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| Introduction |
| Elections by date |
| Elections by region |
| Africa |
| Asia |
| Europe |
| The Middle East |
| North America |
| The United States of America |
| Election web sites |
| Parliamentary Library Elections Publications |
This electronic brief provides links to websites of various countries that have national elections in 2004. Elections may be presidential or legislative. Information will be current for 6 months prior to and six months after the election date.
The information contained herein is b rief in nature and gives the date and type of election, the number of registered voters, the party in power, information about whether voting is compulsory, some key issues, the main players, commentary as the elections unfold, and results when known.
There are twenty-three countries that have compulsory voting in elections. These are: Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Fiji, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Panama, the Philippines, Singapore, Switzerland, Uruguay and Venezuela. Both The Netherlands and Austria had systems of compulsory voting, but these were later repealed.
The links in this document will change as events occur and analyses become available.
7 March 2004: Greece (Parliamentary)
14 March 2004: Russian Federation (Presidential)
14 March 2004: Spain (Parliamentary)
20 March 2004: Taiwan (Presidential)
21 March 2004: Malaysia (Parliamentary)
2 April 2004: Sri Lanka (Parliamentary)
5 April 2004: Indonesia (Parliamentary)
8 April 2004: Algeria (Presidential)
14 April 2004: South Africa (Parliamentary)
15 April 2004: South Korea (Parliamentary)
26 April 2004: Austria (Presidential)
20, 26 April and 5, 10 May 2004: India (Parliamentary)
10 May 2004: the Philippines (Presidential and Congressional)
10, 11, 13 June 2004: European Union (Parliamentary)
28 June 2004—Canada (Parliamentary)
5 July and 20 September 2004: Indonesia (Presidential)
11 July 2004: Japan (Upper House)
20 September 2004: Indonesia (Presidential - round two)
9 October 2004: Afghanistan (Presidential)
October 2004: Ireland (Presidential) (exact date not yet known)
2 November 2004: United States of America (Presidential)
Election type: Presidential
Election date: 8 April 2004
Number of registered voters: 18 097 255
Party in Government: National Rally for Democracy (Rassemblement National pour la Democratie)
Compulsory voting: No
An Oxford Analytica article dated 12 April 2004 discusses the landslide victory won by incumbent President Abdelaziz Bouteflika. He had campaigned strongly on the need for economic and social reforms. He was elected for a second five year term with 83.5 per cent of the vote. His main opponent, Ali Benflis, claimed the poll was rigged. This election was the first time that parties were allowed to post representatives at all 40 000 polling stations as well as being given the vote tallies at the end of polling.
Election type: Parliamentary
Election date: 14 April 2004
Number of registered voters: 20 674 926
Party in Government: African National Congress
Compulsory voting: No
On 14 April, 2004, Thabo Mbeki’s African National Congress (ANC) party won an overwhelming victory with 69.68 per cent of the vote in South Africa’s third multi-racial elections since the end of apartheid in April 1994. The nearest rival, the Democratic Alliance, came a distant second with 12 per cent of the vote. The Zulu-dominated Inkatha Freedom Party came in third, with 7 per cent of the vote. Voter turnout was high, at 77 per cent. President Mbeki has a two-thirds majority in parliament which would allow him to change the constitution, but he has stated that he has no intention of doing so.
In the general election of 2 June 1999, Thabo Mbeki took over the presidency from Nelson Mandela after the ruling ANC party won 66.4 per cent of the vote.
Election type: Presidential
Election date: 9 October 2004
Number of registered voters: approximately. 6 million
Party in Government: Transitional Authority
Compulsory voting: No
The International Crisis Group (ICG) Afghanistan Report discusses security arrangements, disarmament, rearmament, the legal framework for elections, political alliances as well as providing an overview and map.
The Human Rights Watch article of 25 June 2004 says that the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) should immediately expand its forces in Afghanistan to provide security in the upcoming elections.
Kofi Annan in his UN press release of 9 July 2004 welcomes Afghanistan’s announcement of the presidential and parliamentary polling dates by the Joint Electoral Management Body (JEMB), which is the independent body responsible for conducting and supervising elections in Afghanistan.
