This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (December 2009)

Morocco

This article is part of the series: Politics and government of Morocco

Constitution Constitution Human rights Monarchy King Mohammed VI Makhzen Government Prime Minister Abdelillah Benkirane Parliament Parliament Assembly of Councillors Assembly of Representatives Judiciary Supreme court Divisions Administrative divisions Regions Provinces Municipalities and communes Elections Elections: 2002, 2007, 2011 Political parties Foreign policy Foreign relations Western Sahara conflict

Other countries · Atlas Politics portal view talk edit

The Assembly of Councillors (Majlis al-Mustasharin) is the upper house of the Parliament of Morocco and has 270 members, elected for a nine year term, elected by local councils (162 seats), professional chambers (91 seats) and wage-earners (27 seats).

The 2011 Constitution of Morocco retained this second chamber, but reduced its term of office from 9 to 6 years.

See also[link]

• List of Presidents of the Assembly of Councillors of Morocco

Coordinates: 34°01′03″N 6°50′12″W / 34.0175°N 6.83667°W / 34.0175; -6.83667

This legislature-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

This Morocco-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

Cllr. Darren Johnson AM
Member of the London Assembly for the Green Party (London-wide)
Incumbent
Assumed office 4 May 2000
Personal details
Born	1966 (age 45–46) Southport, Lancashire
Nationality	British
Political party	Green Party
Domestic partner	Dean Walton
Alma mater	Goldsmiths, University of London

Darren Paul Johnson (born in 1966 in Southport, Lancashire)^[1] is an English politician and prominent member of the Green Party of England and Wales. He represents the Green Party in the London Assembly and is the only Green councillor in the London Borough of Lewisham.

Johnson, who is openly gay, lives in Brockley, Lewisham, with his long-term partner and former borough councillor, Dean Walton.

Early life and career[link]

At school, Johnson studied A-Levels in English, Theatre Studies and Journalistic Studies. Johnson admitted to his "shame" that his first foray into politics was standing in a school mock election in 1979 as a Conservative Party candidate.^[1]

He lived in Hull for three years before moving with a friend to Wembley in London in 1990. He also lived in Finsbury Park and Golders Green before settling in Lewisham. His first job in London was "in accounts with an advertising firm in Goodge Street". He took a degree at Goldsmiths College (part of the University of London) in 1994, eventually gaining a first-class BA (hons.) degree in Politics and Economics.^[1][2] He apparently "started to work on his PhD until the London Assembly distracted him".^[3] He was also once a "paid consultant to Friends of the Earth".^[4]

Political career[link]

Johnson joined the Green Party in 1987 at the age of 20^[2] "after the Chernobyl Disaster",^[1] which "had a big impact" on him.^[5] He was Male Principal Speaker of the party in 2002.^[6]

According to the Knitting Circle (a website with "resources on lesbian and gay issues"), his campaigning experience includes infiltrating "the military base at Aldershot dressed as Ivan the Terrible during an arms fair. He was saluted by the guards as he drove through the gates in a large limousine with tinted windows. He tried to buy arms with Monopoly money".^[3]

London Assembly member[link]

In 2000, Johnson was elected to the inaugural London Assembly as part of a three-strong Green Group, including Jenny Jones AM and Victor Anderson (who resigned in March 2003 and was replaced by Noel Lynch for the remainder of the term). The 2004 elections would see the Greens lose the seat held by Lynch, leaving Johnson and Jones as the two remaining members of the Green Group.^[2] Both won re-election in the 2008 election, when the Greens held on to their two seats. He served as Deputy Chair of the Assembly 2008-9 and was elected Chair of the Assembly in May 2009.^[7]

As a London Assembly Member, Johnson is Deputy Chair of the Business Management and Administration Committee, and a member of both the Budget and Performance Committee and the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority (LFEPA).^[7] Johnson has issued a report on the sustainability measures involved planning for London’s hosting of the Olympics in 2012,^[8] and has also chaired an inquiry on nuclear waste trains for the London Assembly.^[9] He is also Deputy Chair of the Environment Committee (after chairing between 2004/5 and 2008/09). The committee has produced a number of reports,^[10] including investigations into the loss of street trees,^[11] and the effects of paving over front gardens in the city.^[12]

Lewisham councillor[link]

In the 2002 local elections, Johnson was elected as a councillor for the Brockley ward in the London Borough of Lewisham, the Greens' first councillor in Lewisham,^[2] polling 1026 votes and coming top in the ward.^[13] He was re-elected in 2006, when the Greens gained a further five seats on Lewisham London Borough Council.^[2] He came top of the ward again, polling 1583 votes.^[14] In 2010, he was the only Green councillor in Lewisham to be re-elected.

