2016 Red Rooster Sydney SuperSprint, Report, Race 19
On fresher tyres, Moffat was able to move past McLaughlin before attempting to pass Van Gisbergen on lap 47. However, he lost control and hit the back of Van Gisbergen's car, sending him into a spin. Despite giving the place back, Moffat was given a drive-through penalty and dropped to 18th place. Whincup won the race, securing his 100th championship race victory, ahead of Lowndes and Mostert. Coulthard was fourth ahead of Van Gisbergen and McLaughlin. Tander, Courtney, Rick Kelly and Caruso completed the top ten. The results saw Whincup extend his championship lead over Van Gisbergen to 137 points, while Lowndes moved clear of Winterbottom for this place.


2016 Red Rooster Sydney SuperSprint, Report, Race 19, Post-race
In recognition of his 100th race win, Whincup was presented with a golden helmet by James Warburton, the series' CEO, prior to the podium ceremony. He became the second driver to reach the mark after his teammate Lowndes, who had taken his 100th victory during the 2015 season. Whincup said it was "an honour to join Lowndesy on the ton" and thanked his team, Triple Eight Race Engineering, saying: "It’s been just over 10 years since my first win and I’ve had every one with the same crew, so a massive thank you to everyone at Triple Eight."


2016 Red Rooster Sydney SuperSprint, Report, Race 19, Post-race
Moffat was frustrated to have received a drive-through penalty for the incident with Van Gisbergen, claiming a lack of consistency from the race stewards. Moffat said: "I readdressed straight away but then the penalty came through...I’m a bit confused by that and it seems like the reaction in pitlane is very similar."


2016 Redditch Borough Council election
The 2016 Redditch Borough Council election took place on 5 May 2016 to elect members of Redditch Borough Council in England. This was on the same day as other local elections.


2016 Reform Party presidential primaries
The Reform Party of the United States of America held primary elections for its presidential candidate in May 2016. Out of 5 contestants, Rocky De La Fuente emerged as the party nominee.


2016 Regent Plaza hotel fire
During the early morning of December 5, 2016 a fire broke out in Karachi, Pakistan's Regent Plaza luxury hotel. While over 500 guests were safely evacuated from the building, 12 died of smoke inhalation and 110 were injured by falls, broken glass and smoke.


2016 Regent Plaza hotel fire, Regent Plaza hotel
Regent Plaza is a 10-story tall hotel located on Shahrah-e-Faisal in Karachi, Pakistan. The hotel has 8 floors dedicated to rooming guests, with 413 rooms and 20 suits.


2016 Regent Plaza hotel fire, Incident, Fire
Regent Plaza staff called emergency services around 3:00 AM to report fire breaking out in the main kitchen. Hotel chief security officer Mohammad Saad said to the media that "We suspect the fire started in one of our freezers on the ground floor" after a short circuit. The hotel's concrete structure prevented the flames from spreading into the upper floors, but copious amounts of toxic smoke were generated by burning materials in the kitchen and dining areas. Some evacuated guests claimed to have woken up to fire and smoke between 3:00 and 3:30 am, by smoke coming in to the rooms through the central air-conditioning system.


2016 Regent Plaza hotel fire, Incident, Fire
As hotel staff evacuated over 500 guests from the building the hotel's air conditioning systems remained on, allowing the smoke to spread via ventilation throughout the upper floors. Despite the fire not spreading into the upper floors of the building, smoke obstructed primary escape routes causing many guests to escape via their windows. The fire was contained around 9:30 am (4:30 GMT).


2016 Regent Plaza hotel fire, Incident, Evacuation
Though the Regent Plaza hotel reportedly had 3 fire exits per floor, they were unlabeled. Regent Plaza was gradually being filled with smoke by the air conditioning system that remained on. Hotel staff worked to evacuated hundreds of guests, while many other guests remained asleep and unaware of the danger. According to Chief Fire Office Tehseen Siddiqui "No fire exits had been marked inside the hotel. The smoker detectors are there, but they aren't functioning. The fire alarm did not go off." However, Karachi's Mayor Waseem Akhtar told reporters that the hotel had "no fire exits or fire alarms".


2016 Regent Plaza hotel fire, Incident, Evacuation
Guests trapped in their hotel's upper floors who found the hallways obstructed by smoke tied their bedsheets together into rope ladders, using them to climb down the hotel's sides. Some guests, including a Pakistani cricket player, fell and injured themselves escaping this way. A hotel guest told reporters that she evacuated by crossing a ladder across the rooftops, while about 100 others were rescued via a crane. A local TV channel Abb Takk reported that 200 local and foreign doctors had been staying in the hotel for a seminar, allowing many to attempt to provide medical assistance. For those that were trapped on higher levels, many had to be rescued from balconies and rooms after waiting for almost three hours.


2016 Regent Plaza hotel fire, Aftermath
In the initial aftermath of the incident, a doctor at Jinnah Hospital in Karachi stated there were " 11 dead bodies and 75 people injured..." Later that evening, a 12th person was found in a 2nd floor washing machine room. 12 people in total perished, all from smoke inhalation, including 3 doctors and the hotel's front desk manager.


2016 Regent Plaza hotel fire, Aftermath
In the evacuation panic, at least 65 guests had injured themselves stampeding down stairways or jumping from the upper floors. Over the next day, the number of injured grew from 75 to 110 as more people were checked in at Jinnah Hospital. Police Senior Superintended Saqib Memon confirmed that the fire took 3 hours in total to bring under control. The United Bank Limited cricket team players who were playing in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy Super Eight tie were also injured in the incident. UBL's all-rounder Yasim Murtaza suffered ankle break while leg-spinner Karamat Ali received injuries to his hand. Meanwhile, right-arm fast-bowlers Adil Raza and Sadaif Mehdi suffered from smoke inhalation.


2016 Regent Plaza hotel fire, Aftermath
Some guests were critical of the evacuation and first responders efforts during the fire, and claimed there were long periods of time without aid or direction. One victim stated; "Four to five hours everybody was looking helpless, crying for help and nobody was there to help them."


2016 Regional League Division 2
The 2016 Regional League Division 2 (also known as the AIS League Division 2 for sponsorship reasons) was the 11th season of the Regional League Division 2, it had redirected from the division 2, since its establishment in 2006. The 94 clubs will be divided into 8 groups (regions).


2016 Regional League Division 2, 2016 Regional League stage table All locations, 2016
Red Zone : 2016 Regional League Division 2 Bangkok Metropolitan RegionCyan Zone : 2016 Regional League Division 2 Bangkok & Eastern RegionPurple Zone: 2016 Regional League Division 2 Central RegionYellow Zone : 2016 Regional League Division 2 Eastern RegionPink Zone: 2016 Regional League Division 2 Western RegionGreen Zone: 2016 Regional League Division 2 Northern Region Orange Zone: 2016 Regional League Division 2 North Eastern RegionBlue Zone: 2016 Regional League Division 2 Southern Region


2016 Regional League Division 2, Champions League Knockout stage, Final
Following the death of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the Football Association of Thailand cancelled the remaining league season on 14 October 2016. Last 4 teams of the 2016 Regional League Division 2 Champions League round had drawn to ranked for promoted to the 2017 Thai League Division 1. They had ranked on October 20, 2016.


2016 Regional League Division 2 Bangkok & Eastern Region
2016 Regional League Division 2 Bangkok & Eastern Region is the 1st season of the League competition since its establishment in 2016. It is in the third tier of the Thai football league system. The league winners and runners up will qualify for the 2016 Regional League Division 2 champions league round. This zone is new zone.


2016 Regional League Division 2 Bangkok & Eastern Region, Changes from Last Season, Expansion Clubs
Sinthana Kabinburi, Inter Pattaya, Pattaya and Banbung United Renamed from Laem Chabang City joined the newly expanded league setup.


2016 Regional League Division 2 Bangkok & Eastern Region, Changes from Last Season, Expansion Clubs, Withdrawn Clubs
Inter Pattaya  club withdrew after played 4 games in 2016


2016 Regional League Division 2 Bangkok Metropolitan Region
2016 Regional League Division 2 Bangkok Metropolitan Region is the 8th season of the League competition since its establishment in 2009. It is in the third tier of the Thai football league system.


2016 Regional League Division 2 Bangkok Metropolitan Region, Changes from Last Season, Team Changes, Promoted Clubs
No club was promoted to the Thai Division 1 League. Last years league champions Customs United and runners up Chamchuri United failed to qualify from the 2015 Regional League Division 2 championsleague round.


2016 Regional League Division 2 Bangkok Metropolitan Region, Changes from Last Season, Team Changes, Returning Clubs
Central Lions is returning to the league after withdrawn from the 2013.


2016 Regional League Division 2 Central Region
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2016 Regional League Division 2 Central Region
2016 Regional League Division 2 Central Region is the 1st season of the League competition since its establishment in 2016. It is in the third tier of the Thai football league system. The league winners and runners up will qualify for the 2016 Regional League Division 2 champions league round. This zone is broken from 2015 Thai Division 2 League Central & Eastern Region and 2015 Thai Division 2 League Central & Western Region


2016 Regional League Division 2 Central Region, Changes from Last Season, Returning Clubs
Paknampho NSRU and Uthai Thani Forest are returning to the league after a 1-year break.


2016 Regional League Division 2 Eastern Region
2016 Regional League Division 2 Eastern  Region is the 8th season of the League competition since its establishment in 2009. It is in the third tier of the Thai football league system.


2016 Regional League Division 2 Eastern Region, Changes from Last Season, Break zone Clubs
Nakhon Nayok, Prachinburi United, Kabin United, Sa Kaeo, Marines Maptaphut, Chanthaburi and Samut Prakan Songsingh are broken from Central & Eastern Region


2016 Regional League Division 2 Eastern Region, Changes from Last Season, Team Changes, Promoted Clubs
Rayong were promoted to the 2016 Thai Division 1 League.


2016 Regional League Division 2 North Eastern Region
2016 Regional League Division 2 North Eastern Region is the 8th season of the League competition since its establishment in 2009. It is in the third tier of the Thai football league system. The league winners and runners up will qualify for the 2016 Regional League Division 2 champions league round.


2016 Regional League Division 2 North Eastern Region, Changes from Last Season, Team Changes, Promoted Clubs
Khonkaen United and Ubon UMT United were promoted to the 2016 Thai Division 1 League.


2016 Regional League Division 2 North Eastern Region, Changes from Last Season, Team Changes, Returning Clubs
Yasothon is returning to the league after a 2-year break.


2016 Regional League Division 2 Northern Region
2016 Regional League Division 2 Northern Division is the eighth season of the League competition since its establishment in 2009. It is in the third tier of the Thai football league system.


2016 Regional League Division 2 Southern Region
2016 Regional League Division 2 Southern Region is the 8th season of the League competition since its establishment in 2009. It is in the third tier of the Thai football league system.


2016 Regional League Division 2 Southern Region, Changes from Last Season, Team Changes, Relegated Clubs
Phuket were relegated from the 2015 Thai Division 1 League.


2016 Regional League Division 2 Southern Region, Changes from Last Season, Team Changes, Returning Clubs
Hat Yai is returning to the league after a 1-year Withdrawn.


2016 Regional League Division 2 Western Region
2016 Regional League Division 2 Western  Region is the 4th season of the League competition since its establishment in 2013. It is in the third tier of the Thai football league system.


2016 Regional League Division 2 Western Region, Changes from last season, Break zone clubs
Nonthaburi, Krung Thonburi, Globlex, Ratchaphruek College, Thonburi City, Samut Sakhon, Hua Hin City and Simork are broken from Central & Western Region


2016 Regional League Division 2 Western Region, Changes from last season, Team changes, Promoted clubs
No club was promoted to the Thai Division 1 League. Last years league champions Samut Sakhon and runners up Thonburi City failed to qualify from the 2015 Regional League Division 2 championsleague round.


2016 Regional League Division 2 Western Region, Changes from last season, Team changes, Returning clubs
Muangkan United is returning to the league after a 1-year break.


2016 Regional League Division 2 Western Region, Changes from last season, Expansion clubs
IPE Samut Sakhon Promoted from Khǒr Royal Cup (ถ้วย ข.) 2015 Champion


2016 Regional Women's Championship
The 2016 Regional Women's Championship was a 50-over women's cricket competition that took place in the West Indies. It took place in July 2016, with 6 teams taking part and all matches taking place in Guyana. Trinidad and Tobago won the tournament, on better qualifying record after the final against Barbados was rained-off.


2016 Regional Women's Championship
The tournament was followed by the 2016 Regional Women's Twenty20 Championship.


2016 Regional Women's Championship, Competition format
The six teams played in a round-robin, therefore playing five matches. Matches were played using a one day format with 50 overs per side. The top two teams in the group advanced to the final.


2016 Regional Women's Championship, Competition format
The group worked on a points system with positions being based on the total points. Points were awarded as follows:


2016 Regional Women's Championship, Competition format
Win: 4 pointsTie: 2 pointsLoss: 0 points. Abandoned/No Result: 2 points. Bonus Points: 1 bonus point available per match.


2016 Regional Women's Twenty20 Championship
The 2016 Regional Women's Twenty20 Championship was the third season of the women's Twenty20 cricket competition played in the West Indies. It took place in July 2016, with 6 teams taking part and all matches taking place at Providence Stadium in Guyana. Trinidad and Tobago won the tournament, beating Jamaica in the final to claim their first T20 title.


2016 Regional Women's Twenty20 Championship, Competition format
The six teams were divided into two groups of three, and played three matches in the group stage: against the two other teams in their group and one 'cross-zone' match against a team from the other group. Matches were played using a Twenty20 format. Following the group stage, the top two teams went into the final to determine the Champions, whilst the second-placed teams played a 3rd Place Play-Off and the third-placed teams played a 5th Place Play-Off.


2016 Regional Women's Twenty20 Championship, Competition format
The group worked on a points system with positions being based on the total points. Points were awarded as follows:


2016 Regional Women's Twenty20 Championship, Points tables, Zone B
Advanced to the Final  Advanced to the 3rd Place Play-Off  Advanced to the 5th Place Play-Off


2016 Regions Tradition
The 2016 Regions Tradition was a senior major golf championship and the 28th Regions Tradition, held from May 19-22 at Greystone Golf & Country Club in Hoover, Alabama. It was the first Regions Tradition played at the course.


2016 Regions Tradition
World Golf Hall of Fame member Bernhard Langer won his first Regions Tradition and his sixth senior major championship by 6 strokes over Olin Browne.


2016 Regions Tradition, Venue
The 2016 event was the first Regions Tradition played at Greystone Golf & Country Club.


2016 Regions Tradition, Round summaries, First round
2014 Tradition champion Kenny Perry posted an eight-under-par 64 on day one to lead by two strokes over Bernhard Langer and Gene Sauers.


2016 Regions Tradition, Round summaries, Second round
Kenny Perry shot a 70 (−2) in the second round to lead by one stroke over Bernhard Langer and Billy Andrade.


2016 Regions Tradition, Round summaries, Third round
Bernhard Langer shot 69 (−3) in the third round to take a four stroke lead into the final round. Kenny Perry double bogeyed the first hole on Saturday and went on to shoot a two-over-par 74, falling into a tie for second place with Scott McCarron.


2016 Regions Tradition, Round summaries, Final round
Bernhard Langer extended his lead to five strokes after birdieing the par-4 1st hole. Olin Browne moved into a tie for second with Kirk Triplett after making eagle on the par-5 2nd hole. Browne cut Langer's lead to three after birdieing #10, but Langer responded with birdies on the 12th and 13th holes to regain a four shot lead. Leading by four with three holes to play, Langer birdied the 16, 17, and 18 and defeated Browne by six strokes.


2016 Reigate and Banstead Borough Council election
The 2016 Reigate and Banstead Borough Council election took place on 5 May 2016 to elect members of Reigate and Banstead Borough Council in England. This was on the same day as other local elections.


2016 Reinert Open
The 2016 Reinert Open was a professional tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the ninth edition of the tournament and part of the 2016 ITF Women's Circuit, offering a total of $50,000 in prize money. It took place in Versmold, Germany, on 4–10 July 2016.


2016 Reinert Open, Singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following player received a wildcard into the singles main draw:


2016 Reinert Open, Singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following player received entry by a lucky loser spot:


2016 Reinert Open – Doubles
Eva Hrdinová and Shahar Pe'er were the defending champions, but chose not to participate.


2016 Reinert Open – Doubles
Natela Dzalamidze and Valeriya Strakhova won the title, defeating Kanae Hisami and Kotomi Takahata in the final, 6–2, 6–1.


2016 Reinert Open – Singles
Carina Witthöft was the defending champion, but chose not to participate.


2016 Reinert Open – Singles
Antonia Lottner won the title, defeating Tereza Smitková in the final, 3–6, 7–5, 6–3.


2016 Remus F3 Cup
The 2016 Remus F3 Cup was the 35th Austria Formula 3 Cup season and the fourth Remus F3 Cup season.


2016 Remus F3 Cup
Despite missing the fifth round of the season, Sandro Zeller of Jo Zeller Racing was crowned champion by 69 points over Franz Wöss Racing driver Kurt Böhlen.


2016 Remus F3 Cup, Teams and drivers
All Cup cars were built between 2005 and 2011, while Trophy cars were built between 1992 and 2004.


2016 Remus F3 Cup, Teams and drivers
Numbers used at Remus F3 Cup events listed; numbers used at races run to F2 Italian Trophy regulations displayed in tooltips.


2016 Remus F3 Cup, Calendar & Race results
Round 2 and 4 (Imola and Hockenheim) were held together with the F2 Italian Trophy. However, no Italian F2 Trophy competitors were eligible to score Remus F3 Cup points.


2016 Renault Sport Series
The 2016 Renault Sport Series was the twelve season of Renault Sport's series of events, with two different championships racing under one banner. Consisting of the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 and Renault Sport Trophy, the Renault Sport Series ran at seven different venues where fans could get into the meetings for no cost whatsoever, such is the uniqueness of the series. It was the first season under the moniker Renault Sport Series.


2016 Renault Sport Series
The series began on 15 April at the Ciudad del Motor de Aragón in Alcañiz, and finished on 23 October at the Autódromo Fernanda Pires da Silva, just outside Estoril. Rounds at Bugatti Circuit, Hungaroring, Circuito de Jerez, Nürburgring and Silverstone Circuit were dropped. Rounds at Red Bull Ring, Circuit Paul Ricard and Autódromo Fernanda Pires da Silva returned to the series' schedule, with Eurocup had two extra races on its own, in support of the Monaco Grand Prix and Monza round of Clio Cup Italia and Renault Sport Trophy supported Imola round of the European Le Mans Series.


2016 Renault Sport Trophy
The 2016 Renault Sport Trophy was the second season of the Renault–supported sports car category, a one-make racing series that is part of the Renault Sport Series. The season began at Ciudad del Motor de Aragón on 16 April and finished on 23 October at Autódromo do Estoril. The series forms part of the Renault Sport Series meetings at six triple header events.


2016 Renault Sport Trophy, Race calendar and results
The provisional calendar for the 2016 season was announced on 5 September 2015. Rounds at Imola, Spielberg, Le Castellet and Estoril will début in the series' calendar. All rounds will be collaboration with European Le Mans Series, except Aragón which will feature the Formula 3.5 V8.


2016 Renault UK Clio Cup
The 2016 Renault UK Clio Cup is a multi-event, one make motor racing championship held across England. The championship features a mix of professional motor racing teams and privately funded drivers competing in the Clio Renaultsport 200 Turbo EDC that conform to the technical regulations for the championship. It forms part of the extensive program of support categories built up around the BTCC. It will be the 21st Renault Clio Cup United Kingdom season and the 41st of UK motorsport undertaken by Renault and Renault Sport. The first race takes place on 2 April at Brands Hatch on the circuit's Indy configuration and concluded on 2 October at the same venue, utilising the Grand Prix circuit, after eighteen races held at nine meetings.


2016 Renault UK Clio Cup, Race calendar and results
The provisional calendar was announced by the championship organisers on 28 October 2015. Snetterton Motor Racing Circuit returns to the calendar in 2016, replacing the round held at Knockhill Racing Circuit.


2016 Republic of Ireland census
Census 2016 in the Republic of Ireland was held on Sunday, 24 April 2016, to administer a national census. It was organised by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) and reported a total population of 4,761,865, or a 3.8% increase since the prior 2011 census. This was the lowest recorded population growth rate since the 1991 census, with the decline in population growth rates attributed to both lower birth rates and lower net migration. The census results were released gradually between April and December 2017 in a series of reports organised either as summaries or in-depth results of specific themes, like age, ethnicity, or religion.


2016 Republic of Ireland census
Another census was due to take place in April 2021, but was delayed for one year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.


2016 Republic of Ireland census, Background
Although Irish law does not prescribe a regular interval for administering censuses, Census 2016 was held in accordance with Irish government tradition since 1951 to administer a census on a Sunday in April on years ending with the numbers '1' or '6'. This incidentally coincided with the centenary of the 1916 Easter Rising, which began on Easter Monday, 24 April 1916.


2016 Republic of Ireland census, Background
Responsibility for organising the census fell with the CSO, which operates within the Department of the Taoiseach. The CSO hired 4,660 enumerators, supported by 430 field supervisors, who reported in turn to 44 regional supervisors. In delivering over two million census forms, enumerators were required to make personal contact with a resident at the property.


2016 Republic of Ireland census, Census Form
Census 2016 was the first Irish census that allowed respondents to report a marital status contracted with a person of the same sex. This followed a 2015 referendum to amend the Irish Constitution to permit same-sex marriages, which was passed into law by the Marriage Act 2015. Other than marital status, the 2016 census form copied all questions verbatim from the 2011 census form. The same is not planned for the 2022 census, which underwent a public consultation process in 2017 to formulate new questions. These changes included a revision to questions on religion, which Atheist Ireland argued skewed responses towards religiosity. The new questions were trialed in West Cork in 2018.


2016 Republic of Ireland census, Census Form
Although most census forms in 2016 were collected in person by returning enumerators, over 15,000 forms were returned by post, with all recipients legally required to return completed forms.


2016 Republic of Ireland census, Results
The census's results on declining religiosity, the aging population, and rising homelessness all drew attention in Irish media. Affiliation with the largest religion in Ireland, Roman Catholicism, dropped to 78%, down from 84% in 2011. The census also reported the first ever recorded fall in the absolute number of Roman Catholics. A thematic report on housing found that home ownership rates reached their lowest since 1971, which Minister for Housing Simon Coveney described as a "stark story" emanating from "fundamental structural problems", which he associated with the 2008 Recession and Irish housing bubble.


2016 Republic of Ireland census, Results, Population Change
While Ireland's population continued to grow in the period 2011-2016, the decline in growth rates was noted by multiple outlets and the CSO's reporting. Three counties declined in population: Sligo (-0.1%), Mayo (-0.2%), and Donegal (-1.2%).


