(28/10/2004)

Alternative elections around the world

* For immediate release - Invitation for press:
- Alternative US polling station Brussels Tuesday November 2nd -
Place de la Monnaie, Brussels, Belgium - with special photo
opportunity at 11:30 a.m.
come and check the two headed 'corporate monster' with masks of Bush
and Kerry!!

FIRST VOTES CAST IN ALTERNATIVE US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS AT BELGIAN
UNIVERSITY

Brussels - Liège, Thursday October 28th 2004 - Not only the US is gearing
up for the presidential elections. Alternative polling stations for non-US
citizens are being prepared for Tuesday November 2nd in Belgium, Brazil,
England, France (tbc), Hungary, Kirgyzstan and Spain (more information and
contacts below).

This morning an alternative polling station was opened at the University of
Liège, in southern Belgium. Organiser Caroline Lebeau from the Liège
University Student Union declared: "By midday 99% of the votes were for
neither Bush nor Kerry. All except one vote was asking for a drastic change
in US foreign policy. It is clear that Iraq and Kyoto are the important
issues, and not a choice between Bush or Bush Light. We are tired of US
unilateral policies."

With these alternative US elections, the Boycott Bush international network
of social, environmental and disarmament groups want to give non-US
citizens citizens the opportunity to be part of this historic event. People
will be able to vote against U.S. unilateral foreign policies. Non-US
citizens are invited to vote with their wallet by joining an international
boycott campaign targeting US multinationals which design US policies.
Voting is also possible online at
http://www.boycottbush.org.

"As non US citizens, we cannot vote although US policies affect all of us
in everyday life", declared Pol D'Huyvetter, campaigner with For Mother
Earth in Belgium. "With the alternative US elections, people do not have to
choose between G.W. Bush or John Kerry also known as Mr. Bush Light!" said
D'Huyvetter. "People outside the US can vote every day with their wallet
for the end of the US occupation of Iraq, for the Kyoto Protocol, for the
disarmament of the estimated 10,640 U.S. nuclear weapons or for the end of
US support of Israel to name just some important issues."

Whether Bush or Kerry is elected on November 2nd, US multinationals and the
United States' foreign policies will continue to fuel wars, environmental
destruction and human-rights violations. For this reason, the Boycott Bush
International Campaign is calling for an open ended boycott campaign which
will continue after the US presidential elections. The Top 6 US
multinationals to boycott have all been big donors to the Bush election
campaign since 1999, and have bad records with regards to the environment,
peace issues and human rights. They also all gave money to Kerry's campaign.

The campaign is being coordinated by For Mother Earth in Belgium, and is
made up of 141 groups and organisations in 39 countries.
Last January, campaigners and activists met during the World Social Forum,
in Mumbai, India where they decided to target 6 US multinationals who are
important Bush donors and who have global brands, easy to boycott in every
region of the planet.

TOP 6 Bush donors 1999-2004
[4th Oct. 04; Source: www.opensecrets.org]

1. Altria (ex-Philip Morris, Kraft Food) : $6.830.000
2. Exxon-Mobil (Esso) : $2.730.000
3. Chevron-Texaco: $2.420.000
4. PepsiCo: $1.940.000
5. Coca Cola co.: $1.040.000
6. McDonalds: $780.000


Press contact:
Pol D'Huyvetter
pol@motherearth.org
+32-9-242-87-04 (dir.)
+32-495-28-02-59 (mobile)

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INTERNATIONAL UPDATE
Global Boycott Bush Action Day, Tuesday November 2, 2004
www.boycottbush.org

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Belgium

Brussels
In the European capital, the pacifist groups For Mother Earth, Mouvement
Chrétien pour la paix and Rencontres pour la paix, with the group of
solidarity with Columbia Ayni http://users.skynet.be/AYNI/ and the pacifist
and environmental organization For Mother Earth www.motherearth.org,
organise a polling station at the Muntschouwburg on November 2nd, 2004.
Press contacts:
Felipe Van Keirsbilck (french)
u50fvk@acv-csc.be
Tel: +32 478 29 59 50

Pol D'Huyvetter (dutch)
pol@motherearth.org
Tel: +32 495 28 02 59
Fax: +32 9 242 87 51

