Teaching Comparative Government

Not everyone in the All Progressives Congress (APC) agrees that a direct primary is the best way to choose their presidential candidate. Buhari is likely to win such a primary, but not everyone likes that prospect. APC Adopts Direct Primary For Presidential Ticket 31 August 2018 The All Progressives Congress (APC) has chosen the modus operandus for the emergence of its presidential candidate following its adoption of direct election for the presidential primary poll. The party, which arrived at this decision during its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting… 5 September 2018 Defection: Six APC Governors, Others to Join Us Soon - PDP Nigeria's main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) says it has concluded discussions with six governors of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and 27 of its members in the National Assembly to defect to the PDP. PDP spokesperson, Kola Ologbondiyan, said the planned defectors have secured the mandates of their constituents to make the ...

Like many other European countries, Russia is facing an aging population. That means paying for pensions becomes more and more difficult. How does Russia's population distribution compare with that of other countries you're studying? Do those countries face more, less, or similarly difficult problems? What are the political consequences of those problems? Russia protests: Thousands rally over plan to raise pension age Thousands of people have taken part in protests in cities across Russia to express their anger at government proposals to raise the pension age. Demonstrators in the capital, Moscow, carried banners reading: "We want to live on our pensions, not die at work." The government says it wants to raise the pension age from 60 to 65 for men, and from 55 to 63 for women, to help cope with a shrinking workforce. Communist Party protesters But unions warn many people will not live long enough to claim a pension. Russian men have a life expectancy of just 66, while...

Legislatures in liberal democracies found a way to preserve voting rights of legislators a hundred years ago. It's probably time for something new. An obscure British parliamentary rule was broken. Here’s why it’s a big deal. Last week in the U.K.’s House of Commons, the governing party appeared to cast aside its “pairing rule,” a chamber practice that has been used to preserve voting rights of absent Members of Parliament (MPs) — including MPs out on maternity leave. This caused a huge outcry, with the minister for the Cabinet Office forced to respond to an urgent question in the House of Commons this week, promising that such errors would not be repeated. But the ensuing controversy also highlights the limitations of relying on informal legislative practices in increasingly diverse parliamentary bodies. This is how legislative pairing works Pairing is an informal arrangement between two legislative parties when an MP is sick, on parental leave, or otherwise not present to vote. ...

PM May's plans for Brexit survived on a vote in Commons because several Labour MPs voted for her bill. The future looks rocky. Britain’s May narrowly avoids defeat in parliament on EU trade laws British Prime Minister Theresa May narrowly avoided a defeat in parliament at the hands of pro-EU lawmakers from her own party on Tuesday, fending off a rebellion that had threatened to deepen a crisis over her Brexit strategy. Parliament voted 307 to 301 against an amendment to trade legislation [that]… was seen as a test of May’s ability to deliver a smooth British exit from the European Union and keep her job… One Conservative lawmaker present told Reuters that the party whips whose job it is to enforce discipline, desperate to win the vote, had threatened to call a confidence vote in May if she lost, a move that could bring down the government… May is expected to face many more challenges to her strategy after a summer break as she works her way through a mountain of Brexit-related l...

Have you heard about "free votes?" Labour has decided to give MPs a free vote on a proposed new runway at London's Heathrow airport. And "Tory MPs will be whipped to vote in favour of the new runway…" What does that mean? Labour giving MPs free vote on Heathrow runway plan Labour will not ask its MPs to vote against Heathrow expansion even though its leadership is opposed to a new runway, a senior figure has confirmed. The party is giving its MPs a free vote when the issue is decided on Monday, meaning shadow ministers will not be disciplined for supporting the move. Its transport spokesman Andy McDonald said the runway did not meet Labour's economic and environmental tests. But he said MPs had "strong" personal views and Labour had to be "pragmatic". Scores of Labour MPs are expected to back the government when Parliament votes on whether to give the go ahead for detailed planning on a third runway at the UK's largest airport. With t...

President Buhari is quiet about his intentions for the 2019 election. Political opponents have called for him to step down. His Vice President has begun campaigning. Now his party is campaigning. Is there any doubt that he'll run? APC Plotting To Ensure Buhari Is The Sole Presidential Candidate In 2019, Says PDP Nigeria’s main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of plotting a ‘grand scheme’ to ensure that President Muhammadu Buhari is the sole presidential candidate on the ballot in the 2019 presidential election. PDP said this while reacting to comments by Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed that it should be deregistered by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Sunday. The Minister had called on INEC to withdraw the registration certificate of PDP because of the party’s alleged politicization of the abduction and release Dapchi school girls… But in its response, PDP said the...