2016 Republic of the Congo presidential election
Presidential elections were held in the Republic of the Congo on 20 March 2016. It was the first election to be held under the new constitution that had been passed by referendum in 2015. President Denis Sassou Nguesso, who had exhausted the two-term limit imposed by the previous constitution, was allowed to run again due to the adoption of the new constitution. He won re-election in the first round of voting, receiving 60% of the vote.


2016 Republic of the Congo presidential election, Electoral system
The President of the Republic of the Congo is elected using the two-round system.


2016 Republic of the Congo presidential election, Electoral system
On 14 January 2016, a law was adopted creating a new electoral commission, the Independent National Election Commission (Commission nationale électorale indépendante, CNEI), replacing the National Commission for the Organisation of Elections (Commission nationale d’organisation des élections, CONEL). The law was the result of dialogue between government and opposition parties. The CNEI is composed of members of both government and opposition parties, as well as civil society, and unlike the CONEL it is set up to be independent and financially autonomous.


2016 Republic of the Congo presidential election, Electoral system
Ballot papers have also changed in line with demands by the opposition, moving to a single ballot paper. While parties were already entitled to have representatives at all polling stations, their agreement in certifying the vote count is now mandatory. These changes have been noted by the opposition, which has welcomed progress made.


2016 Republic of the Congo presidential election, Electoral system
All adults over the age of 18 can vote and the CNEI's mission also includes voter registration. A campaign was launched to encourage more citizens to register to vote, beginning in January 2016 and ending on 15 February.


2016 Republic of the Congo presidential election, Electoral system
A decree issued by the Minister of the Interior on 1 February 2016 scheduled the official campaign period to run from 4 March to midnight on 18 March 2016. The period for the submission of applications to stand as presidential candidates was set to run from 5 February to 20 February. Among the information and documentation required for the applications was a medical certificate, and prospective candidates were required to pay a deposit of 25,000,000 CFA francs, which could not be refunded.


2016 Republic of the Congo presidential election, Candidates
A new constitution passed by referendum in 2015 enabled term-limited President Denis Sassou Nguesso to run for re-election. As expected, the ruling Congolese Labour Party (PCT) announced on 25 January 2016 that Sassou Nguesso would be the party's presidential candidate.


2016 Republic of the Congo presidential election, Candidates
Aside from the PCT, various other parties pledged to support Sassou Nguesso, including the Congolese Movement for Democracy and Integral Development (MCDDI), the Action and Renewal Movement (MAR), Citizen Rally (RC), the Union of Democratic Forces (UDF), the Rally for Democracy and Social Progress (RDPS), the Republican Dynamic for Development (DRD), and the Club 2002–Party for the Unity of the Republic.


2016 Republic of the Congo presidential election, Candidates
In late January 2016, the main opposition party, the Pan-African Union for Social Democracy (UPADS), designated its leader, Pascal Tsaty Mabiala, as its presidential candidate.


2016 Republic of the Congo presidential election, Candidates
André Okombi Salissa, the President of the Initiative for Democracy in Congo, announced on 30 January 2016 that he planned to stand as a presidential candidate. Okombi Salissa was a long-time member of the PCT and minister in Sassou Nguesso's government, but he increasingly became a critical and dissenting voice within the PCT after his dismissal from the government in 2012.


2016 Republic of the Congo presidential election, Candidates
General Jean-Marie Mokoko, the Special Representative of the African Union Commission in the Central African Republic, stated on 8 February 2016 that he planned to stand as a presidential candidate. Mokoko headed the military from 1987 to 1993, and he was Adviser to the President for Peace and Security from 2005 until resigning on 3 February 2016. In the days after Mokoko announced his candidacy, a video from the early 2000s that indicated his involvement in a coup plot surfaced on the Internet. Mokoko said that the video was faked. On 19 February, orders were issued for Mokoko's arrest, and police reportedly blocked the roads near his home. He was questioned and then released on 21 February.


2016 Republic of the Congo presidential election, Candidates
On 22 February 2016, 10 prospective presidential candidacies were submitted to the Constitutional Court for approval: Denis Sassou Nguesso, Anguios Nganguia-Engambé, Pascal Tsaty Mabiala, Jean-Marie Michel Mokoko, André Okombi Salissa, Guy Brice Parfait Kolelas, Claudine Munari, Joseph Kignoumbi Kia Mboungou, Joseph Mboussi Ngouari, and Louis Parfait Tchignamba Mavoungou. The Constitutional Court announced on 24 February that nine of the candidates were cleared to run. One minor candidate, Tchignamba Mavoungou, was barred from running for failing to pay the necessary amount as a deposit.


2016 Republic of the Congo presidential election, Conduct and campaign
The government invited foreign observers to monitor the elections. Observers are governed under a 2007 decree that sets out rules around election observation, which states that foreign and domestic observers – who can represent either international organisations or NGOs – have the complete and unfettered right to travel anywhere in the country, to communicate freely with all parties and social groupings, access voter registers, access polling stations and observe the behaviour of officials and representatives of candidates at polling stations. Observers from abroad are accredited by the Foreign Ministry. Previous election observation missions include those carried out by the African Union,  the Francophonie and European Commission.


2016 Republic of the Congo presidential election, Conduct and campaign
The official campaign period began on 4 March. Sassou Nguesso, campaigning in Pointe-Noire, discussed his economic development plans and vowed to win the vote with a majority in the first round. Meanwhile, Mokoko called for the vote to be delayed, complaining that the electoral register was inadequate and that the electoral commission was not truly independent.


2016 Republic of the Congo presidential election, Conduct and campaign
While campaigning, Sassou Nguesso stressed that, as President, he had maintained peace and facilitated economic growth and the building of infrastructure. Calling on the people to give him a first round majority, he promised more jobs and continued improvements to infrastructure. The opposition candidates focused on raising doubts about the credibility of the electoral commission and claiming that the government was preparing to rig the election.


2016 Republic of the Congo presidential election, Conduct and campaign
On election day, the authorities banned the use of motor vehicles, and also cut Internet and cell phone service.


2016 Republic of the Congo presidential election, Results
The first round was held on 20 March 2016. Casting his vote in Brazzaville, Sassou Nguesso said that the election "marks progress for our democracy. And I can say that the new republic is setting out under a good omen".


2016 Republic of the Congo presidential election, Results
Partial results, accounting for 72 out of 111 districts, were announced by the electoral commission on 22 March, showing Sassou Nguesso far ahead of his rivals with 67% of the vote. Guy Brice Parfait Kolelas, in second place, was credited with 16.8%. The opposition said that these results were "totally detached from the reality on the ground", vowing to go forward with plans to release a different set of results, which it had collected and claimed was more accurate.


2016 Republic of the Congo presidential election, Results
As the electoral commission was the only body authorized to release election results, the government continued blocking Internet and telephone communications in order to prevent the release of unauthorized results that it said could cause instability. Supporters of Sassou Nguesso in northern Brazzaville celebrated the President's apparent victory, while security forces were out to prevent any disturbances from opposition supporters in southern Brazzaville.


2016 Republic of the Congo presidential election, Results
Minister of the Interior Raymond Mboulou announced the full results in the early hours of 24 March. These results showed Sassou Nguesso winning re-election with 60% of the vote, while opposition candidates Kolelas and Mokoko trailed distantly with 15% and 14% of the vote respectively. Communications were then restored. The opposition refused to accept the results, claiming that they were fraudulent. Meanwhile, Sassou Nguesso declared that the outcome represented "the real will of the people" and vowed that he would "always be at the side of the people".


