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There’s a saying in the music world: Premieres are easy, it’s second performances (by a new ensemble) that are hard.
Something like it is true in politics as well. The first election is easy, it’s the second one (and the orderly transfer of power) that’s hard. I’m reserving judgment on the current events in Tunis and Cairo until they’ve held the second election in a manner better than Florida, 2000.
Dennis, the issue is not a second ELECTION. The issue is a second TRANSFER OF POWER.
South Africa, for example, has not had a transfer of power since the ANC came in 1994, even though there have elections in 1999, 2004, and 2009. I don’t want to flat out say a country like that is not a democracy, but I certainly don’t feel much optimism about their future, and would not be surprised to see things become ugly should subsequent events show the ANC no longer popular and unlikely to win an election.
A classic feature from the Egyptian School of ballot box design. The box is delivered with well-considered votes already inside. A small slot prevents undesirable, low-quality votes from getting in and contaminating the results.
Did you read what I wrote? I wrote, “… it’s the second one (and the orderly transfer of power) that’s hard.”
As far as South Africa goes, the jury’s still out. I worried about Mexico (I live on the border) when it became apparent that the PAN was going to win. Everything moved smoothly, although the border region’s a complete mess now for other reasons. When you consider what the ANC did in South Africa, I think it’s understandable that they have been regularly returned to power.
Revolutions in situ seem to be much messier things than throwing out colonialists. I think that’s understandable. Egypt is going to be an interesting case study. But I’m crossing visiting the Valley of the Kings off my bucket list.
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I don’t get it. The ballot can’t fit through the slot?
Great.
But I think we should replace the black stripe with a blue one before we adopt it
There’s a saying in the music world: Premieres are easy, it’s second performances (by a new ensemble) that are hard.
Something like it is true in politics as well. The first election is easy, it’s the second one (and the orderly transfer of power) that’s hard. I’m reserving judgment on the current events in Tunis and Cairo until they’ve held the second election in a manner better than Florida, 2000.
Dennis, the issue is not a second ELECTION. The issue is a second TRANSFER OF POWER.
South Africa, for example, has not had a transfer of power since the ANC came in 1994, even though there have elections in 1999, 2004, and 2009. I don’t want to flat out say a country like that is not a democracy, but I certainly don’t feel much optimism about their future, and would not be surprised to see things become ugly should subsequent events show the ANC no longer popular and unlikely to win an election.
“The ballot can’t fit through the slot?”
A classic feature from the Egyptian School of ballot box design. The box is delivered with well-considered votes already inside. A small slot prevents undesirable, low-quality votes from getting in and contaminating the results.
@Maynard,
Did you read what I wrote? I wrote, “… it’s the second one (and the orderly transfer of power) that’s hard.”
As far as South Africa goes, the jury’s still out. I worried about Mexico (I live on the border) when it became apparent that the PAN was going to win. Everything moved smoothly, although the border region’s a complete mess now for other reasons. When you consider what the ANC did in South Africa, I think it’s understandable that they have been regularly returned to power.
Revolutions in situ seem to be much messier things than throwing out colonialists. I think that’s understandable. Egypt is going to be an interesting case study. But I’m crossing visiting the Valley of the Kings off my bucket list.
To Eds (Mark??)
I’m sorry about the unclosed html tag. Could someone close the strong tag in line 1 above just before the close parenthesis? Thanks.