Local elections Archives – Decentralization Net

Does the Amalgamation of Local Governments Really Improve Service Delivery, Fiscal Capacity and Citizen Choice?

March 25, 2025 Marina Jandrevska

The amalgamation of local governments has been touted as one of the main methods to improve service delivery and increase fiscal capacity. While there have been a number of research papers looking at the experience […]

The Rise and Fall of Local Elections in China

September 21, 2022 LPSAManager

It has long been observed that many autocracies run national elections, and several theories have been proposed to explain this regularity. The main thrust of these theories is that elections cement the regime’s grip on […]

Local government budget delays are impeding Nepal’s COVID-19 response

April 6, 2022 LPSAManager

Six months into the fiscal year 2021/22, 24 of Nepal’s 753 local governments have yet to approve their annual budget and plan, failing to deliver on what is arguably their most critical constitutional role. With […]

Local democracy or elected despotism in Punjab, Pakistan?

February 1, 2022 LPS Alliance

Less than a year after assuming power, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) fulfilled its promise of radically reforming local government legislation in Punjab. Punjab’s 2019 Local Government Act introduced a party-based directly elected mayoral system. Well established […]

Istanbul Elections Suggest Cracks In Support For Ruling Party

June 23, 2019 LPS Alliance

One important aspect of a decentralization is that it expands the space for political competition beyond the national stage, and provides an opportunity for opposition candidates to prove their worth to the electorate—for instance, as […]

Elections Rwanda Style

February 23, 2016 LPS Initiative

For entire month of February, Rwandans will continue with the process of voting their grassroots leaders. Voting officially began on Monday (February 22, 2016). This normally happens after every five years in all the 36,000 […]

Tanzania President asked to intervene in mayoral polls

December 22, 2015 Jamie Boex

Tanzanian opposition party Chadema yesterday urged newly elected CCM President John Magufuli to intervene in what they termed as a ‘defilement’ of democracy by the ruling party in mayoral elections especially in areas where the […]

A first: women voting and running in local Saudi elections

December 10, 2015 LPS Alliance

Saudi activist and women’s health researcher Hala Aldosari is excited about next weekend’s elections in Saudi Arabia. It will be the first time women will be able to stand side-by-side with men as candidates. Women will […]

How Many New Mayor Jokowis on December 9?

December 7, 2015 LPS Initiative

On December 9, 2015, Indonesians will elect nine provincial governors, 36 city mayors and 224 regents in the country’s first simultaneous local executive elections nationwide. Since the fall of long-term autocrat Soeharto in 1998, Indonesia […]

Elections in Tanzania reflect greater political competition

November 3, 2015 LPS Alliance

Elections were held on October 25, 1015, in the United Republic of Tanzania, with more than 12,000 candidates from Mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar—including 1,039 women—running for the Presidency, Parliament,the Zanzibar House of Representatives, and local District […]