The Pirate Party, whose platform included the introduction of forms of direct democracy, more than tripled its representation in Iceland’s elections, coming third with almost 15 per cent of the vote. The Green Left came second with 16 per cent. Although the right-wing Independence Party came first, its previous coalition partner, the rightist Progressive Party, saw its vote collapse. The election had been called early after the Progressive Party leader and prime minister was embroiled in a financial scandal emerging from the release of the Panama Papers. The Social Democrats, who were the lead party in government as recently as 2013, barely scraped past the 5 per cent threshold.
A claim for $250 million brought by a mining company against El Salvador has finally been dismissed by the World Bank’s investment court. OceanaGold claimed that El Salvador had unfairly refused to grant it a gold mining concession, and brought the case under the Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) system contained in an investment treaty between Canada and El Salvador. After seven years and $12 million spent by the Salvadorean government (only part of which was awarded in costs against the company), the court agreed that the government had the right to refuse the concession on environmental and other grounds.
The Zapatista National Liberation Army and the National Indigenous Congress have announced they will field an indigenous woman as an independent candidate in the 2018 Mexican presidential elections. The move was announced at the conclusion of the fifth National Indigenous Congress in San Cristobal, Chiapas. The Zapatistas also called for indigenous unity against the ‘slavery of capitalism’ and runaway environmental destruction. It is not yet known who the presidential candidate will be.
The Zapatistas and National Indigenous Congress agree to nominate an indigenous woman as a candidate for the presidency of Mexico
The Polish parliament rejected a draconian new anti-abortion law after an estimated six million women went on strike against it in October. Poland already has some of Europe’s most restrictive abortion legislation, but the ruling Law and Justice Party had proposed to ban abortions even when the mother’s life was in danger and in cases of rape, with prison sentences for both the women and doctors involved. Government ministers explicitly said they had been swayed by the enormous protests in over 60 cities.
Poland’s government backed down over new abortion laws two days after millions of women went on strike
The co-leaders of the leftist, pro‑Kurdish party HDP were arrested as part of Turkish president Tayyip Erdoğan’s ongoing wave of repression against opponents. Arrest warrants were issued for all 59 of the party’s MPs and protests against the arrests have been violently repressed by the police. The HDP is the third largest party in the parliament and is currently blocking Erdoğan’s attempts to dramatically increase his presidential powers. The editor and other journalists of the centre-left daily Cumhuriyet were also arrested.
Europe’s largest-ever food sovereignty gathering took place in Romania in October. The five-day Nyéléni Europe forum saw hundreds of participants from over 40 countries discuss agroecology, farmworker rights, democratising the food system and the fightback against corporate control. The forum was particularly important for better establishing the food sovereignty movement in eastern Europe.
A growing protest movement has seen dozens of women driving cars in Saudi Arabia, something they are currently forbidden from doing. Thousands of people in the repressive state have also signed a petition for the end of the guardianship laws. The laws require women to have permission from a male relative before travelling, marrying or even in some cases accessing healthcare or taking up employment. Dissenters have been using the hashtag #IAmMyOwnGuardian.
#226 Get Socialism Done ● Special US section edited by Joe Guinan and Sarah McKinley ● A post-austerity state ● Political theatre ● Racism in football ● A new transatlantic left? ● Britain’s zombie constitution ● Follow the dark money ● Book reviews ● And much more
And you choose how much to pay for your subscription...
After knocking on so many doors, the movement built in support of Jeremy Corbyn needs to stay present particularly where people feel abandoned or under attack
The Conservative manifesto includes yet another attack on Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities. We can resist at the polls - and by responding to the public consultation, says Beth Holmes
Organisations and individuals including Kehinde Andrews, Hanif Kureishi, Ahdaf Soueif, Gillian Slovo, Robert Del Naja and Anish Kapoor urge BAME and migrant communities to vote for Labour
Conrad Bower reports on the main parties’ manifesto promises to address ‘aggressive’ tax avoidance by multinationals like the ‘Silicon Valley Six’
Sam Gregory of Now Then magazine reports on the candidates vying for votes in a key Lib Dem-Labour marginal
The faux-concerns from the party’s opponents does little for Jewish people, argues Oscar Leyens
Racism marred the Manchester derby this weekend. This blemish on the game is an echo of our Prime Minister’s words, says Remi Joseph-Salisbury.
If elected, the next Labour government can finally depart from the neoliberal consensus and deliver a major shift in wealth and power, argues Adam Peggs
As Sanders and Corbyn head to the polls, Peter Gowan describes a new spirit of international collaboration on the left
The 2017 Labour election manifesto was good but the 2019 version is the document we’ve really been waiting for, argues Mike Phipps
In 2017, Labour won Kensington by just 20 votes. Brian Eno explains why he's backing Emma Dent Coad in the seat - and why voting Lib Dem is ‘voting Tory without admitting it’
Following Labour’s manifesto pledge to educate the public on the histories of empire, slavery, and migration, Kimberly McIntosh explains the dangers of colonial nostalgia in the national curriculum
The stakes could not be higher during this election. Help us cover what's really happening