The Christian Science Monitor article dated 13 July 2004 asks whether the Karzai government will be ready for an October election, and discusses the slow pace of militia disarmament, the lack of international funding for the election process, and security. The article also questions whether there is political pressure to schedule an election before the United States Presidential election in order to give the Bush administration one foreign-policy success.
The nationwide survey entitled Voter Education Planning Survey: Afghanistan 2004 National Elections released by the Asia Foundation in July 2004 presents an in-depth look at voter attitudes including on issues such as the national mood, attitude towards elections, voter education needs, civic education needs, women in political participation, information sources, media use, and language. The report also gives statistical data for such things as the percentage of voters who think that Afghanistan is heading in the right direction (64 per cent) and the number who intend to vote (81 per cent).
Although the election has been held, results may be delayed by up to three weeks. A BBC News article of 11 October, 2004 discusses allegations of voter fraud, saying that any allegations must be submitted in writing to the United Nations by 14:30 on Wednesday 13 October. This means that the counting of ballots, which should have begun on Monday, cannot start until after that deadline. This article also has links to information about why women's rights hardly featured in the campaign and profiles of the main candidates such as Hamid Karzai and Younis Qanuni.
Parliamentary elections will be held in April 2005.
Election type: Parliamentary
Election dates: 20 April, 26 April, 5 May, 10 May 2004
Number of registered voters: 671 524 934
Party in Government: The Congress Party
Compulsory voting: No
With voting now complete in the world’s largest elections, with 670 million voters going to the polls, the BBC takes an in depth look at the Indian elections. Areas covered include the campaign, key members of the cabinet, why Sonia Gandhi turned down the top job and why these elections matter. On 19 May, Manmohan Singh was appointed Prime Minister of India.
Election type: Parliamentary and Presidential
Election date: Parliamentary—5 April 2004; Presidential—5 July 2004 and 20 September 2004
Number of registered voters: 124 456 342
Party in Government: Uncertain
Compulsory voting: No
2004 is a big year for democracy in Indonesia with parliamentary elections on 5 April and a presidential poll on 5 July and 20 September. Follow this timeline for an overview of the election process.
The International Crisis Group (ICG) report of December 2003 examines electoral reform, the parties, the voters, the role of the military, possible violence and possible outcome scenarios for both the parliamentary and presidential elections in 2004.
Indonesia’s voters went to the polls on 5 April for parliamentary elections. Golkar, with former armed forces chief General Wiranto as its candidate, won about 23 per cent of the vote. On 5 May, the General Elections Commission announced the final vote tally, listing all 24 parties. The results of the Indonesian legislative elections held on 5 April produced no party with a clear majority in the DPR. Unless the presidential elections provide Indonesia with a strong president, probably from one of the larger parties, then the legislative process may become progressively cumbersome and subject to delays.
Indonesia is also holding its first-ever direct Presidential election this year. A Canberra Times article of 13 May 2004 reports that Megawati Sukarnoputri (PDI-P or Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle), Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (also known as SBY), former military chief General Wiranto (Golkar) along with at least four other candidates registered to compete for the presidency of the world’s fourth most populous country. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s prospects in the July presidential elections are discussed in this article. Golkar worked hard to overcome the taint it inherited from former President Suharto after he was ousted in 1998.
Susilo topped the July 5 presidential ballot with 39 838 184 votes or 33.57 percent, ahead of Megawati's 31 569 104 or 26.60 percent. Wiranto won 22.2 percent of the vote.
As the July 5 presidential election failed to produce an outright winner, a run-off poll was held on 20 September between the two highest vote-winners, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Megawati Sukarnoputri.
According to an Oxford Analytica brief dated 24 September 2004, with nearly 90 percent of the votes counted, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has gained an unassailable lead in the vote count following the 20 September election run-off. Issues covered include terrorism, corruption, the economy, education, Aceh, the parliamentary balance, PDI-P, the cabinet mix and foreign policy.
Election type: Parliamentary
Election date: 11 July 2004
Number of registered voters: 100 433 798 (as at the year 2000)
Party in Government: Liberal Democratic Party
Compulsory voting: No
This election was for Japan’s House of Councillors (Upper House) election. According to the Oxford Analytica daily brief of 13 July 2004, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) gained 49 seats and the opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) gained 50 seats in Sunday’s Upper House elections. This article discusses the significance of the results including implications for the position of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi. There is analysis, detailed results, commentary on voter turnout, discussion of policy issues of significance, and commentary on implications of the results for Japanese politics.
Election type: Parliamentary
Election date: 21 March 2004
Number of registered voters: 147 219 531
Party in Government: National Front (Barisan Nasional)
Compulsory voting: No
The Malaysian General Election 2004 web site tells us that the incumbent National Front government of Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi was returned with an overwhelming majority. There is a table of results which gives the number of votes, the number of seats won, the percentage of the vote attained, and the change for each party contesting the election. There is information on the coalition National Front made up of fourteen, mainly communal-based parties, but dominated by the United Malays National Organisation (UNMO), the Malaysian Chinese Association, the Malaysian Indian Congress, and the opposition parties including the Democratic Action Party (DAP) and the Islamic Party of Malaysia (PAS). There is also information on the state elections which are (normally) held at the same time, for all assemblies of the Malaysian states except in 2004, the state of Sarawak. In the Star Online of 25 March 2004 there is discussion of the makeup of Badawi’s cabinet.
Election type: Presidential
Election date: 10 May 2004
Number of registered voters: approximately. 48 000 000
Party in Government: Coalition for Rights and Experiences for the Future (Koalisyon ng Karapatan at Karanasan sa Kinabukasan or K-4)
Compulsory voting: Yes
The counting of votes in the Philippines elections has typically been a slow process with official results as counted by the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) not known until six weeks after polling day. The Oxford Analytica Brief of 29 June 2004 says that Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s victory with a margin of just over one million votes means that she will have to tread carefully when enacting her reformist agenda. This article also looks at policy decisions surrounding Napocor (the national power company), and a change of role for the province of Cebu.
Election type: Parliamentary
Election date: 15 April 2004
Number of registered voters: 35 607 296
Party in Government: Uri Dang Party (“Our Party” in Korean)
Compulsory voting: No
Even after being impeached by the parliament in March 2004, President Roh Moo-hyun still managed to win 152 seats in the 299-seat National Assembly in the elections of 15 April, giving him a majority over the Conservative Grand National Party which won 121 seats. Although Mr Roh was not a member of the Uri Party at the time of the election, he had their support. He officially joined the Uri Party on 20 May 2004. The win by the Uri Party is the first time that South Korea has elected a centre-left parliamentary majority since free elections began in the 1980s. The BBC News article of 16 April 2004 says that the Uri Party will co-operate with Washington’s hard line on North Korea.
Election type: General
Election date: 2 April 2004
Number of registered voters: 12 899 139
Party in Government: United People’s Freedom Alliance
Compulsory voting: No
The party of Sri Lanka’s President Chandrika Kumaratunga (the United People’s Freedom Alliance) won the country’s third general election in four years against long-time rival Ranil Wickramasinghe of the United National Party. Mrs Kumaratunga is eight seats short of an absolute majority. She will hold talks with the smaller parties to form a coalition government. This is the country’s second minority government. A BBC report of 4 April 2004 covered the key election issues, final election results, Tamil Tiger proposals, as well as profiles of the main players such as President Kumaratunga, Prime Minister Rajapakse and Tamil Tiger leader Prabhakaran. The Economist Intelligence Unit article of 28 May 2004 suggested Sri Lanka’s post-election stability was under threat as a result of the electoral defeat of Ranil Wickramasinghe’s moderate government, who was committed to negotiating a settlement with the Tamil Tiger militia.
Election type: Presidential
Election date: 20 March 2004
Number of registered voters: approximately 16 million
Party in Government: Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)
Compulsory voting: No
President Chen Shui-bian narrowly won a second term in Taiwan’s Presidential election. Identity issues and cross-strait relations, a decline in vote-buying, an assassination attempt, and a decision by Taiwan’s High Court whether the victory is legal are all discussed in this Asia Today Special Report of 22 March 2004 and its associated links.
