Kohei Otsuka, left, and Yuichiro Tamaki shake hands after their selection as co-leaders of the Kokumin Minshuto (People's democratic party) on May 7. (Shinichi Iizuka)

A new opposition party was established on May 7 through the merger of two parties, but it only attracted about 60 percent of the members who at one time belonged to those two entities.

The Kokumin Minshuto (People's democratic party) was formed through the merger of the Democratic Party and Kibo no To (Hope).

But only 62 members joined in the convention held at a Tokyo hotel on May 7 to formally launch the new opposition party, dashing hopes of it becoming the largest opposition bloc.

The Democratic Party was torn apart last year ahead of the Lower House election, and the latest move was intended to bring together the two major blocs.

But a number of veteran lawmakers from the former Democratic Party, such as Yoshihiko Noda, the last Democratic Party prime minister, submitted notices of their intent to leave the Democratic Party before it merged with Kibo no To. Moreover, a number of Kibo no To lawmakers also have expressed their intention to become independents rather than join the new party.

Kohei Otsuka, the head of the Democratic Party, and Yuichiro Tamaki, the leader of Kibo no To, will serve as co-leaders of the new party.

The Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan will remain as the largest opposition bloc in the Lower House. It could take over the position of largest opposition party in the Upper House from the Democratic Party depending on the number of defections in that chamber.</s>Two opposition parties with members from the now-defunct Democratic Party of Japan, which was in power between 2009 and 2012, reunited Monday in a desperate attempt to survive amid slumping approval ratings.

But the new party formed by around 60 members of the Democratic Party and the Party of Hope is unlikely to replace the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan as the biggest opposition force in the Diet with a number of lawmakers not joining. The CDPJ is a splinter group of the Democratic Party.

The new party, the Democratic Party for the People, is co-headed by Kohei Otsuka, an upper house lawmaker who led the Democratic Party, and Yuichiro Tamaki, a lower house member who took the helm of the Party of Hope.

Before the reunion, the two parties together had 107 Diet members.

In a bid to clarify its stance against Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Liberal Democratic Party, the new opposition party pledges to abolish part of the controversial security legislation, which expands the Self-Defense Forces' role overseas, deeming it could violate the pacifist Constitution.

The new party also vows to seek the termination of nuclear power generation in Japan in the 2030s.

The Abe government brought about the security legislation's entry into force in March 2016 and also seeks the resumption of Japan's nuclear power plants, many of which have been offline following the 2011 Fukushima nuclear crisis.

The Democratic Party was launched in March 2016 through the merger of the Democratic Party of Japan and another small opposition party.

In the run-up to the House of Representatives election last October, the Party of Hope was established by Tokyo Gov Yuriko Koike and then Democratic Party leader Seiji Maehara decided not to endorse anybody so as to let its lower house members run as candidates of the Party of Hope.

In the process, Democratic Party members who did not follow the move launched the CDPJ, which became the leading opposition force in the lower chamber.

The Party of Hope did not fare well in the general election, resulting in a landslide victory for Abe's LDP.</s>KARACHI - Mohajir Qaumi Movement-Haqiqi Chairman Afaq Ahmed has said that leadership of PPP spread hatred through the Liaquatabad gathering and it could never become the party of Mohajirs.

Narrating the past story of injustice with Mohajir Community, Afaq also announced to initiate movement for the establishment of South Sindh province comprising urban region of Sindh.

The MQM-Haqqiqi which was a major rival and a splinter group of MQM-Pakistan from 1992, held a public gathering in Liaquatabad, a stronghold of MQM-P, after over almost two decades due to improved law and order situation in the City after law-enforcing authorities led successful Karachi operation.

The party, which is led by its Chairman Afaq Ahmed, witnessed killings of several of their activists during the last over 15 years and Afaq’s movement was also restricted to some areas due to the then no-go areas in the City from the rival party.

“PPP is the party of feudal lords,” he said while addressing the party gathering at Liaquatabad flyover here on Sunday night - which was witnessed by a large number of people - and added that with election nearing every party is trying to make the people of City fool through their fake slogans.

He said that some people had also started raising the slogans in favour of Mohajir community. “The MQM-Pakistan is now raising the slogans of Jaag Mohajir Jaag,” he said.

He said that hundreds of people were killed in the City but no All Parties Conference was called on to dispense justice for those innocent people in contrast to what happened on the killing of innocent people in Model Town tragedy.

