Opinion - News Analysis   

U.S. election eclipses all others

The Pacific island state of Niue had an election this year, and no one noticed. No shock there. Headlines such as: “Niue premiership hangs in the balance” could not disguise the world’s complete lack of interest in this small collection of Polynesian rocks. Even the Queen may be unaware that she remains the head of state.

But Niue is not alone. This year has turned out to be a very bad one to hold an election. The world is busy crossing its fingers and waiting for Barack Obama on November 4. This must be why New Zealand’s contest four days later has received not a single mention in the British press, even though it is a cliffhanger.

But the unreported election in the Maldives — the first proper one in the country’s history — is the most exciting of all. The state TV there is blasting out attacks on “criminals and Christians” calling for change. Even Mr. Obama doesn’t have to put up with that. — © Guardian Newspapers Limited, 2008

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Off to the Moon
Countering the slowdown
Towards creation of world-class universities
An about-turn to woo the urban voter?
Deadly hazards for aid workers in warzones
Mr. Spy, sir, this way to the red carpet, please
U.S. election eclipses all others
Corrections and clarifications
Historic
Dealing with MNS
Right to ask questions is integral to democracy

Copyright © 2008, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu