People need an outlet and shooting in the air or an over-coverage of some election provides just that…i hope.

I’m also slightly confused: who is it exactly that has promised modernity?

My ONLY hope right now is that the boys of the parliament also follow these steps. I am not holding my breath though as I do not see any functioning pariliament or elections of prez till IT is operational.

Finally…what’s so mucho about firing in the air???

You did say something about “what do they have in common”. I understand what your point is though. You’re not talking about the elections per se, but about the media coverage.

My point still stands: I think it is important for the media (petty, partisan, or not) to cover any kind of democratic process. We all know partisan media will put their own spin on it, but at least the audience out there is getting to delve into pettyness about the democratic process (much like here in the US, we delve into all kinds of pettyness about Obama’s pastor, or Hilary’s outfit, and have in the past, dwelled on such things as Howard Dean’s yell, and John Edwards haircuts).

My point being, pettyness is not an unusual thing, and as long as it confines us to the democratic process (having discussions by words, not weapons) we’re already better for it.

I’m not disputing the elections themselves, I’m criticizing the level of pettiness in their coverage in the media.

In any civilized country, even the smallest of elections, where a constituency gets to express its preferences for policy and leadership (be it a presidential election, or that of student body in high school) is the foundation of civic life and democracy. Such practices should always be encouraged and showcased by the media, if only to educate the people as to how civic life SHOULD work.
It pretty normal that partisan media outlets would use any given election results to strengthen and publicize their own agenda. You might not agree with it, but that’s how democracy works everywhere.

The practice of firing weapons in the air, on the other hand is a savage and barbaric (to say nothing about idiotic) practice, that accomplishes nothing for anyone, except to inflate the egos of thugs (my gun is louder and bigger than yours!). It is the very antithesis to democratic practice and should not even be compared to the former (let alone mentioned as “having something in common”).
The media should be covering said barbaric practice only in demanding it be banned, and its practitioners be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.