In his time on Lewisham London Borough Council, Johnson has been successful in getting the council to adopt a Fair Trade policy. He has opposed the closure of Ladywell Leisure Centre and put forward alternative sites for a new school. He successfully campaigned for a new pedestrian crossing on Brockley Road, secured improvements to the traffic calming scheme and managed to halt evictions at St Norberts Allotments.^[15] He is or has been a member of Lewisham London Borough Council's Council Urgency Committee, Elections Committee, Licensing (Supplementary) Committee, Licensing Committee, Overview and Scrutiny Committee and Marsha Phoenix Memorial Trust. He has represented Lewisham London Borough Council on the Local Government Association General Assembly.^[16]

Mayoral candidate[link]

Johnson was the Green Party's candidate for Mayor of London in 2000 and 2004. In the 2000 election, he won 2.2% of first preference votes (38,121 votes), taking sixth place. He also came third in unallocated second preference votes with 192,764 second preferences (13.6%), thus coming fifth overall. In the 2004 election, he received 57,331 votes in the first round (2.9%) taking seventh place, and took 10.9% of unallocated second preferences (208,686).

Johnson chose not to seek selection as mayoral candidate for a third time. On 12 March 2007, the London Green Party voted to select Siân Berry as their mayoral candidate in the 2008 mayoral election, replacing Johnson.^[17]

Parliamentary candidate[link]

Johnson is the Green Party's parliamentary candidate in the Lewisham Deptford constituency. He came fourth in the constituency in the 2001 general election, polling 1,901 votes (6.5%). In the 2005 general election, Johnson, backed by the Fire Brigades Union (after being the only London Assembly member to vote against cuts in the brigade), received 11.1% of the votes (3,367 votes), coming fourth. In the 2010 General Election he came fourth again but his votes slipped back to 2,772 (6.7%).

References[link]

External links[link]

• London Assembly biography
• Green Party biography
• 2000 critique by Mayor-of-London.Com
• Lewisham Council contact page
• 2002 interview with MayorWatch
• 2004 interview with the BBC
• 2004 interview with SomethingJewish

v t e Green Party of England and Wales   Leadership Leader Caroline Lucas (2008-) Deputy Leader Adrian Ramsay (2008-) Leadership elections 2008 Principal Speakers (abolished in 2008) 1991-1992 Sara Parkin · Jim Berreen · Andrew Simms · Jean Lambert · David Spaven · Derek Wall 1992-2008 Female Jean Lambert (1992-1993) · Jan Clark (1993–1995) · Peg Alexander (1995-1997) · Jean Lambert (1998-1999) · Margaret Wright (1999-2003) · Caroline Lucas (2003–2006) · Siân Berry (2006–2007) · Caroline Lucas (2007-2008) Male Richard Lawson (Feb-Sep 1992) · Mallen Baker (1992–1993) · John Cornford (1993–1994) · David Taylor (1994–1997) · Mike Woodin (1997–2001) · Darren Johnson (2001–2003) · Mike Woodin (2003–2004) · Keith Taylor (2004-2006) · Derek Wall (2006-2008)   Elected representatives Members of the UK Parliament Caroline Lucas Members of the European Parliament Jean Lambert · Keith Taylor Members of the London Assembly Darren Johnson · Jenny Jones   Organisation History PEOPLE party (1973-75) · Ecology Party (1975-85) · Green Party (1985-90) · The Green Party of England and Wales (1990-present) Green Party (UK) separated in 1990s into sister parties: Green Party of England and Wales · Green Party in Northern Ireland · Scottish Green Party Green 2000 · Election results Organisation Executive · Regional Council · Conferences · Constitution · Wales Green Party · Young Greens · Green Left Party platform Policies for a Sustainable Society · Real Progress Global affiliation Global Greens · European Green Party · The Greens–European Free Alliance Category

Gerry Carroll (born 16 July 1958 in Edenderry, County Offaly) is an Irish retired sportsperson. He played Gaelic football with his local club Edenderry and was a member of the Offaly senior inter-county team from 1977 until 1986.^[1]

References[link]

This Leinster Gaelic football biographical article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

This article is an orphan, as few or no other articles link to it. Please introduce links to this page from related articles; suggestions may be available. (February 2009)

Nuth Rumdoul is a Cambodian politician. He belongs to the Sam Rainsy Party and was elected to represent Kampong Speu Province in the National Assembly of Cambodia in 2003.^[1]

References[link]

This article about a Cambodian politician is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

A portrait of Mu Sochua

This article contains Khmer text. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Khmer script.