“It was the MQM-H whose activists and party leaders in the City were killed but they showed restraint to bring back the peace of the City,” he said, adding now everyone is coming in the City takes credit of the peace and ignoring the sacrifices given by them for this peace.

The leadership of the parties visiting Karachi nowadays seeking votes, never paid visit to metropolis when it was witnessing massive killing, he said. Those who are now raising slogans for the betterment of the City are not sincere with it and even the PTI chief Imran Khan refrained from visiting the City, he said.

During last 35 years, Afaq has not remained in the governance, those tasted the governance throughout this period should be asked that what they have done for the eradication of quota system while it’s too late now as even if quota system is abolished it would not going to benefit Mohajirs, said Afaq.

He further said that Mohajirs at every instant gave sacrificed for country even at the time of Dhaka fall, Mohajir stood shoulder to shoulder with Armed Forces but since the establishment of country community was ignored.

Further criticizing PPP, he said that it seems like spreading ethnic hate is ideology of provincial ruling party and it changed the name of Karachi Building Control Authority (KBCA) to Sindh Buliding Control Authority (SBCA) due to their bias.

Announcing to initiate a movement for establishment South Sindh province, Aafaq went on to say that country needs revolutionary change, that also include the Kalabagh Dam project which is necessary for the people of country.

If there are reservations the referendum should be held over establishment of Kalabagh Dam, he said.

Aafaq also demanded the provincial authorities to change the name of District Central to Liaquatabad.

He thanked people of Liaqutabad over their participation in MQM-Haqqiqi public gathering and also paid tribute to the martyrs of port City those laid their lives and protected “Urdu” in the country.</s>Legislator Frank Mwenefumbo has insisted that he is president of Alliance for Democracy (Aford) saying he is now rebuilding the party so that it should become a national party.

In an interview with Malawi24, Mwenefumbo said he wanted to become the party’s president not as a show-off but to rebuild the party from grassroots.

He said Aford cannot become a big party if it is lacking proper structures and if the party’s constitution is not followed.

On 2019 presidential elections, Mwenefumbo said the party will not enter into an alliance with another party.

“Let me make it clear that AFORD will go alone into elections. We want to measure ourselves, our strength and to have a position in political affairs,” he said.

The Karonga Central Member of Parliament then denied claims circulating that he has received money from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to use for campaign.

In a separate interview, the party’s Eastern Region Chairperson James Misomali asked Enock Chihana to accept the fact that Mwenefumbo is the president rather than taking the party as a family property.

“We are all supporting Mwenefumbo, Aford should go forward. I joined this party in 1992 and l know what politics is and what it means to be a good leader,” he said.

Mwenefumbo was elected president of Aford at the party’s office in Lilongwe on Wednesday last week and hours later Chihana was also elected the party’s president.</s>The chairmen of the All Progressives Congress at the local governments’ level on Monday sacked the state executive members and took over the state secretariat of the party amid protest in Ado Ekiti.

The purported dissolution of the Chief Jide Awe-led state executives was effected during a protest by some members of the party, who stormed the state secretariat on Ajilosun.

The protesters, acting under the aegis of Concerned Ekiti APC Members, installed a new caretaker committee to be chaired by the APC Chairman in Ise/Orun Local Government Area, Mr. Kayode Egunjobi. They hinged their action on Article 21(7) of the party’s constitution.

Other members of the caretaker committee are Michael Akinleye (Secretary), Bose Yakubu (Woman Leader), Abiodun Fawekun (Youth Leader) and Akinlabi Idowu (Publicity Secretary).

Egunjobi was supported by 11 out of the party’s 16 local government chairmen in the takeover of the secretariat.

It was learnt that Awe was smuggled out of the place by mobile policemen.

The protesters accused Awe of bungling last Saturday’s governorship primary and masterminding the invasion of the voting area by suspected thugs led by a member of Awe’s exco, Demola Adeusi, a.ka. Oosa.

They carried placards with various inscriptions including, “We have lost confidence in Jide Awe,” “Jide Awe in shady business with Fayose,” “No to consensus candidate,” “Jide Awe and his gang masterminded primary disruption,” “Treacherous aspirants, leave our party for us,” and “Primary must be decided, allow delegates to decide.”

The protesters occupied the state party secretariat for about two hours before armed policemen arrived to secure the place.

The protesters led by a youth leader, Adeoye Aribasoye, a lawyer, said the caretaker committee would be in place for three months to pave the way for elected executives.

A fetish object was placed in front of the gate of the party secretariat.