Ghent
Also in Ghent, For Mother Earth www.motherearth.org is organising an
alternative US presidential election, downtown at the Korenmarkt. For
Mother Earth is running the secretariat for the International Boycott Bush
Campaign www.boycottbush.org.
Press contact:
Pol D'Huyvetter pol@motherearht.org
Tel: +32 495 28 02 59
Fax: +32 9 242 87 51

University of Liège
The administration of the University of Liège has given its permission for
the Federation of Students to organize an alternative polling station
within the university for the US Presidential Elections. The university
will print the posters to advert the alternative elections and flyers to
inform students about the international treaties, including the Kyoto
Protocol, that the current US administration refuse to sign or ratify. The
alternative elections take place on Thursday October 28th and Friday
October 29th to allow students to vote before their holidays.
Press contact:
Caroline Lebeau caroline.lebeau@tiscali.be
Tel : +32 498 68 74 32

Brazil

Curitiba
"Eleições dos Estados Unidos por Outro Mundo" or US Elections for Another
World will be held in Curitiba. The action is organised by a group
of students Unions. Boycotts are not very common in Brazil. Everyone
drinks Coca Cola and very few abandoned McDonald's. This is a good moment
to start a boycott campaign as the public opinion is engaged against the
occupation in Iraq. The students have already prepared a list of the
products to boycott and the substitutes, to email friends, and they hope
with this action to disseminate the list - and the idea. They decided to
include Unilever in the list of the boycott targets, as they own 30 of the
most important brands we find in the markets. Unilever have, as well, fired
the actress Whoopi Goldberg for speaking against Bush, and have a history
on animals mistreatment for cosmetic research.
Press contact:
Marcel Retondario starrkey@terra.com.br
Tel : +41 9997-8077

England

Bradford University
Students are circulating the Boycott Bush fliers www.boycottbush.org around
Bradford University. They plan to hold alternative US Presidential
Elections within their university.
Press contact:
Amy Beeton A.F.Beeton@Bradford.ac.uk

University of London
Students are planning to organise an alternative polling station in London.
Press contact:
Olaya Garcia Alonso olaya_india@yahoo.co.in
Tel : +44 79 44 91 31 71
+44 20 87 28 01 17 (evenings)

France

In Brittany, two alternative polling stations may be held by student groups
from the University of Rennes, and by the fair trade Beuk Kola producer,
Kan ar bed. To be confirmed.

Hungary

Budapest
The Hungarian Left Front www.baloldalifront.hu prepares alternative polling
stations from 29th October to 2nd November, at different points around
Budapest including the exit of the tube stations at the East and West train
stations. A lot of people pass this point every day. 2 millions people are
living in Budapest.
Press contact:
Peter leftfront@freemail.hu
Tel: +36 204502804

Kyrgyzstan

In Kyrgystan, a group of citizens is spreading the call in Central Asia to
organize alternative US presidential elections on Tuesday November 2nd,
2004. They are organizing an alternative polling station in Kyrgyzstan.
Press contact :
Tolekan Ismailova tolasani@yahoo.com

Spain

Córdoba
In Córdoba, the Green Party plan to do a street action on November 2nd with
the ballot papers for the alternative US elections for non-US citizens.
They will be joined by other political parties and organisations. They want
to take the opportunity to be on the street with the message of the Boycott
Bush campaign, and to ask the US government to comply with international
treaties.
Press contact:
Valle Lopez-Tello valle@softhome.net

Mallorca
The Fair Trade NGO Finestra al Sud www.finestralsud.org, based in Inca,
Mallorca, will hold alternative US elections on Saturday, October 30th,
during a street party where they will celebrate their 5th anniversary.
Everybody will be able to vote in the afternoon and in the evening, then
they will count votes and announce the results at the end of the party.
Press contact:
Mercedes Lopez lopez_mercedes@hotmail.com

Barcelona
The Catalan boycott group Boicot Preventivo www.boicotpreventivo.org will
hold alternative US presidential elections in Barcelona.
Press contact:
David Llistar david.llistar@debtwatch.org

More info about the alternative elections in the Boycott Action Kit:
http://www.motherearth.org/USboycott/ftp/actkit/2nov_en.pdf

c/o For Mother Earth
member of Friends of the Earth International
K. Maria Hendrikaplein 5,
9000 Gent
Belgium
Tel +32-9-242-87-52 or 04
Fax +32-9-242-87-51
Email boycott@motherearth.org
www.boycottbush.org

For more information:

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