I may be flat wrong. Not sure how Iraqi criminal procedure works.

I think that if Saddam were to take responsibility, it might be good for Iraq, but I don't see him doing so. Calling for reconciliation is something different from admitting culpability. He clearly doesn't think himself culpable, and his megalomania would prevent him from admitting such.

Another theory is that Saddam's megalomania has placed him in the role of martyr, wherein his execution will deliver a message to Iraqis, Arabs and the world that America is unjust.

Posted by: tom at November 7, 2006 02:53 PM

Ortega has been in the backstage of Nicaragua's politics for over 23 years, his aliance with Aleman just proved that he would do anything to hold on to power. Although Nicaragua's political elites are learning democracy slowly I do not think Ortega will have much opposition. He is a very skillful politician and just as he controlled the congress and in general, Nicarguan politics, I think he will be able to do it from centerstage now.

If Ortega is to be constrained, it won't come from the legislature but of his own commitments to embrace free trade and pursue a more moderate agenda.

Posted by: Ani at November 9, 2006 11:50 AM