Aribasoye said, “The former Chairman of our party, Chief Jide Awe, and his other executive members have mismanaged the party and money in a reckless manner that deserves prompt action to salvage our party.

“The latest misconduct spearheaded by Awe’s men as witnessed last Saturday where two executive members were directly involved in a shameful and unpatriotic disruption of the primary has left us with no action but to ask Awe and his executives to step aside to enable us to address issues adequately in the interest of our party.

“Consequently, Awe and his executives are hereby removed from office for the following reasons and in their place are members who are to act as a caretaker committee to direct the affairs of the party till another election is conducted to fill their positions.”

The protesters accused Awe of anti-party activities, including allegedly receiving N75m from Governor Ayodele Fayose to destabilise the APC for the PDP candidate to win the next governorship election.

They also accused him of mismanagement of party funds and a covert plan for a consensus candidate to favour his preferred aspirant in the botched primary last Saturday.

“He (Awe) sponsored an executive member, Demola Adeusi, and another senior member, Albert Faleye, to disrupt last Saturday’s primary as seen physically on the television around the world to advance the interest of his preferred aspirant against the rule of the party that disallowed state executive members to demonstrate open support for any aspirant.

“Awe and his co-travellers invited thugs to beat up party members at a formal meeting. Awe is sponsoring a candidate against the constitution of the party and when that fails, he proposed a consensus candidate when a primary was already in process.

“We want to stabilise this party and return it to duly elected officials in August 2018 since nature does not allow a vacuum. They are warned not to do anything that will create further disharmony in the party.”

Responding, Egunjobi said he accepted the responsibility to lead the party at “this critical period.”

“Grave allegations have been made against the members of the former state executive, who I thought were honourable members. This is a call to duty; I assure you that we will live up to expectations with all sense of duty and responsibility.

“Democratic structure will be restored in the party in the next three months or thereabouts.

“I request that the National Executive Committee should commence the process of the conclusion of the suspended primaries to enable us to produce a credible governorship candidate that will carry the party’ flag in the next election.”

But speaking with journalists after the protest, Awe stated that he remained the chairman of the party in the state.

He denied either collecting N75m from Fayose to deliberately bungle the party’s primary in order to have a favoured aspirant or sponsoring thugs.

“I want to assert that I remain the party chairman in Ekiti State and if you want to remove the chairman, there is a process that must be followed.

“I know the number of people that can form the quorum to carry out that action. It is not that somebody somewhere will gather people on the streets and say somebody has been removed.

“No aspirant should abuse the proximity of his campaign office to the party secretariat. People should desist from such an action because it cannot stand.”

Awe also countered a media report that the national leadership of the party had directed that the primary should continue from where it stopped.

He said he had yet to receive any official communication from the national secretariat because the chairman of the panel and Governor of Nasarawa State, Umaru Al-Makura, had yet to submit his report.

“We are expecting the Chairman of the Electoral Panel, Governor Al-Makura to submit his report to the National Secretariat.

“Until the Al-Makura report gets to the National Secretariat in Abuja, nobody can say anything yet.”

Meanwhile, a former Governor of Ekiti State, Segun Oni; Senior Special Assistant to the President, Babafemi Ojudu; a former member of the House of Representatives, Opeyemi Bamidele, and 24 other aspirants in the primary have rejected the directive by the APC National Working Committee that the aborted primary election should continue from where it stopped.

Copyright PUNCH.

 All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH.</s>The Media Is Killing the Democratic Party

Ever since April 30, when the New York Times published a list of topics that special counsel Robert Mueller would like to ask President Trump about, cable news and the political press have focused exclusively on the two major legal matters in which the president is entangled.

First, of course, is Mueller’s open-ended probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election. Second is the Southern District of New York’s investigation into Trump attorney Michael Cohen’s business dealings, including with Stephanie Clifford, aka Stormy Daniels. The coverage has been typically sensationalist and hyperbolic. Each new revelation, personnel change, Tweet, and television interview is greeted as a prelude to Trump’s defenestration and exile. Putin, Mueller, Comey, Stormy, Rudy, and the two Michaels, Cohen and Avenatti—these are the only names that seem to matter in American political discourse.

What the Democratic Party has not recognized is that Trump’s legal dramas, though good for ratings, have done little to benefit the political opposition. On the contrary: President Trump’s approval rating has been on the upswing. He stands at 44 percent approval in the Real Clear Politics average, his highest rating in a year. That number might well be slightly higher, given the existence of “Shy Trump Voters” who are afraid of the stigma attached to approving of the president.