Election type: Parliamentary
Election dates: 10–13 June 2004
Number of registered voters: approx. 350 000 000
Party in Government: not applicable
Compulsory voting: No
The European Parliament is the assembly of the representatives of the 450 million European Union (EU) citizens. Since 1979, every 5 years Members of the European Parliament (MEP) have been elected by direct universal election. This European Parliament web site explains what the European Parliament is, how the vote works, about the candidates, the constituencies, the expanded EU, and gives election results.
In the 2004 election, 732 members of the European Parliament were elected from the 25 EU member states. The European Parliament elections map allows you to click on any of the 25 countries involved in the vote, to see candidate names, distribution of current MEPs by party in the European Parliament, and analysis.
Sinn Fein, the political wing of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) won its first seat in the European Parliament with the election of Mary Lou MacDonald in Ireland. This Associated Press article of 14 June 2004 says that this success may bring Sinn Fein more international clout.
The bigger issues for the European Parliament elections, as discussed in an Economist article, ‘Unhappy voters send a message’ of 14 June 2004, included low voter turnout, poor results for governing parties, and notably improved results for a clutch of anti-EU parties.
Election type: Presidential
Election date: 26 April 2004
Number of registered voters: 6,030,877
Party in Government: Austrian Social Democratic Party
Compulsory voting: No
This BBC news report of 25 April 2004 discusses Austria’s first socialist president, Heinz Fischer who defeated conservative candidate, Foreign Minister Benita Ferrero-Waldner who was nominated by
Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel’s party. There are also links to the Austrian government and the candidates campaigns.
Election Type: Parliamentary
Election date: 7 March 2004
Number of registered voters: 9 865 440
Party in Government: New Democracy Party
Compulsory voting: Yes
An Economist article of 11 March 2004 talks about the decisions that will have to be made by Greece’s youngest-ever Prime Minister, Costas Karamanlis, regarding Cyprus, the Athens Olympics and the new Cabinet.
Election date: 14 March 2004
Election type: Presidential
Number of registered voters: 108 064 281
Party in Government: Independent
Compulsory voting: No
The Russian Federation Votes 2003-04 web site gives a timeline, detailed information about each of the parties involved, biographies of the major players, maps, and reports from past elections. Vladimir Putin secured 71.22 per cent of the vote. Although Mr Putin is self-nominated, he has close ties to the Unified Russia Party. His five opponents together managed 25.6 per cent of the vote. Mr Putin’s nearest rival, Nikolai Kharitonov of the Communist Party won 13 per cent of the vote. The Oxford Analytica Brief dated 16 March 2004 explains why the election result was a foregone conclusion. It also gives analysis and discussion of the obstacles faced by Mr Putin’s opponents as well as commentary on the decline in the number of Communist voters.
Election type: Parliamentary
Election date: 14 March 2004
Number of registered voters: 34 403 965
Party in Government: Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE)
Compulsory voting: No
The Spanish legislative election defied most predictions and resulted in the opposition Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE) winning government. Up for election were all 350 seats of the Congress of the Deputies (lower house), and 208 seats in the Senate (upper house). Led by Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, the PSOE have formed a government with the support of the minor parties. The governing People’s Party (PP) was led into the campaign by Mariano Rajoy who succeeded outgoing Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar.
Election type: Presidential
Election date: October 2004 (exact date not yet known)
Number of registered voters: 2 741 262
Party of President: Fianna Fail
Compulsory voting: No
Ireland will be holding its Presidential election in October. The president is elected directly by the people of the Irish Republic. This web site from the government of Ireland presents information on election rules, the Irish Constitution, biographical information on the current president Mary McAleese, and previous presidents. Ms McAleese has been the President for one term (seven years). The president may not serve more than two terms.
Election type: Parliamentary
Election date: not later than 31 January 2005
Number of registered voters: unknown at this stage
Compulsory voting: No
Iraq’s transfer to sovereignty occurred on 28 June 2004, two days sooner than expected. For background leading up to the hand-over, the International Crisis Group (ICG) Report of April 2004, entitled Iraq’s transition on a knife edge, discusses meeting the 30 June election date, the role of the United Nations, the formation, composition and mandate of the provisional government, and the status of the occupying forces.
