Latest Articles about Domestic/Social
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Kyrgyz Government Orders Religious Leaders to Wear Special Uniform
Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev's latest attempts to increase political control over the Spiritual Administration of Muslims (SAM) suggests that he is using religion as part of his campaign ahead of the presidential election in July. Bakiyev supported the idea of building a large mosque in... MORE
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Opposition Launches Another Offensive at Mass Rally in Tbilisi
Opposition groups drew some 60,000 participants (by average estimates) for a rally in Tbilisi on April 9 and threatened to continue rallying on a daily basis. All Georgian television channels covered the advance preparations for the rally, as well as the event itself and the... MORE
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Moldova Tense After Post-Election Violence in Chisinau
Opposition protests against the outcome of Moldova's parliamentary elections triggered the seizure and ransacking of the presidency and parliament buildings by young rioting crowds on April 7 (EDM, April 7). Some 2,530 observers from local NGOs and 620 international observers monitored the elections. The International... MORE
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Violent Riots Devastate Moldovan Presidential and Parliament Buildings
Crowds of young rioters overran, ransacked, and set on fire the presidential and parliament buildings in Moldova's capital Chisinau on April 7. This outbreak may serve to embolden radical groups in Georgia on the eve of their April 9 demonstration, the declared goal of which... MORE
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Ten Reasons Why the Communist Party Won Moldova’s Elections Again
As anticipated (see EDM, March 13, 16) the Communist Party has won Moldova's parliamentary elections on April 5, far outdistancing the parties that ran on anti-communist platforms. On paper at least--and every fourth year in real practice--Moldova is a parliamentary republic. The new parliament will... MORE
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Assyrian Nationalists Cooperate with Kurdish PKK Insurgents
For many people in the West, mention of the “Assyrians” brings to mind the relentless empire-builders of northern Iraq who conquered most of the Middle East, including Egypt and large parts of Anatolia, in the period stretching between the 20th to 7th centuries B.C. Few... MORE
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Democratic Reforms Imminent in the Wake of Turkey’s Local Elections
The local elections in Turkey on March 29, widely regarded as a referendum for the ruling Justice and Democratic Party (AKP) as well as for its Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, raised questions over whether democratic reforms will now be initiated. Oli Rhen, the EU... MORE
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The Death of Constitutional Litigation in China?
On December 18, 2008, with little fanfare, the Supreme People’s Court (SPC) withdrew its 2001 interpretation in the Qi Yuling case. The interpretation was one of 27 interpretations invalidated by the SPC on that date. The Qi Yuling interpretation was “no longer applied,” according to... MORE
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CCPLA: Tightening the CCP’s Rule over Law
Beijing is beefing up its control apparatus to counter unprecedented challenges to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) administration this year. Apart from on-going protests in the Greater Tibet Region, the police, state security, People’s Armed Police (PAP) and other units are bracing themselves against demonstrations,... MORE
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Erdogan Refuses to Negotiate IMF Deal for Turkey
Official data released after the local elections in Turkey shows that the global financial crisis has affected the economy more severely than the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has acknowledged. Turkey's economic growth dropped sharply in the last quarter of 2008, and its exports... MORE