By Matthias Chika Mordi

THE United States of America held elections on November 3. The build-up to the election, context and aftermath have been quite dramatic and revelatory. Here is an assessment of the winners and losers.

WINNERS

1.President-elect Biden.

By the time votes are fully counted Biden will be more than six million votes ahead of outgoing President Trump. The largest winning margin over an incumbent in 84 years. Yet a thorny part remains to actually get through the electoral college as the incumbent actively tries to disrupt the process.

2. SARS Coronavirus 2 (a.k.a COVID 19).

The U.S. federal government leadership appears distracted by the elections in its declaratory war against the virus. There is evident inertia in the build up to the elections, and its aftermath. Infection levels continue to break records. Ominously, lagging indicators like hospitalization and deaths are on the rise.

3. American Electorate.

The 2020 elections recorded the highest level of engagement in history. One critical metric, an estimated 66.5% of registered voters voted. The highest since the 19th century. A total of approx 160 million  votes were cast. The largest in history.

4. Black Lives Matter (BLM).

The activist movement riveted Americans, enjoyed popular support from an hitherto higher disapproval level. It also transformed anger at police killings of unarmed Blacks to votes. BLM support was critical in President-Elect Biden flipping Wisconsin, Georgia and Pennsylvania. BLM potentiated voter registration efforts in large cities.

5. Congressional Republicans.

The GOP is poised to retain the Senate against polls and pundit expectations (this author predicted GOP retention). Republicans also gained seats in the House albeit insufficient to flip control.

6. Stacy Abrams.

The Georgian rising star was instrumental in building registration and turnout infrastructure in the state of Georgia and in black-majority cities in purple states. Her currency continues to rise.

LOSERS

1. Donald Trump. The incumbent president undertook a heroic campaign effort. He increased his 2016 number of voters by over 11 million. Yet he lost. Unfortunately, he is currently seeking to stay in office by overturning his electoral loss at the electoral college. Given the arcane electoral college rules, and anachronistic U.S. constitution provisions, his pernicious strategy is legally possible. At the moment, it looks unpropitious if not improbable.
2. QAnon. The infamous right wing conspiracy theorists predicted a Trump victory to their faithful. In the aftermath of Biden’s decisive victory, the group is unusually reticent. Leaving their disoriented followers to question their other prognostications.
3. Progressive Socialism. The progressive wing of the Dmeocratic party suffered electoral losses. Worse still the “socialist” toga and “defund the police” slogan led to electoral losses for moderate Democratic candidates in purple/red districts. Biden’s victory reinforces the notion that America is still a moderate nation.
4. Pollsters & Pundits. Most polls and all poll aggregates, predicted a large Biden victory. A Democratic takeover of the Senate, and more seats in the House. Pundits and polls predicted Biden victories in North Carolina & Florida – he lost both. Wrongly predicted tight races in Iowa, Ohio and Texas. Even after adjusting for margins of error, the polls were off. Noteworthy, that I predicted a very tight race with a marginal Biden victory.
5. October Surprise. The dreaded October surprise was a poorly kept secret. Despite the best efforts of Messr Bill Barr, Rudy Guliani and Ron Johnson, the Hunter Biden story failed to sway the electorate. The Durham investigation, Senate investigation and media “leaks” on Biden family “corruption” only resonated with the converted. A media inured to President Trump’s skulduggery, made an editorial decision to ignore the story.

PENDING

1 The Judiciary. The fate of the elections lies in the hands of judges in state and federal courts. The integrity of America’s democracy is under the microscope.

2. U.S. Democracy. The world’s oldest and most imitated democracy faces a stern test. There are abstruse if not dubious legal means by which Trump can be “re-elected” without winning the popular vote. Some will argue with merit that this should be in the losers column. However, the events of the next 70 days will either affirm the efficacy of the system or eviscerate the moral standing of the United States on the global stage.

• Mordi is a professor at Johns Hopkins School of International Studies

Agency Reporter 

South Sudan President Salva Kiir Mayardit will not “authorise the formation of local governments” until the proposed visit of Founder of The Synagogue, Church of All Nations Prophet TB Joshua in January, a senior government official has asserted.

The official, who spoke with  Sudans Post, added that Mayardit would not agree to further actions on the contentious issue – even if the parties completed the requisite nomination process – until the planned visit of the prominent cleric in January.

The official, who is involved in the power-sharing negotiations, explained: “The president does not intend to authorise the formation of states and local governments in 2020. TB Joshua will visit this country in January, and after this, the local governments will be formed.”

It will not be Joshua’s first visit to South Sudan. The cleric was personally received by President during a visit to the East African nation in November 2019, where he led Mayardit and government officials in prayer for peace.

“Time has come for us to put our differences behind us,” Joshua told the thousands of South Sudanese, who gathered to hear his message at the Presidential Palace in Juba.

“This is the voice of God. Our leaders should overcome their division and agree to work together for the good of the country,” he insisted.

“If I am a prophet, this will not go without fulfilment,” Joshua boldly declared, then leading the troubled nation in prayer for peace.

In his comments that day, Mayardit said: “We have come a long distance searching for peace. Now that the man of God, Prophet TB Joshua, has come to South Sudan, I believe peace is at the corner.”