2016 Republic of the Congo presidential election, Aftermath
While the main opposition candidates denounced the outcome, Joseph Kignoumbi Kia Mboungou, a minor candidate, recognized Sassou Nguesso's victory on 24 March and congratulated him. Another minor candidate, Michel Mboussi Ngouari, also recognized Sassou Nguesso's victory and congratulated him on 25 March.


2016 Republic of the Congo presidential election, Aftermath
The opposition planned to announce its unauthorized version of the results at a press conference held at the UPADS headquarters in the Diata section of Brazzaville on 25 March, but the event was disrupted by police, who used tear gas against a crowd of opposition supporters and arrested several of them, and it was cancelled.


2016 Republic of the Congo presidential election, Aftermath
Gunfire and explosions erupted in southern Brazzaville in the early hours of 4 April, continuing for several hours and causing thousands of residents to flee the area. The army and police were attacked by fighters who reportedly set fire to police stations as well as the town hall of the Makelekele district. Later in the morning, the sounds of fighting died down and security forces seemed to have reasserted control. The government called for calm and said that people should "return to their usual business".


2016 Republic of the Congo presidential election, Aftermath
It said that the violence was perpetrated by former members of the "Ninja" militia, a rebel group from the late 1990s and early 2000s that had long since been disbanded. Frédéric Bintsamou, the erstwhile leader of the group, had declared his support for Guy Brice Parfait Kolelas in the presidential election. The government said that "investigations are ongoing" to determine whether any of the defeated opposition candidates were involved in orchestrating the violence.


2016 Republic of the Congo presidential election, Aftermath
Meanwhile, the Constitutional Court validated the results on 4 April, formally confirming Sassou Nguesso's re-election. The final results released by the Constitutional Court varied only slightly from the provisional results, showing Sassou Nguesso with 60.19% of the vote, Kolelas with 15.04%, and Mokoko with 13.74%; turnout was placed at 68.92%.


2016 Republic of the Congo presidential election, Aftermath
The government stated on 5 April that Bintsamou was believed to have been involved in the attacks of the previous day. It also said that 12 of the fighters were killed and about 50 were captured, while the security forces suffered three dead and six were injured; two civilians were also said to have died.


2016 Republic of the Congo presidential election, Aftermath
Kolelas said on 6 April that he accepted the decision of the Constitutional Court validating Sassou Nguesso's re-election, although he maintained that it was "questionable". He urged Sassou Nguesso "to be humble in victory because this election has been marred by all sorts of irregularities".


2016 Republic of the Congo presidential election, Aftermath
Sassou Nguesso was sworn in as President at a ceremony in Brazzaville on 16 April 2016. He appointed Clément Mouamba, who had once been a leading member of UPADS, as Prime Minister on 23 April. Mouamba, who served as Minister of Finance in the early 1990s, broke with his party in the period preceding the 2015 constitutional referendum, choosing to take part in a government-sponsored dialogue, which the opposition boycotted, on the question of changing the constitution.


2016 Republican National Convention
The 2016 Republican National Convention, in which delegates of the United States Republican Party chose the party's nominees for president and vice president in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, was held July 18–21, 2016, at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. The event marked the third time Cleveland has hosted the Republican National Convention and the first since 1936. In addition to determining the party's national ticket, the convention ratified the party platform.


2016 Republican National Convention
There were 2,472 delegates to the Republican National Convention, with a simple majority of 1,237 required to win the presidential nomination. Most of those delegates were bound for the first ballot of the convention based on the results of the 2016 Republican presidential primaries. On July 19, 2016, the convention formally nominated Donald Trump for president and Indiana Governor Mike Pence for vice president. Trump and Pence went on to win the general election, defeating the Democratic ticket of Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine.


2016 Republican National Convention, Background
In 2016, both the Democratic and Republican conventions were held before the Summer Olympics instead of after, as was the case in 2008 and 2012. One reason the Republican Party scheduled their convention in July was to help avoid a longer, drawn-out primary battle similar to what happened in 2012, which left the party fractured heading into the general election and eventually led to Mitt Romney losing the election to Barack Obama. The Democratic Party then followed suit, scheduling their convention in Philadelphia the week after the Republicans' convention, to provide a quicker response.


2016 Republican National Convention, Background
On May 3, Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus declared Donald Trump the presumptive nominee after Texas senator Ted Cruz dropped out of the race. The next day, Ohio Governor John Kasich suspended his campaign, effectively making Trump the presumptive Republican presidential nominee. Trump was the first presidential nominee of a major party since Wendell Willkie, the Republican candidate in 1940, who has held neither political office nor a high military rank prior to his nomination.


2016 Republican National Convention, Background
He was also the first presidential nominee of a major party without political experience since General Dwight D. Eisenhower first captured the Republican presidential nomination in 1952. This was the first Republican National Convention to be held entirely in July since 1980. Twitter and CBS News live streamed the convention via Twitter.


2016 Republican National Convention, Background, Selection
On April 2, 2014, the Republican National Committee announced that Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Kansas City and Las Vegas  were the finalists for hosting the convention. In late June 2014, Cleveland and Dallas were announced as the final two contenders to be the host city. Cleveland was selected on July 8, 2014.


2016 Republican National Convention, Background, Host Committee
The 2016 Cleveland Host Committee, an Ohio nonprofit corporation with no political affiliation, was the official and federally designated Presidential Convention Host Committee for the convention. It is responsible for "organizing, hosting and funding" the convention; it also aims "to promote Northeast Ohio and ensure Cleveland is best represented, and to lessen the burden of local governments in hosting the 2016 Republican National Convention". The Host Committee is composed of prominent Ohio business executives, civic leaders, and other community leaders.


2016 Republican National Convention, Background, Host Committee
David Gilbert, CEO of Destination Cleveland and the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission, is the President and CEO of the host committee. Organizers have found it hard to raise the money needed to put on the convention, which is normally supported by corporate donations. Corporations that donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to the 2012 convention but nothing in 2016 include JPMorgan Chase, General Electric, Ford Motor Company, Motorola Solutions and Amgen.


2016 Republican National Convention, Background, Host Committee
Reluctance to be associated with Trump, or concern that the convention might be disrupted by floor fights or violence, were sometimes cited as factors in the decision to withhold funds. In July as the convention got under way, the Cleveland Host Committee said it had raised $58 million of its $64 million goal. They asked billionaire Sheldon Adelson, who often contributes to Republicans, to make up the $6 million shortfall.


2016 Republican National Convention, Background, Host Committee
Quicken Loans Arena was selected in July 2014 as the host site for the 2016 Republican National Convention. The arena hosted the first Republican presidential debate of the 2016 election, aired by Fox News Channel, on August 6, 2015. The convention was held July 18–21, 2016.


2016 Republican National Convention, Background, Host Committee
The Cleveland 2016 Host Committee, who "facilitated construction of the 'cloakroom" space' for Republican lawmakers, which consisted of an "exclusive office, lounge and gathering space" built on the Cleveland Cavaliers practice court, received $923,100 from the Friends of the House 2016 LLC". Bank records obtained by the Center for Public Integrity show that Comcast, Microsoft, the American Petroleum Institute, Chevron, Koch Companies Public Sector, PhRMA, and other trade and lobby groups "funded a limited liability company called 'Friends of the House 2016 LLC' to pay for the 'cloakroom.'


2016 Republican National Convention, Background, Security arrangements and planning
The convention is designated as a National Special Security Event, meaning that ultimate authority over law enforcement goes to the Secret Service and Department of Homeland Security.


2016 Republican National Convention, Background, Security arrangements and planning
A highly publicized online petition by gun activists to allow the open carry of guns inside Quicken Loans Arena garnered 45,000 signatures; however, the Secret Service, which is in charge of convention security, announced that it would not allow guns in the arena (or the small "secure zone" immediately outside it) during the event, releasing a statement in late March 2016 saying: "Individuals determined to be carrying firearms will not be allowed past a predetermined outer perimeter checkpoint, regardless of whether they possess a ticket to the event." The Secret Service has the authority to restrict guns, firearms or other weapons from entering any site where it is protecting an individual.


