Word: blocs
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
Sharon, however, has always resisted the stereotypes imposed on him. He was never an unrelenting right-wing ideologue nor, in recent years, a devotee of peace-making. Politically, Sharon is best known as a co-founder of the hawkish Likud bloc, but he has been a member of four other parties, including the precursor to the left-wing Labor Party, in which he started out, and his own creation, Shlomzion, which flirted with doves...
...succeed Socialist president Ricardo Lagos Escobar-taking nearly 46% of the first round vote versus the 25% garnered by second-place Pi?era-she has to avoid moving too far to the left in the remaining days of the campaign so as not to alienate the country's large bloc of centrist voters. Bachelet, a physician who would become Chile's first woman president, is unlikely to mess with Chile's good diplomatic and economic ties with the United States that have been maintained by her fellow Socialist Lagos. In the meantime, Chile, whether under a Bachelet or a Pi?era administration...
...Ahmad Chalabi, one of Washington's favorite lobbyists for the war to overthrow Saddam, didn't get enough votes for one seat. So even as Shi'ite and Kurdish leaders are meeting to discuss forming a broadly representative government, the lack of a significant moderate voting bloc means there will probably be less will to make deals and compromise. Says the Iraqi official: "What is the next step? It is confrontation...
...earned a place in Egyptian history in September by emerging as the strongest challenger to incumbent Hosni Mubarak in the country?s first-ever presidential contest. The 42-year-old lawyer?s populist performance made him a future star of Egyptian politics, the leader of a potentially influential liberal bloc in parliament and a serious contender to succeed Mubarak in the next election in 2011. To U.S. officials pushing democracy in the Middle East as well as to many Egyptians demanding change, Nour and his Al Ghad (Tomorrow) party offered a promising liberal, secular alternative to authoritarian Arab rulers...
...Iraq--reported attacks were well below average-- the Dec. 15 vote bore another marked contrast to January's violent election day: Sunni Arabs didn't boycott this time and instead turned out en masse, with the hope of tipping the scales of Iraqi political power. With a significant voting bloc in parliament--final results are due to be released by the end of December--Sunnis would be able to curb the influence of the Shi'ite religious parties and perhaps muster enough bargaining power to fill key Cabinet positions. One coveted slot: Interior Minister, as allegations emerge...