All articles tagged with #opposition
Former Zambian minister Mutotwe Kafwaya was fatally wounded during a security operation at a house linked to opposition leader Brian Mundubile in Lusaka, with 11 people arrested. Mundubile denies involvement and has gone into hiding as President Hakainde Hichilema is re-elected with about 60% of the vote; Mundubile plans to challenge the results amid observer concerns about the electoral process.
A Russian court convicted Lev Shlosberg, a senior Yabloko opposition figure, of discrediting the Russian military for opposing the Ukraine war and sentenced him to 11 years and one month in prison; in a separate ruling, the Supreme Court upheld Yabloko’s removal from the parliamentary ballot, highlighting the Kremlin’s intensified crackdown on dissent ahead of elections.
Boris Nadezhdin, a longtime anti-war Russian politician, fled Russia after a summons from the Investigative Committee and a government crackdown that briefly barred him from leaving the country; now in Paris, he says opposition voices are growing and Putin’s popularity is slipping, but he remains uncertain about a durable peace as authorities intensify repression, including blocking the liberal Yabloko party from the ballot.
As Zambians vote, President Hichilema seeks a second term amid the lingering feud with late former president Edgar Lungu, whose death in 2025 and burial dispute loom over campaigns; the race features tensions over alleged repression, police disruptions of opposition events, and debates about living costs versus gains from a stabilizing economy and copper-driven growth.
Russia’s Supreme Court barred Yabloko, the only registered party opposing Moscow’s war in Ukraine, from the upcoming State Duma elections after Rodina petitioned to annul its registration. Yabloko denies undeclared campaign funding allegations and said it will appeal. The ruling comes amid tightened Kremlin control over elections, with United Russia dominating and Yabloko polling around 3% with no Duma seats since 2003; supporters gathered outside the courthouse, and the party is backed by exiled figures including Yulia Navalnaya.
Opposition figure Boris Nadezhdin says he has left Russia amid government pressure that forced him to suspend his bid for September parliamentary elections; in a Paris video, he says he’s alive and free but not yet back home, after being fined for extremist symbols and branded a foreign agent. The departure details are unclear; he plans to reassess his future while avoiding imprisonment. Nadezhdin rose on a 2024 pro-peace bid and has held various political roles, but is now outside Russia due to authorities’ pressure.
UN OHCHR warns that after Uganda’s January elections a climate of fear and shrinking civic space has intensified abuses against opposition supporters, journalists and human rights defenders, including disappearances, torture and arbitrary arrests; about 50 opposition figures, five rights defenders and five journalists have been targeted, with authorities using laws that breach international standards, while civil society groups face suspension and scrutiny, prompting calls for a rights-based approach and adherence to international law.
Özgür Özel, the deposed leader of Turkey’s main opposition CHP, announced plans to form a new party to challenge President Erdoğan in the 2028 election, a move that could unite the fractured opposition and reshape Turkish politics. The breakaway party could be founded soon and, once formalities are completed, become parliament’s largest opposition bloc as many CHP MPs are expected to join. Polls suggest the unnamed party would beat Erdoğan’s AKP if elections were held today, but Özel faces ongoing legal crackdowns and potential loss of immunity as authorities pursue cases against dissenters.
At a rally marking the Sandinista Revolution, Daniel Ortega declared that Nicaragua will never again hold elections, even though a 2025 constitutional reform extended the presidential term and the next vote is now slated for 2027. He accused opposition groups—many exiled or jailed—of trying to seize power with U.S. backing, announced new laws to block them, and asserted that the era of foreign-installed governments is over, as international pressure for a political transition persists.
President Daniel Ortega announced there will be no more elections in Nicaragua, arguing the US-backed opposition cannot seize power; the statement follows a disputed 2021 vote, a six-year term with Rosario Murillo as co-president, and years of repression critics say have crushed dissent, drawing international human rights scrutiny.
A jailed blogger-turned-critic, Ilya Remeslo, was detained in St. Petersburg on charges of spreading false information about the armed forces and faces up to 10 years, with a hearing to determine pretrial restrictions; at the same time, opposition figure Boris Nadezhdin was tried in Moscow, fined 1,000 rubles, and released after being designated a foreign agent, a move that blocks him from running in September elections—signaling intensified repression of dissent ahead of the vote.
Venezuela’s interim government says formal talks with opposition members will begin on August 1, led by Jorge Rodríguez and opposition figure Dinorah Figuera, to map a path toward democracy and electoral reform, including strengthening the electoral council. The talks reflect long-standing tensions over legitimacy, governance, and political participation, with U.S. backing noted for the opposition amid a post‑earthquake reconstruction backdrop. The opposition group comprises former lawmakers and seeks guarantees for democratic processes, while many opponents remain in exile or jailed.
Tanzania has again suspended political rallies, arguing for zero tolerance toward disorder as opposition groups accuse the ruling CCM of using state institutions to curb dissent. The move follows large protests demanding justice for hundreds killed in last year’s post-poll violence, a commission tallying 518 deaths (including 197 shot dead). Critics say the ban mirrors a 2016 tactic by Magufuli to weaken the opposition ahead of the 2025 election, in which the two main candidates were blocked from contesting.
Polish prosecutors are investigating the execution-style murder of Russian opposition artist Robert Kuzovkov, known as Semyon Skrepetsky, who was shot five times in a car park in Biała Podlaska near the Belarus border; five shell casings and a 9mm bullet were recovered, and an autopsy is scheduled.
Thousands of Ozgur Ozel supporters rallied in Ankara after a court ousted him as CHP leader, denouncing the ruling as a bid to neutralize the opposition and marching toward Ataturk’s mausoleum.