2016 Republican National Convention, Background, Security arrangements and planning
The Cleveland Police Department received $50 million in federal grants to support local police operations during the event. With this grant money, the City of Cleveland sought to purchase over 2,000 riot control personnel gear sets prior to the convention for $20 million, and the remaining $30 million is expected to go to personnel expenses.


2016 Republican National Convention, Background, Security arrangements and planning
Items such as water guns, swords, tennis balls and coolers have been banned by the City of Cleveland from the 1.7-square-mile "event zone" outside the convention hall by the City of Cleveland, but because of a statewide open-carry law permitting the open carrying of guns, firearms are permitted. The Cleveland chapter of the NAACP raised concerns in March 2016 in a letter to city and county leaders about security at the convention, writing that police were unprepared for a "possible mix of protesters and demonstrators brandishing guns."


2016 Republican National Convention, Background, Security arrangements and planning
The Cleveland Police Union also raised concerns similar to those raised by the local NAACP in March, writing that equipment and training for police was behind schedule. On July 16—the eve of the convention—the Cleveland Police Union asked Governor John Kasich to temporarily suspend Ohio's state open-carry gun law so as to block the carrying of guns within the event zone, but Kasich rejected the request, writing: "Ohio governors do not have the power to arbitrarily suspend federal and state constitutional rights or state laws as suggested."


2016 Republican National Convention, Background, Security arrangements and planning
Before the convention there were a number of online phishing expeditions that may have been hackers looking for weak spots in the convention's network. The computer network of the Democratic National Committee had already been penetrated by hackers linked with the Russian government, compromising, among other things, the database of opposition research on Trump. On July 17, 2016, The New York Times reported that "Cleveland has assigned about 500 police officers specifically to handle the convention and it has brought in thousands more officers to help, from departments as distant as California and Texas."


2016 Republican National Convention, Background, Protest planning
The Los Angeles Times wrote at the end of March 2016 that fears of a turbulent and volatile convention atmosphere were heightened because of a variety of factors: "a city scarred by controversial police shootings and simmering with racial tension; a candidate [Trump] who has threatened that his supporters will riot if he comes with the most delegates but leaves without the nomination; and a police force with a reputation for brutality."


2016 Republican National Convention, Background, Protest planning
Concerns specifically focused on the ability of the Cleveland Police Department to handle protests in the wake of the Tamir Rice and Michael Brelo cases, and a 2014 Department of Justice investigation that criticized the police department for having a pattern or practice of using "unreasonable and unnecessary force." Left-wing activists have been preparing for the convention since it was announced in 2014.


2016 Republican National Convention, Background, Protest planning
In May 2016, the American Civil Liberties Union threatened to file a lawsuit on behalf of two activist groups, Citizens for Trump and a progressive group called Organize Ohio, asserting that protesters were being inhibited in their attempts to organize effectively by the city's delay in granting permits. As of May 19, six groups had filed for permits, but none had been granted. Cleveland stalled on approving and making public the demonstration applications it received, while Philadelphia (hosting the 2016 Democratic National Convention) had already granted an application.


2016 Republican National Convention, Background, Protest planning
The ACLU sued the city in federal district court on June 14, 2016. As of May 20, 2016, groups that have filed for protest permits have included the AIDS Healthcare Foundation; Global Zero; Organize Ohio, a group of progressive activists; the Citizens for Trump/Our Votes Matter March; Coalition to March on the RNC and Dump Trump; Stand Together Against Trump, an anti-Donald Trump group; People's Fightback Center/March Against Racism; and Created Equal, an anti-abortion group. A pro-Trump group, Trump March RNC, withdrew its application after Trump became the presumptive nominee.


2016 Republican National Convention, Background, Attendance and officials skipping convention
As Trump rose to become the presumptive presidential nominee of the Republican Party, a number of prominent Republicans announced they would not attend the convention. Of the living former Republican nominees for president, only 1996 nominee Bob Dole announced that he would attend the convention; Romney, John McCain, George W. Bush and George H. W. Bush all announced that they would skip the convention.


2016 Republican National Convention, Background, Attendance and officials skipping convention
A number of Republican Governors, U.S. Representatives and U.S. Senators, particularly those facing difficult reelection campaigns, also indicated that they would not attend, seeking to distance themselves from Trump and spend more time with voters in their home states. Most notably, Governor Kasich chose to avoid the convention, while Ohio Senator Rob Portman attended the convention but avoided taking a major role in its proceedings. On July 8, 2016, Nebraska Senator Ben Sasse announced that he would not attend the convention. Many Republican senators did not attend the convention at all: Senator Steve Daines of Montana, who would be "fly-fishing with his wife"; Senator Jeff Flake of Arizona, who said he had "to mow his lawn"; and Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, who would be traveling in Alaska by bush plane.


2016 Republican National Convention, Background, Attendance and officials skipping convention
A number of prominent businesses and trade groups, including Coca-Cola, Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard, scaled back participation in the convention, sharply reducing their contributions for convention events and sponsorship. In June, six major companies that sponsored the 2012 Republican convention—Wells Fargo, UPS, Motorola, JPMorgan Chase, Ford and Walgreens Boots—announced they would not sponsor the 2016 Republican convention. Apple Inc. followed suit, announcing that it, too, would be withdrawing funding from the convention over Trump's position on certain election issues.


2016 Republican National Convention, Background, Seating assignments
Seating arrangements for state and territorial delegations were announced on July 16, two days before the convention began. The Ohio and Texas delegations were assigned to the back of the convention hall, a move viewed as punishment for the delegations, as they did not back Trump in their respective primaries (Ohio and Texas voted for Kasich and Cruz, respectively).


2016 Republican National Convention, Convention committees and meetings before the Convention
There are four Convention committees, which met ahead of the convention for specific purposes under the rules of the Republican Party. Each committee is composed of one man and one woman from each state, the five U.S. territories, and the District of Columbia, totaling 112 members. Those committee members are selected by the 56 delegations, which determine on their own how to choose their representatives on each committee. Each of the committees met the week before the convention at the Huntington Convention Center in Cleveland. The committees are as follows:


2016 Republican National Convention, Convention committees and meetings before the Convention, Committee on Rules and Order of Business (or Rules Committee)
The Rules Committee, which sets the rules of the convention and the standing rules that govern the party until the next convention, met on July 14. The rules it passes must be adopted by the full convention to take effect. This committee is regarded as the most powerful. It consists of 112 members, including one male delegate and one female delegate from each state, territory and Washington, D.C. Members of this committee are elected at state conventions. The Rules Committee was chaired by Enid Mickelsen of Utah and Ron Kaufman of Massachusetts.


2016 Republican National Convention, Convention committees and meetings before the Convention, Committee on Rules and Order of Business (or Rules Committee)
In June 2016, activists Eric O'Keefe and Dane Waters formed a group called Delegates Unbound, which CNN described as "an effort to convince delegates that they have the authority and the ability to vote for whomever they want." Republican delegate Kendal Unruh led an effort among other Republican delegates to change the convention rules "to include a 'conscience clause' that would allow delegates bound to Trump to vote against him, even on the first ballot at the July convention."


2016 Republican National Convention, Convention committees and meetings before the Convention, Committee on Rules and Order of Business (or Rules Committee)
Following a "marathon 15-hour meeting" on July 14, 2016, the Rules Committee voted down, by a vote of 84–21, a move to send a "minority report" to the floor allowing the unbinding of delegates, thereby guaranteeing Trump's nomination. The committee then made the opposite move, voting 87–12 to include rules language specifically stating that delegates were required to vote based on their states' primary and caucus results.