Meanwhile, since December, the Democratic advantage on the congressional generic ballot has been cut in half, from plus 13 points to plus 6.5 points. In a new survey, pollsters for Democracy Corps and Women’s Voices Women’s Vote Action Fund, while optimistic about Democratic chances in the fall, nonetheless concede that the party’s “momentum has stalled in the last few months.” – READ MORE</s>Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Haqiqi chief Afaq Ahmed said on Sunday that the Pakistan Peoples Party can never become ‘a party of Muha-jirs’.

 “It is in the party structure of PPP to spread ethnic hate,” the party leader said in a rally at Liaquatabad flyover. “They changed the name of Karachi Build-ing Control Authority to Sindh Building Control Authority due to their bias.”

 Ahmed paid tribute to the martyrs of the city who ‘laid down their lives for the protection of Urdu in the country’.

 The Haqiqi chief said that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has started to express concern for Karachi when the elections are just around the corner.

 “Noone said anything when people were mercilessly killed in the city,” the senior politican said.

 Ahmed demanded the provincial authorities to change the name of District Central to Liaquatabad.

 “Why can’t those who have enjoyed power for 35 years were not able to finish Quota system. Now even if its abolish now it won’t benefit the Muha-jirs,” he said.

 Earlier, MQM-Pakistan held a rally at the Liaquata-bad’s Tanki Ground on Saturday. The rally by both the factions of the party was held in response to the Pakistan Peoples Party’s gathering at the same venue on April 30.

 Don’t want another MQM-founder in shape of Im-ran, says Bilawal

 The MQM-P leaders in their address accused the PPP of having held a rally at the same venue last week by capturing the streets of Liaquatabad.

 “Hold rallies everywhere, we will run you off from there,” Khawaja Izhar said at the rally.

 Addressing the participants, Dr Farooq Sattar said the party had “challenged us in our homes”.

 MQM-P leaders urge PPP to hold rallies, vow to defeat it everywhere

 Criticising the PPP, Sattar said the people of Sindh were trapped in a vicious “wheel of cruelty”. “It is not just the Muhajirs, or the Urdu-speaking. It is the people of Sindh, everyone is trapped in this wheel of cruelty and [quota system].”

 He added that “seeds of hate” were sowed against the people of Sindh.

 “The defeated [labourers] are still living the life they were living decades ago,” he said, and called on the masses to reject the feudal system and the landlords.

 Sattar said that despite the hardships and differ-ences, MQM-P vote bank remained the same.

 “No matter the hardships, struggles, differences, our vote bank and our support base will stay the same.

 MQM-P vote bank was one yesterday, and it is one today,” he asserted.</s>ISTANBUL — Four opposition parties in Turkey announced a political alliance Saturday ahead of the country's June 24 national election, aiming to mount a meaningful challenge to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ruling party.

Lawmaker Bulent Tezcan of the main opposition Republican People's Party announced the "nation alliance." His secular party is joining forces with the newly-founded nationalist Good Party, the Islamic-leaning Felicity Party and the center-right Democrat Party in a bid to weaken the ruling party's 16-year dominance in parliament.

The parties have nominated their own presidential candidates to run against Erdogan but will run as an alliance for the parliamentary election, which is scheduled for the same day.

The presidential and parliamentary elections were scheduled for November 2019 but were moved up by more than a year. The vote will usher in a new system of governance, which was narrowly approved in a referendum last year. The executive presidency will abolish the office of the prime minister and concentrate more powers in the hands of the president.

Tezcan said parliamentary candidates from the Democrat Party would run under the Good Party. The small party has also announced that it would support Good Party leader and presidential candidate Meral Aksener, a former interior minister.

The alliance statement said it brings together "different lifestyles and political opinions" under democratic principles for peace and stability in Turkey.

But the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party —the second largest opposition party in parliament— has been kept out of the alliance amid heightened Turkish nationalism. Its two former leaders, seven other legislators and nearly 4,700 members are in jail fighting terror charges.

The ruling Justice and Development Party has its own alliance with the Nationalist Movement Party, which was once an opposition party, to jointly endorse Erdogan for the presidency and run together for parliament.

That alliance is supported by the far-right Islamic-leaning Great Unity Party, whose candidates will run under the ruling party's ticket.</s>A former member of the Senate has accused the National Chairman of the All Progressive Congress (APC), John Odigie-Oyegun, of taking actions capable of returning the party to the ”undemocratic dark days of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).”

