Photo : BBC
IN FOCUS
By Vaishnavi Iyer
Iceland Elections: Almost historic women parliament overturned by recount
Around 33 women were elected into a 63-seat parliament in Iceland. Prior to the recount the country celebrated brief hours of being the first European country to have a woman dominated parliament. The recount indicated that it was only 30 women who were elected. However, this is the highest number of women lawmakers in Europe. The election results in Iceland remain unchanged with the ruling coalition led by Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir. The three-party coalition has governed Iceland for the past four years; Jakobsdottir’s party suffered losses, it remains to be seen if the coalition sticks together. The coalition of Green Movement, Progressive Party and the Independence party held 37 out of 63 seats.
Lenya Rum Karim running for the anti-establishment party saw her decision overturned with the recount. She would have been Iceland’s youngest lawmaker at 21 years old. If for the statistics before the recount, Iceland would have been among the list of countries with a women majority parliament like those of Rwanda, Cuba, Mexico, Nicaragua and UAE. However, Sweden and Finland have 47 per cent - and 46 per cent women’s representation in the Parliament in Europe. Iceland has been ranked as the most gender equal country. While the recount reversed a landmark or rather historic victory for gender equality; Iceland continues to strive to maintain its coalition and a stable government considering the last years being guided by scandals and political mistrusts.
References
“Iceland election: Recount overturns historic results for women”, DW, 26 September 2021.
IN BRIEF
By Joeana Cera Matthews
RUSSIA
Moscow: Election results protested
On 25 September, around a thousand people gathered in Moscow rejecting the election result. The demonstration was organized by the conservative Communist Party. Signs calling for a recount, releasing jailed Kremlin-critic Navalny, and other issues were also seen via the demonstration. The protest was heavily policed. (“Russia: Hundreds protest in Moscow over election result”, Deutsche Welle, 25 September 2021) https://www.dw.com/en/russia-hundreds-protest-in-moscow-over-election-result/a-59310855
GERMANY
Federal Elections: SDP party wins narrowly; CDU, CSU worst performance till date
On 25 September, exit polls predicted Germany’s Social Democratic party (SPD) and the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) to be essentially in a tie. On 26 September, the official preliminary results concluded that Olaf Scholz’s SPD secured 25.7 per cent of the votes while Armin Laschet’s CDU secured a vote of 24.1 per cent. Greens came in third place within. This will now lead to almost a month-long discussion on who should form the government and further talks on coalition. (“Germany: SPD intends to form coalition with Greens and liberals”. The Guardian, 27 September 2021) https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/sep/27/olaf-scholz-intends-three-way-coalition-germany
GENDER
Switzerland’s referendum on legalizing same-sex unions wins with an overwhelming majority
On 26 September, Switzerland conducted its referendum to legalize same-sex marriages. The vote which was won by a large margin would allow for same-sex couples to get married and adopt children. Results of the referendum showed that 64.1 per cent of the voters favoured the legalization while 36 per cent voted against the same. However, converting this result into law, like a bill, would require time because of Switzerland’s administrative and legislative procedures. The vote was initiated by the country’s conservatives. (“Swiss vote ‘yes’ to same-sex marriage”, Deutsche Welle, 26 September 2021) https://www.dw.com/en/swiss-vote-yes-to-same-sex-marriage/a-59313074
INTERNATIONAL
Russia at the UNGA
On 25 September, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov addressed the United Nations General Assembly. Speaking at the UNGA, he criticized actions of various countries that were threatening internal sovereignty and territorial integrity. He called out France denying Russian mercenaries from entering Mali, the US troops withdrawing from Afghanistan in haste without considering the consequences. Lavrov also talked about the US-China tensions which were stirring and called out Germany and France asking for an ‘Alliance For Multilateralism’. He questioned what could be more multilateral than the United Nations itself. (“Russia roasts West over Mali, Afghanistan pullout”, Deutsche Welle, 26 September 2021) https://www.dw.com/en/russia-roasts-west-over-mali-afghanistan-pullout/a-59312190