2016 Republican National Convention, Convention committees and meetings before the Convention, Committee on Rules and Order of Business (or Rules Committee)
By a unanimous vote, the Rules Committee also voted to change Rule 40(b), a controversial rule that had provided that "a candidate had to win a majority of the vote in eight states to have his or her name placed into nomination at the convention." The committee voted to return to the pre-2012 rule, which required a candidate to receive only a plurality of the vote in at least five states to have his or her name placed in nomination.


2016 Republican National Convention, Convention committees and meetings before the Convention, Platform Committee
The Platform Committee met for two days of open hearings on July 11 and 12 to draft a party platform, which had to be ratified by the full convention. (See Platform below). The Platform Committee was chaired by Senator John Barrasso of Wyoming and co-chaired by Congresswoman Virginia Foxx of North Carolina and Governor Mary Fallin of Oklahoma.


2016 Republican National Convention, Convention committees and meetings before the Convention, Credentials Committee
The Credentials Committee handles disputes on the eligibility of convention delegates. The Committee on Contests reviews contested delegates; if the Contests Committee recommends that a delegate be de-certified, the Credentials Committee considers the recommendation. The Rule Committee was chaired by Mike Duncan, former chairman of the Republican National Committee, and co-chaired by Arkansas Republican Party chairman Doyle Webb.


2016 Republican National Convention, Convention committees and meetings before the Convention, Committee on Arrangements
The Committee on Arrangements handles the scheduling and logistics of the convention. The committee was chaired by Steve King, former chairman of the Republican Party of Wisconsin.


2016 Republican National Convention, Platform, Platform Committee debate and provisions
On July 12, 2016, the Republican Platform Committee completed work on a draft of the party's 2016 platform. The draft platform was described as "very conservative" and reflective of the party's move towards the right.


2016 Republican National Convention, Platform, Platform Committee debate and provisions
On domestic policy, the draft platform opposed abortion without exceptions. The platform committee adopted a provision, proposed by Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, expressing opposition to any restriction on magazine capacity in firearms. The platform called for "certain federally controlled public lands" to be immediately transferred to state ownership where they could be privatized. The platform did not specify whether the lands would include national parks, national forests, or wilderness areas. The platform called internet pornography "a public health crisis that is destroying the life of millions" and encouraged states to fight it. The platform also called for the teaching of the Bible in public schools.


2016 Republican National Convention, Platform, Platform Committee debate and provisions
On foreign policy, the members of the platform committee were split between "libertarian-minded isolationists" and "national security hawks." The latter camp won on almost every point, voting down measures that would have condemned ongoing U.S. involvement in Middle Eastern wars and approving language promoting increased military spending. One plank reflected a more isolationist approach, eliminating references to giving weapons to Ukraine in its fight with Russia and rebel forces; the removal of this language reportedly resulted from intervention from staffers to presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. The draft platform opposed a two-state solution to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.


2016 Republican National Convention, Platform, Platform Committee debate and provisions
While the 2012 Republican platform called for passage of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), the draft 2016 platform did not mention the agreement; this omission reflected the influence of Trump, who opposed the trade pact. The draft platform expressly echoed Trump's call for a wall to be built on the U.S.-Mexico border.


2016 Republican National Convention, Platform, Platform Committee debate and provisions
The most contentious discussions held by the platform committee were discussions of social issues, particularly issues of sexuality and gender. The draft platform took a traditionalist view on social issues, criticizing "how the modern American family has evolved". Many platform planks expressing "disapproval of homosexuality, same-sex marriage or transgender rights"—championed by Tony Perkins, the president of the Family Research Council—passed. The draft platform called for overturning Obergefell v. Hodges, the Supreme Court decision on same-sex marriage, by a constitutional amendment. The platform also called for the appointment of judges "who respect traditional family values".


2016 Republican National Convention, Platform, Platform Committee debate and provisions
The draft platform promoted state legislation to limit restroom access to persons of the same biological sex. It also stated that "natural marriage" is between a man and a woman, asserting that such unions are best for children. The draft platform also expressed support for allowing parents to seek "the proper medical treatment and therapy for their minor children"; this language was believed to allude to parental freedom to engage in sexual orientation change efforts with their minor children.


2016 Republican National Convention, Platform, Platform Committee debate and provisions
Rachel Hoff, a District of Columbia delegate who is the first openly gay member of a Republican platform committee, offered several pro-LGBT platform amendments. Each proposal failed. Hoff's proposal for language "stating that marriage is a fundamentally important institution and that 'there are diverse and sincerely held views on marriage' within the party" failed in an unofficial vote of 30 to 82. An amendment was also offered to recognize that gay people are targeted by ISIL; the delegates who introduced this amendment sought to signal inclusion of the gay community. The amendment was opposed by conservative delegates (such as Jim Bopp of Indiana, who termed such an amendment "identity politics") and was voted down.


2016 Republican National Convention, Platform, Adoption of platform by convention
The 2016 Republican Party platform submitted by the Platform Committee was adopted by the Convention on July 18, 2016.


2016 Republican National Convention, Platform, Adoption of platform by convention
Giovanni Cicione of Rhode Island, a platform committee member, led "a dissident group of Republican delegates" who opposed the provisions of the draft platform relating to sexuality and gender and sought to replace the entire platform with a two-page "statement of principles" that avoided controversial issues like same-sex marriage. Cicione tried to force a debate and vote on the platform from the floor of the convention. Cicione's effort was unsuccessful; the delegates approved the platform by voice vote, with only a few scattered "nays" audible.


2016 Republican National Convention, Convention, Floor fight over rules
After the Indiana primary on May 3, 2016, Donald Trump became the presumptive nominee as the lone remaining Republican candidate running for the Republican nomination. Under rules established by previous Republican conventions, most delegates were bound on the first ballot according to the results of the primaries. A simple majority of 1,237 delegates was needed to win the nomination. Entering the convention, Trump was seen as the presumptive nominee and had the support of a comfortable majority of the delegates.


2016 Republican National Convention, Convention, Floor fight over rules
On the afternoon of July 18, 2016, a group of delegates sought to force a roll-call vote on the proposed convention rules package adopted by the Rules Committee. Some who demanded a roll call vote sought to change the party rules package to "unbind" delegates so that on the first ballot, delegates could "vote their conscience" and conceivably block Trump from being nominated on the first ballot; such a move would also "allow Trump opponents a platform to argue against" Trump. Others demanding a roll call vote were seeking to reform party rules to decentralize power from the RNC and make changes for the 2020 primary process.


2016 Republican National Convention, Convention, Floor fight over rules
That morning, a petition for a roll call vote was submitted with the signatures of a majority of delegates from ten states. That afternoon, the Presiding Officer, Rep. Steve Womack of Arkansas, did not recognize delegates clamoring for recognition over the rules package for the convention. Womack first declared the previous question was ordered by unanimous consent despite loud cries of objection. The rules were then adopted by voice vote, prompting loud cries of protest from delegates demanding recognition for a roll-call vote.


2016 Republican National Convention, Convention, Floor fight over rules
Finally, Womack declared that a Reconsideration of a motion was laid upon the table by unanimous consent, again to cries of objection. With loud cries throughout the convention hall, Womack abandoned the podium for several minutes, allowing RNC and Trump whips to work the floor and collect withdrawal signatures from the petition for a roll call vote. Womack then reappeared and, again using unanimous consent, stated he would put the question of adopting the rules to the convention for a voice vote a second time. A second voice vote was taken.


