Elections Follow

The Justice and Development Party (AKP) was re-elected on Sunday of last week with a thumping majority in the Turkish elections.

Salvinder Singh Dhillon will be standing for Respect in the Ealing Southall parliamentry by-election in west London on Thursday 19 July. He stood for Respect in Green ward, Southall, in the council elections two years ago, coming second.

Following his election as president of France last month, Nicolas Sarkozy’s right wing UMP party has now won a majority in the National Assembly.

Over 300 local people demonstrated in Corsham, Wiltshire, against a BNP member claiming a seat on the town council. BNP councillor Michael Simpkins took the ward of Rudloe uncontested in the May council elections. The protest, on last Monday, 11 June, received favourable media coverage. Local television covered it with the phrase, "when voting apathy became anger".

Maré is a favela (shanty town) perched on the hills above the city of Rio de Janeiro, and it is one of the poorest. Motorbikes race up and down the steep, pitted streets, and rap music thumps out from every corner bar; wires and cables snake over rooftops and hang above the street. Today, the square is full of the yellow flags of PSOL, the Socialism and Freedom party. They are there because Heloisa Helena, the party’s charismatic presidential candidate in last year’s elections, has come to speak. When she finishes, a crowd gathers to have their picture taken with her.

The results of the Unison union national executive elections show the enthusiasm for a more active fightback.

Letters

The Socialist Teachers Alliance (STA) is backing Roger King as candidate for the upcoming elections for vice president of the NUT teachers’ union. Roger is a leading activist in the NUT.

Respect has impact beyond elections Respect members in Handsworth, Birmingham, have been campaigning alongside others against cuts in vital accident and emergency and children’s services at our local City hospital.

Plenty was said about the national question during the Scottish elections. In contrast, very little was said about the class-divided nature of Scottish society.

Respect made real progress in last week’s elections.

For the first time in any parliamentary election, the Scottish National Party (SNP) polled a higher number of votes than any of the other parties in last Thursday’s Scottish parliamentary elections.