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5 May Malaysia
The ruling Barisan Nasional coalition, led by the incumbent Prime Minister Najib Razak, retained power at a general election, taking 133 of the 222 seats, although winning less of the popular vote than the three-party opposition coalition Pakatan Rakyat, which won 89 seats. Turn-out for the election, campaigning for which had been focused on the issues of corruption, benefits for ethnic Malays and the economy, was a record high of 80%. Although Najib Razak was sworn in as Prime Minister on 7 May, the opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim refused to accept the results of the election, branding the poll fraudulent and accusing the authorities of tolerating widespread irregularities.
28 April Italy
A new Government was sworn in after weeks of deliberations following inconclusive legislative elections held in February. President Giorgio Napolitano, who was elected to an unprecedented second term of office on 20 April by a simple majority of members of Parliament and regional representatives, asked Enrico Letta, the deputy leader of the Partito Democratico, to form a broad coalition government. The so-called ‘grand coalition’, with Letta as Prime Minister, comprised the Partito Democratico, the Popolo della Libertà, Unione di Centro, Scelta Civica, Radicali Italiani and independent experts, and was notable for the number of women appointed, including Emma Bonino as Minister of Foreign Affairs.
25 April UN
The UN Security Council approved the establishment of a United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) to assume the responsibilities of the AU-led International Support Mission in Mali with effect from 1 July. MINUSMA, comprising up to 11,200 military and 1,440 police personnel, was mandated to conduct security-related stabilization tasks, protect civilians, UN staff and cultural heritage, and facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid.
21 April Paraguay
The Partido Colorado was returned to power in a presidential election, with its candidate, Horacio Cartes Jara, winning 45.80% of the votes cast, according to the Tribunal Superior de Justicia Electoral. His nearest rival, Efraín Alegre of the ruling Partido Liberal Radical Auténtico, attracted 36.94% of the total ballot. Mario Ferreiro of the Avanza País coalition garnered 5.88% of the total vote while Aníbal Carrillo Iramain, the nominee of the Frente Guasú, a coalition of parties supportive of impeached former President Fernando Lugo, won only 3.32% of the ballot. Cartes was scheduled to take office on 15 August.
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19 April The Balkans
European Union (EU)-mediated talks in Brussels, Belgium, resulted in the signature of a provisional accord by the Kosovo premier, Hashim Thaçi and the Serbian Prime Minister, Ivica Dačić. The agreement confirmed that ethnic Serb-dominated northern Kosovo was to be administered by Kosovo, while retaining autonomy in the areas of education, health care and culture, and with provision made for the appointment of a police commander for the region, and the establishment of a separate court of appeal; the deal also allowed both Kosovo and Serbia to seek EU accession without obstruction. The deal was approved by the Kosovo Assembly on 21 April, and by the Serbian Government on 22 April. Protests took place in northern Kosovo. Also on 22 April the European Commission recommended that Serbia, a candidate country for EU membership since March 2012, be given a date for the initiation of membership negotiations.
19 April Venezuela
Nicolás Maduro, of the Partido Socialista Unido de Venezuela, the party of the late President Hugo Chávez, was sworn in as President following the election of 14 April. According to the Consejo Nacional Electoral (CNE), Maduro won 7,575,506 votes, or 50.78% of the valid ballot, while his challenger, Henrique Capriles Radonski of the opposition Mesa de Unidad Democrática, attracted 7,302,641 votes, or 48.95% of the ballot. Although Maduro had been expected to win, the result was much closer than anticipated. Capriles alleged widespread irregularities in the voting process and demanded a recount of all ballot papers. Following several days of opposition protest the CNE agreed to a recount of all electronic votes. This fell short of the full recount insisted on by Capriles, but quelled tensions in the country. The audit was expected to take at least 30 days.
30 March Kenya
The Supreme Court upheld the result of the presidential poll held on 4 March, thus confirming the election of Uhuru Kenyatta, hitherto Deputy Prime Minister, as Head of State. The defeated candidate, outgoing Prime Minister Raila Odinga, had contested the outcome of the ballot at which he had secured 43.7% of the valid votes cast; Kenyatta, with 50.5% of the votes, had narrowly avoided the requirement to contest a second round of voting. Kenyatta, who was sworn in as President on 9 April, and his designated Vice-President, William Ruto, had, in January 2012, been charged by the International Criminal Court with crimes against humanity perpetrated following the 2007 elections, as a result of which some 1,000 people were killed in ethnic violence and a further 600,000 were displaced.
25 March Pakistan
Mir Hazar Khan Khoso, a retired senior judge, was sworn in as Acting Prime Minister of Pakistan. Khan Khoso, who was selected by the Election Commission following a failure by the main political parties to agree on a consensus candidate, was expected to appoint an interim administration to govern the country until the completion of a general election, scheduled for 11 May. On 15 March the National Assembly was dissolved, having completed a full five-year term of office for the first time in the country’s history. On the following day the Government of Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, led by the Pakistan Peoples Party, completed its tenure. The provincial legislatures in Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa, Punjab and Sindh were also dissolved; the Chief Ministers of each province resigned, to be replaced by caretaker office holders.
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