Three months later, the historic peace agreement was signed, ending the civil war which ravaged the world’s youngest country since 2013 after a fall-out between Mayardit and Vice President Riek Machar.

Last month, a letter sent by the President to the cleric, acknowledged the pastor’s role in bringing peace to the war-torn nation, surfaced online.

“I would like thank you, humble servant of the Most High God, for the higher grace and anointing upon your life, and for your love and humility by coming on your prophetic and historic visit on 12th November 2019 when the nation was in a desperate situation after experiencing civil war violence for many years,” the president wrote.

“The world organisations tried to negotiate peace but where human wisdom failed, God has the final answer. You prophesied that it shall be a new beginning for the nation and… now the nation is at peace,” he acknowledged.

Prior to Joshua’s visit, multiple reconciliatory efforts had been made to restore peace in South Sudan, including a visit to Pope Francis in Vatican City where he famously kissed the feet of both leaders.

Our Reporter

U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who battled a coronavirus infection in intensive care earlier this year, is in self-isolation after having been exposed to the virus again, officials said Sunday.

In a statement, No. 10 Downing Street said Johnson wasn’t experiencing symptoms but would follow guidance from Britain’s National Health Service, which recommends self-isolation after prolonged exposure to someone who has the virus.

“He will carry on working from Downing Street, including on leading the government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic,” the statement said.

Johnson met with Lee Anderson, a member of Parliament, on Thursday. Anderson developed symptoms after the meeting and later tested positive for the coronavirus.

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After he contracted the virus in March, Johnson, 56, said he survived with “liters and liters of oxygen.” Doctors were preparing to announce his death, he said.

There have been few documented cases of people becoming reinfected with the virus, but experts have said it’s unclear how widespread the phenomenon is.

Two weeks ago, Johnson announced new lockdown measures after a sharp rise in case numbers in the U.K. during October, according to data from the Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center. As of Saturday, the country had recorded 1.3 million cases and more than 51,000 deaths since the pandemic began.

Sunday’s announcement came after a tumultuous week at No. 10 Downing Street, which saw the resignations of Johnson’s top political strategist and chief adviser, Dominic Cummings, and communications adviser Lee Cain.

(www.newsnow.co.uk)

By Justina Asishana, Minna

No fewer than 1.3 persons die from road crashes every year, Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Dr. Tedros Adhanon Ghebreyesus has stated.

The figure, according to him, ” is equivalent of a COVID-19 pandemic every single year.”

Speaking during the live stream global commemoration of the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims, Ghebreyesus said millions of people have faced serious injuries and long-lasting consequences from the physical and psychological trauma as a result of road traffic crashes.

“These figures are not just numbers, they are fathers, brothers, sisters, daughters, and sons. It is also said that most of the tragedies are avoidable,” he stressed.

He disclosed the WHO and other partners were collecting data towards the second decade of action for road safety, which would be launched in 2021, adding the collection of data is to ensure that gaps in addressing the road traffic crashes are closed.

The WHO DG urged everyone to support those who suffer long-lasting consequences from the physical and psychological trauma they have endured and act towards preventing more crashes.

“The best way to honour those who died through road traffic crashes is for government and partners to fulfill their commitment to making our roads safer,” he appealed.

The Director of the WHO Department of Social Determinants of Health, Dr. Etienne Krug noted “we are paying an unacceptable price for our mobility adding that the pain in losing a loved one in a road traffic crash is unimaginable.”

He added the work of the first responder often not recognised enough, adding that governments need to provide adequate resources and equipment to enable them to carry out their duties.

Giving his testimonial as a first responder, the Station Manager, Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue, United Kingdom, Steve Jordan said: “I know in my brain, I have a computer hard drive filled with so many incidents many of these road traffic crashes are burned into my mind like photographic negatives that no matter what I try, they are never erased”.

Jordan, who said he has been a professional firefighter for 22 years, stated that he has seen a lot of crashes on the roads which could have been avoided.

Speaking for other first Responders during the live stream global commemoration, Jordan said that he suffered from post-traumatic stress due to all the incidents he has attended to and the lives he had seen lost on the roads.

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“I do manage my emotions but I do winder one day when I finish my career, what would be the cost. As firefighters, we think of every incident and wonder how avoidable the accident would have been if they haven’t written too faster chosen to overtake when another vehicle was coming to the opposite position or stop for two seconds to put on the seat belt when driving.”

Jordan lamented that all firefighters around the world are faced with resource and equipment challenges which are frustrating their efforts towards reducing deaths during road crashes.

“Firefighters in low-income countries, particularly volunteers, are constantly frustrated and experience more guilt about how much more they would have done if there was rescue equipment available To Help them in their job.”

The UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy for Road Safety, Jean Todt urged the world’s leaders to respond to road safety the way they have responded to COVID-19 saying, “our leaders need to wake up to this crisis on our roads.”

The World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims is a day to remember victims of road traffic crashes across the world. The 2020 celebration is themed Remember, Support, Act.

The special live stream Global Commemoration also had testimonials from victims and families of victims including statements from dignitaries and NGOs.