The court upheld an appeal by the ultra-nationalist Radical Party against a decision not to rerun the poll in 19 polling stations where irregularities were found, the representative of the DOS reform alliance on the central electoral commission told Reuters. A party official explained that the decision was taken in response to the Azerbaijani leadership's failure to fulfill obligations it had given to the Council of Europe. Caribbean News Agency on January 3 reported that President, Arthur Robinson, says he will not swear in, as part of the new Cabinet, seven candidates who were defeated in the last general election. They say Chiluba appears to be behind an orchestrated campaign by his Movement for Multiparty Democracy to persuade him to accept nomination for a third five-year term. This became apparent at the weekend when the executive committee of the party's central province branch adopted a formal resolution asking him to run.
Analysts say the remaining eight provinces are likely to follow suit.
This could prompt the Zambian parliament to amend the constitution to remove the existing two-year limit. Presidential elections in Zambia are to be held towards the end of the year. The Japan Times on January 4 reported that Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori appears to be pinning his survival on a shift from postwar economic materialism to a revival of traditional values, but his true prospects will depend more on his ability to avoid making blunders. Many predict he may stagger forward if he avoids further gaffes, but the people will have their say in the House of Councilors election in late July. In a day filled with history, celebratory receptions and pledges of bipartisan cooperation, the new Congress offered a Senate divided 50-50 between Republicans and Democrats for the first time ever.