By Jonathan London The normally opaque Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam has made a public splash with its recently concluded 10th Central Committee plenum. The stakes are high and carry implications not only for Vietnam’s development but…
Who is he? Manasseh Sogavare was elected prime minister of the Solomon Islands for the third time on December 9, 2014. He first succeeded to the office in June 2000, when the rebel Malaitan Eagle Force took Prime Minister Bartholomew…
By Rick Rossow & Samir Nair On December 23 the results for state elections in Jharkhand and Jammu & Kashmir were announced by the Election Commission of India. As many polls predicted, the BJP stormed to power in Jharkhand. Together…
Who is he? Samiu Vaipulu served as the first deputy prime minister of Tonga following sweeping changes to the nation’s constitution in 2010 that made 17 of the 26 members of parliament directly elected from among the general population. The…
By Joshua Simonidis Two members of Thai prime minister Prayuth Chan-ocha’s cabinet, Finance Minister Sommai Phasee and Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Prawit Wongsuwon, recently said Thailand’s return to civilian rule, originally planned with elections held toward the end…
Who is he? Agung Laksono is a longtime Indonesian politician who currently heads a splinter faction of Golkar, Indonesia’s oldest and second largest political party. He was until recently the party’s deputy chairman and has had extensive legislative and leadership…
Who is she? Tsai Ing-wen is the chair of Taiwan’s independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). A legal scholar, Tsai holds a doctorate from the London School of Economics. She began her public service career in 1993 as an appointed official…
Who is she? Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor is the Hong Kong government’s Chief Secretary for Administration, the highest administrative position below Chief Executive CY Leung. She joined Hong Kong’s civil service in 1980 after obtaining a social science degree from…
By Nigel Cory Malaysia’s opposition People’s Alliance coalition has been put to the test this year. Prominent members have been charged with sedition in a surge of cases against government opponents and academics. It has lost every 2014 by-election in…
By John Schaus Hong Kong has been gripped by protests since Friday, September 26. The protesters are demanding direct election of the Chief Executive of Hong Kong – which Beijing has agreed to — beginning in 2017. The catch is…