Mu Sochua (Khmer: មូរ សុខហូរ) (born May 15, 1954) is an elected Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) opposition member of the Cambodian parliament and a mother of three children. In 2005, she received the Leadership Award in Washington, DC, from the Vital Voices Foundation, co-founded by Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton. In 2002 she mobilized 12,000 women candidates to run for commune elections, with over 900 women winning and still actively promoting the women's agenda at the grass-roots level. In that same year she helped create and pass the Prevention of Domestic Violence Bill, which imposes severe penalties on marital rape and abuse of minors. Her work in Cambodia also includes campaigns with men to end domestic violence and the spread of HIV/AIDS; working for the rights of female entrepreneurs; working for labor laws that provide fair wages and safe working conditions for female workers; and working for the development of communities for squatters with schools, health centers, sanitation, and employment.

Early life[link]

Born in 1954, Sochua grew up in Phnom Penh but was forced to flee as a refugee as the Vietnam War spilled over into Cambodia. Her parents were trapped in the country as it fell under the command of the Khmer Rouge in 1975 and later vanished. War and genocide forced Sochua away from Cambodia in 1972 when she had just completed high school. Sochua would remain in exile for the next 18 years.

Exile[link]

During her 18 years in exile, Mu Sochua would spend time in France, California, and Italy, as well as working in the refugee camps along the Thai-Cambodian border. She earned a bachelor's degree in Psychology from San Francisco State University and a masters degree in Social Work from the University of California, Berkeley before returning to Cambodia to help rebuild a society shattered by war.

Return from exile[link]

Mu Sochua with the Eleanor Roosevelt Award (2009)

Sochua returned to Cambodia in 1989 after 18 years in exile, and has worked as an advocate for human rights, working to stop human trafficking, domestic violence and worker exploitation. Sochua formed the first organization for women, called Khemara. and joined the Funcinpec political party, winning a national assembly seat representing Battambang in 1998. Soon afterwards, she was asked to take over the Ministry of Women's and Veterans' Affairs, one of only two women in the cabinet.

In July 2004 she stepped down from her role as a Minister, citing corruption as a major obstacle to her work. Almost immediately, she transferred her allegiance to the Sam Rainsy party, where she is deputy head of the steering committee.

April 2009 defamation action[link]

Mu Sochua after her verdict by Court on 4 August 2009.

At a press conference held on 23 April 2009, Mu Sochua announced she would file a defamation complaint against Cambodian prime Minister Hun Sen with the Phnom Penh Municipal Court. “I have nothing against Samdech the Prime Minister. As a Member of Parliament, I respect him. But the words of Samdech the Prime Minister said in public affect my honour and my dignity as a Khmer woman. With this complaint, I only want justice and honour, as a Khmer woman”, Sochua said. She added that she only claimed a 500-riel (0.12 dollar) compensation as a token, and a public apology on the part of the head of government.^[1][2]

Following Sochua's announcement, the government was expected to file a counter-suit for gravely defaming the PM. The Ministry of Justice was expected to request the President of the parliament to vote to remove Sochua's parliamentary immunity. With only 25 percent of the votes, the SRP would be powerless to prevent further action against her – including imprisonment. Sochua's letter calling for support from the international community – "As I walk to prison" — was circulated around the World Wide Web.^[3]

On two previous occasions, when SRP party leader Sam Rainsy's parliamentary immunity was removed, he fled Cambodia under threat of criminal charges and went into exile in France.^[4]

Awards and recognition[link]

In 2005, Sochua was one of 1,000 women nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for her work against sex trafficking of women in Cambodia and Thailand. Also in 2005, Sochua was honoured with the Vital Voices Human Rights Global Leadership Award for her efforts to stem the tide of human trafficking.

In 2006, Sochua was awarded the Elise and Walter A. Haas International Award from the University of California, Berkeley for distinguished record of service in Cambodia and an Honorary PhD in Law from the University of Guelph, Canada.

In 2009, Sochua was awarded the Eleanor Roosevelt Award from the Eleanor Roosevelt Project at The George Washington University for leadership in human rights.

In 2010, Sochua was named the 2010 People's Choice Honoree by Global Exchange for their Human Rights Heroes Award. The Human Rights Awards Gala brings together activists, supporters, and friends to recognize the efforts of exceptional individuals and organizations from around the country and around the world. ^[5]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Mu Sochua

• Mu Sochua Official site
• Mu Sochua's Blog Official blog
• Bringing corruption to heel , Published in the South Eastern Globe, November 2008.
• Vibrant Cambodian Women's Leader Aims to Turn the Tide on Corruption , Published in the The New York City Independent Media Center, April 2009.
• Females making their presence felt , Published in the South Eastern Globe, December 2008.
• Cambodia's New War , Published in The Daily Beast, April 2009.
• A Face of Cambodian Courage , Published in The Indypendent, April 2009