The governorship candidate of the party in the Ebonyi 2015 election, Julius Ucha, chided the Odigie-Oyegun-led APC National Working Committee (NWC) in Abakaliki on Monday while speaking with reporters on Saturday’s controversial ward congresses of the party which held across the country.

The congresses across the nation were fraught with allegations of irregularities, violence and controversies, although some states were able to successfully conclude theirs.

Mr Ucha, who was in the Senate between 2003-2011 described the actions of the party’s (NWC) as ”a civilian coup against President Muhammadu Buhari and all right thinking members of the party.”

He urged the president to take steps to stop Mr Odigie-Oyegun and members of the NWC from undemocratic actions to save the party and the country’s democracy.

Mr Ucha accused Mr Odigie-Oyegun and members of the NWC of orchestrating crises in various states under the control of the party in their ”desperation to be re-elected back to their positions.”

The tenure of the Odigie-Oyegun-led executive will end in next month.

In Ebonyi, two factions which have been in existence since 2015, conducted parallel congresses while in some other states, violence marred the exercise particularly in Rivers and Delta. The party’s governorship primary in Ekiti also on Saturday was inconclusive.

Mr Ucha alleged the desperation of Mr Odigie-Oyegun and members of the NWC led to the violence and crises which characterised the congresses.

“Congressional election is anchored on quick sand. I say this because when you gave your trust on illegality, there is a tendency that such trust founded on

 illegality will eventually collapse. What is happening today, is like a civilian coup against the teeming supporters of APC in Nigeria and also against the leader of the party, President Muhamammdu Buhari.

“I say this and am serious about it. We have an NWC whose tenure expires in June, 2018 and the members of the NWC want to contest. The national convention

 committee was put in place, and members of NWC, who are also going to contest for their various offices, when the convention date is fixed, are now driving the process, to jettison the convention. That is why I call it a civilian coup against the system.

”These party officials at the National Secretariat are now judges in their own courts. They are the people who have put in place the structures that are called congress committees. That will elect delegates that will elect them.

“It is in contravention of the Electoral Act, party constitution and Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. It’s only in animal kingdom that a situation like that can arise, not in a civil society, not in a human society, not when there is a government. In trying to bring the state leadership whose tenure has expired to comply with the illegality put in place, what they have done was to direct congress committees to reach out to the state executives whose tenures have expired.

“So they go to a state, whose chairman‘s tenure has expired and hand over congress materials to him. That’s an illegality and these people whose tenures have expired also have intention to contest and you give him material, provide structures that will enable him go to the ward and perform the work of ward congress committee,” he added.

He warned that the democratic sojourn of the party is in danger if the status quo is allowed to remain.

“I feel that what is happening is unethical, inhuman, it is intended to create chaos in the system and that’s what is happening. This action of NWC members has endangered the democratic process and that’s why there is uproar and violence all over the place. Indeed their action has thrown the party into anarchy, where there is lawlessness, because people are not given the freedom to choose who will be their party leaders,” he said.

The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Bolaji Abdulahi, when contacted declined to comment.

He ended the call abruptly after the reporter told him the reason for the call. He promised to call back shortly. He was yet to do so as at the time of filing this report.</s>Connecticut voters currently enrolled in a political party have until May 14 to change their party enrollment to cast a ballot in their new party’s statewide primary, according to Secretary of the State Denise Merrill. Voters can change their party affiliation online at: http://myvote.ct.gov/register. People without a valid driver’s license will need to mail their completed registration change to their town election official or to Secretary of the State.

The deadline for new voters and for unaffiliated voters to enroll in a party for the primary is August 9 via mail or August 13 in person. More details are available on the Secretary of the State’s website.

“Choosing a political party — or deciding to remain unaffiliated — is an important decision,” Merrill said. “If you are interested in participating in the process of choosing a party’s nominee, then you will have to register with the party in which your candidate is running. If you are already enrolled in a party and would like to change your party enrollment, this is the last week to change your registration.”

The statewide primary will be held on August 14.

Last year, there were more than 32,000 changes to party registration. In 2016, there were more than 132,000 changes to party registration. Voters can check their party and registration status at: http://myvote.ct.gov/lookup.
Centrist opposition party Democratic Party merges with centre-right Party of Hope, forming the Democratic Party for the People. Members of both parties that disapproved of the merger choose to either join the Constitutional Democratic Party, become independents or remain in the Party of Hope.