On 28 June 2004, CNN reported that elections for the National Assembly will take place preferably by 31 December 2004, and not later than 31 January 2005.
Election type: General
Election date: 28 June 2004
Number of registered voters: 22 295 670
Party in Government: Liberal Party of Canada (LIB)
Compulsory voting: No
CBC News Canada Votes is a site designed to keep readers up to date with the campaign as it developed. There is information on the final election outcome, candidates, leaders, parties, and opinion polls, as well as analysis and commentary.
The Liberals have won a fourth consecutive mandate, albeit with a reduction in support, will form Canada’s first minority government in 25 years. A Canada Votes article of 29 June, 2004 entitled ‘Liberals keep ‘fragile’ hold on power’ outlines the issues for Paul Martin’s minority government, how the pollsters misjudged the outcome, and conservative Stephen Harper’s reaction. At the end of the article are many links to items on the New Democratic Party led by Jack Layton, the Greens, Bloc Quebecois, voter turnout numbers and a look at the winning candidates and their seats. In later news, the Globe and Mail newspaper of 30 June 2004 reports that Prime Minister Paul Martin insists he has a stable minority government and will not need to form a coalition with the New Democratic Party (NDP) or other coalition parties.
Election type: Presidential
Election date: 2 November 2004
Number of registered voters: approximately. 205 800 000
Party in Government: Republican Party
Compulsory voting: No
The United States Elections 2004 web site gives an introductory overview of the electoral process for those who are not familiar with United States election practices and traditions. You will also find here information about the political parties, campaign finances, a glossary and a timeline. The Washington Post 2004 Election website gives profiles of President George W. Bush and Democrat candidate John Kerry, the campaign battlegrounds, comparison of the candidates issue by issue, as well as analysis.
Electionworld is a website which provides election information by country and by date. It also gives information on country background, recent elections, parties and parliaments.
CNN World/Election Watch provides a listing of current elections as well as historical listings by region.
International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES) Electionguide.org gives election dates, information and results for elections world-wide, back to 1998.
Richard Kimber’s Elections and Electoral Systems Around the World has links to a wide variety of election-related web sites. Included is Adam Carr’s excellent coverage of recent elections, the Proportional Representation Society of Australia, The Global Initiative to Enfranchise People with Disabilities, the Comparative Study of Electoral Systems, the Electoral Reform Society, the Center for Voting and Democracy, and voter turnout around the world since 1945.
The University of British Columbia Library—Elections, Political Parties and Parliaments gives an academic approach to elections and political parties. Here you will find links to information on electoral behaviour, an in-depth look at Australian, British, Canadian and American elections, manifestos, platforms, speeches and political thought.
The Political Studies Association is a United Kingdom based organisation and provides a gateway to election portals, links to the Centre for Research into Elections and Social Trends (CREST), the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA) and the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU). There is also information on internet voting, constitutions, gender and politics and electronic journals.
Scott Bennett, ‘Minority Government for Canada 2004’, Research Note, no.8, 2004-05.
Scott Bennett, ‘Canadian Election 2000’, Research Note, no.17, 2000-01.
Stephen Sherlock, ‘Indonesia’s New Government: Stability at Last?’ Current Issues Brief, no.4, 2001-02.
Sarah Miskin, ‘New Zealand Election: 27 July 2002’, Research Note, no.9, 2002-03.
Frank Frost, 'The Philippines Elections 2004: Issues and Implications' Research Note, no.13, 2004-05.
Ian Holland, ‘The Scottish and Welsh Elections 2003’, Research Note, no.39, 2002-03.
Scott Bennett,‘Electing the US President’, Research Note, no. 30, 2003-04.
Scott Bennett,‘US Presidential Election 2000’, Current Issues Brief no.9, 2000-01
Frank Frost, ‘The United States 2000 elections: implications for the Asia-Pacific’, Current Issues Brief, no.7, 2000-01.
Ian Holland and Sarah Miskin, Interpreting Election Results in Western Democracies, Current Issues Brief, no.2, 2002-03.
For copyright reasons some linked items are only available to members of Parliament.