Czech Republic
From Our Foreign Bureaus: Bar Codes in Ghana
BAR CODES: Ghana considers adding bar codes to its ballots to protect against errors and fraud.
TAIWAN REFERENDUM DIDN'T MEASURE UP: Foreign observers took a hard look at procedures in the Taiwanese referenda on joining the U.N., and didn't like what they saw.
NO VOTE ON OIL PIPELINE: The Bulgarian opposition has blocked an effort to let Bulgarians vote on whether to establish an oil pipeline. The pipeline has been passed by Parliament. The winner? Vladimir Putin. Russia can use the pipeline to send its oil from the Black Sea to the Aegean.
JOINING THE IRISH? Czech communists are proposing a national referendum of the Lisbon Treaty.
MONKS BARRED FROM BALLOT: Burmese monks won't be able to vote in their country's constitutional referendum, an election that clearly won't meet any common sense standard of fairness.
From Our Foreign Bureaus: Could Missile Defense Go to the Ballot?
The Czech government says no. But anti-war groups and others there are calling for a referendum on the government's plans to host installations that would be part of a U.S. missile defense scheme. Polls show most Czechs don't want to be a part of U.S. missile defense either. The International Herald Tribune reports on a demonstration by those demanding a referendum.
MORE TAIWAN BASHING: Add Bulgaria and Iceland to countries that think the Taiwanese people shouldn't be able to vote on whether to join the U.N. In doing so, these countries are showing they value their relations with China, which opposes the March 22 referendum, more than they do democratic principles. These announcements put Europe firmly in agreement with the North Koreans in opposing this vote. How do you say shame in Bulgarian?
QUEBECOIS BACK OFF REFERENDUM: The Quebecois party drops its demand of a referendum on sovereignty within six months.
