election - Socialist Action

No ‘honeymoon’ for Hollande as French government continues austerity

20th July 2012 Socialist Action 0

By Abelle Moreau

The outcome of the French elections marks a turn in the political situation in France, which will now play out with implications for all parties.

Francois Hollande’s ‘honeymoon’ with French voters has been one of the shortest on record.

Having run his election campaign claiming he would reject Sarkozy’s austerity policies and insist on a ‘growth strategy’ alongside debt reduction, no new policies have materialised.

Huge protests at Mexican election fraud

10th July 2012 Socialist Action 0

By Davy Lynch

Hundreds of thousands of protestors have taken to the streets of Mexico City to demonstrate their anger at the fraud perpetrated in the recent Presidential elections. While mainstream media talk of tens of thousands on the mobilisations, it s clear from these pictures that the numbers involved are considerable greater.

The Egyptian Presidential election – the clear choice is to support the Muslim Brotherhood candidate

14th June 2012 Socialist Action 0

By Andrew Williams

With the final round of the presidential election approaching on 16 and 17 June, the Mubarak appointed supreme constitutional court has dissolved the Egyptian parliament. The military regime staged this partial coup d’etat as the democratic gains so far achieved by the Egyptian revolution threaten to end its dictatorship.

It has to be the goal of all progressive forces to ensure the defeat of the military’s candidate, and therefore victory for the Muslim Brotherhood in the run-off presidential vote. The two candidates are Mohamed Morsi, of the Muslim Brotherhood’s (MB) Freedom and Justice Party and Ahmed Shafiq, backed by the Egyptian Army.

Victory to SYRIZA

8th June 2012 Socialist Action 0

By Nicky Dempsey

The Greek general election of June 17 will be closely watched by all the main political forces and classes in Europe. It marks the next phase in the struggle against the offensive to cut wages, public services and the incomes of the poor in order to restore profits.

Workers and the oppressed throughout the whole of Europe and beyond have a direct interest in a victory for those parties that oppose the current offensive.

Welcome defeat of Sarkozy, but French left has to prepare for new struggles

22nd May 2012 Socialist Action 0

By Najete Michell

At last Sarkozy has been defeated! A relief for the French population after 5 years of a huge Thatcher-like offensive against the French welfare state, and the daily injection of racist and Islamophobic poison.

However, despite the opposition to Sarkozy, Hollande only won by 51.6 per cent and with only 1.1 million more votes than Sarkozy – a narrow victory, especially compared to what the polls had previously predicted.

The myths surrounding the London elections

16th May 2012 Socialist Action 0

By Joe Collins

Following Ken Livingstone’s defeat in the mayoral contest in London there have been a range of attacks on him from the usual quarters claiming that he underperformed the Labour Party and that on this basis that with ‘any other candidate’ Labour might have won.

The aim of the attacks is to discredit the progressive strand of politics that Ken Livingstone stood for, and to present any attempt to stand up to the offensive of the Tory-led government and its media backers as electorally suicidal.