2016 Republican National Convention, Convention, Floor fight over rules
Womack then recognized the leader of the Utah delegation, who requested a roll call vote. Womack denied the motion, ruling that there were insufficient signatures to compel such a vote, and announcing that while there had initially appeared to be nine state delegations that agreed to the roll-call vote, enough signatures had since been withdrawn to cause three states to fall below the threshold, thus missing the required seven states needed. It was reported that Trump campaign aides and RNC staff worked on the floor to persuade delegates to withdraw their support and "challenged the validity of various signatures."


2016 Republican National Convention, Convention, Floor fight over rules
Delegates, including Senator Mike Lee of Utah, sought recognition and repeatedly called for a point of order, but were ignored by Womack, and reportedly had their microphones turned off. Lee said he had "never seen anything like this" after Womack declined to recognize their objections and walked off the stage, and Ken Cuccinelli, the Virginia delegation chairman, said the RNC "cheated" and "violate[d] their own rules." The process prompted the Colorado delegation to walk out in protest.


2016 Republican National Convention, Convention, Nominations and balloting
Jeff Sessions, U.S. Senator from Alabama, formally nominated Trump for president, with Chris Collins, U.S. Representative from New York, and Henry McMaster, Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina, seconding the nomination. Trump won the presidential nomination on July 19, 2016 on the first ballot with 69.8% of the delegates, the lowest percentage of delegates won by the Republican nominee since the 1976 Republican National Convention. The vice presidential nomination was held immediately after the presidential nomination. Eric Holcomb, the Lieutenant Governor of Indiana, nominated Indiana Governor Mike Pence for vice president. Trump had announced his choice of Pence as his preferred running mate the weekend before the start of the convention. Pence won the vice presidential nomination by acclamation.


2016 Republican National Convention, Convention, Nominations and balloting
All of the delegates from Iowa, Alaska, Utah and the District of Columbia were recorded and counted for Trump, despite the fact that Trump lost all three contests, and most of the members of those delegations had voted for other candidates.


2016 Republican National Convention, Convention, Nominations and balloting
The Alaska delegation challenged the award of votes to Trump by the RNC Secretary and the Utah delegation booed when its delegates were awarded to Trump, but was reminded by the RNC Chairman that the rules for these two states required the votes to be awarded to whichever candidate was still in the race for the RNC Nomination for President, and that Cruz, Rubio, and the other candidates that had withdrawn from the race had forfeited these delegates based on the RNC nomination rules.


2016 Republican National Convention, Convention speakers, Planning and invitations
In April 2016, Trump vowed to bring "some showbiz" to the convention, criticizing the party's 2012 convention in Tampa, Florida, as "the single most boring convention I've ever seen." The convention's lineup of speakers lacked "many of the party's rising stars" and rather featured some of Trump's "eclectic collection of friends, celebrities and relatives." Politico reported that Trump was directly involved in details of convention plans, seeking "to maximize the drama and spectacle" of the four-night event.


2016 Republican National Convention, Convention speakers, Planning and invitations
A large number of prominent Republican elected officials said they were not interested in attending the convention or even speaking at it, seeking to distance themselves from Trump. The Trump campaign considered the idea of having Trump speak all four nights at the convention – a break from the traditional practice of the presidential nominee taking the stage only on the final night of the convention. Ultimately, Trump decided not to speak every night.


2016 Republican National Convention, Convention speakers, Planning and invitations
Trump also initially stated that he would announce his vice-presidential running mate at the convention itself, rather than before the convention, with a campaign staffer saying that "announcing the vice-presidential nominee before the convention is like announcing the winner of Celebrity Apprentice before the final episode is on the air." Trump's campaign eventually announced plans to announce a running mate the week before the convention and named Mike Pence as his running mate on July 15, 2016.


2016 Republican National Convention, Convention speakers, Planning and invitations
A number of figures that Trump said he would invite to speak, including boxing promoter Don King, former Alaska governor Sarah Palin and New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, were not included in the lineup. Trump wanted King to speak at the convention and raised the issue several times, reportedly until Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus "firmly explained" to Trump that King should not be invited due to his past manslaughter conviction. Former Chicago Bears coach Mike Ditka, a Trump supporter, declined an invitation to speak.


2016 Republican National Convention, Convention speakers, Planning and invitations
An early roster of speakers obtained by the media listed former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow as a speaker, but Tebow later dismissed this as a rumor and did not appear at the convention. Haskel Lookstein, a prominent Orthodox rabbi, was initially set to appear at the convention to deliver the opening prayer (having accepted an invitation to do so from Ivanka Trump, a congregant), but after hundreds of American Modern Orthodox Jews urged him to withdraw from the convention, Lookstein pulled out.


2016 Republican National Convention, Convention speakers, Planning and invitations
Trump sought to bar those who have not endorsed him from addressing the convention, making comments aimed at the former primary rivals who have declined to endorse him – Bush, Carly Fiorina, Lindsey Graham and George Pataki. However, both Senator Marco Rubio of Florida and Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, who ran against Trump for the Republican nomination and lost, were eventually placed on the speakers' schedule, although "neither ... paid the expected price of that spotlight by offering an explicit endorsement." Cruz met with Trump two weeks before the convention and accepted an invitation to speak. Rubio was initially not offered a speaking slot and was expected to skip the convention, but on July 17, 2016, it was confirmed that Rubio would address the convention via recorded video. Neither Rubio nor Cruz were listed as "headliner" speakers.


2016 Republican National Convention, Convention speakers, Planning and invitations
Governor Kasich did not enter the convention hall or speak at the convention, despite overtures from Trump allies Priebus and Newt Gingrich – who, along with Chris Christie, lost the running mate job to Pence – and top Trump campaign advisor Paul Manafort. Kasich said: "If I'm going to show up at the convention and I'm not going to be saying all these great things about the host, then I think it's inappropriate. I don't think that's the right thing to do." Kasich attended events outside the convention hall in support of down-ballot Republican candidates.


2016 Republican National Convention, Convention speakers, Planning and invitations
As the convention began, the Trump campaign lashed out at Kasich for his failure to endorse, prompting an exchange that The New York Times called "remarkably bitter" and "the latest extraordinary turn in a campaign that has veered sharply away from political precedent." Manafort called Kasich "petulant" and accused him of "embarrassing his party," prompting Kasich chief political aide John Weaver to mock Trump and criticize Manafort for his work on behalf of foreign "thugs and autocrats" abroad.


2016 Republican National Convention, Convention speakers, Schedule
On July 17, 2016, the convention planners released the convention's official schedule of events and speakers, along with themes. (An early, preliminary roster of speakers, "confirmed by two people with direct knowledge of the convention planning," had been obtained and published by the New York Times several days earlier.) The schedule of speakers is as follows:


2016 Republican National Convention, Convention speakers, Schedule
Republican candidate in the 2016 United States Senate election in Colorado


2016 Republican National Convention, Convention speakers, Schedule
Republican nominee for Vice President in the 2012 Presidential Election


2016 Republican National Convention, Convention speakers, Schedule
Republican nominee for Vice President in the 2016 Presidential Election


2016 Republican National Convention, Convention speakers, Schedule
Of the 19 speakers billed as "headliners," six are members of the Trump family: Trump himself, his wife Melania and four of his children, Ivanka, Don Jr., Eric and Tiffany.


2016 Republican National Convention, Convention speakers, Notable speeches, Melania Trump's speech and plagiarism controversy
From a young age, my parents impressed on me the values that you work hard for what you want in life: that your word is your bond and you do what you say and keep your promise; that you treat people with respect."


2016 Republican National Convention, Convention speakers, Notable speeches, Melania Trump's speech and plagiarism controversy
Melania Trump's speech "almost immediately came under scrutiny when striking similarities were discovered between her speech" and Michelle Obama's speech at the 2008 Democratic National Convention. The Trump campaign at first denied allegations of plagiarism. Campaign manager Paul Manafort argued that the speech contained "not that many similarities" and the words used are not unique words "that belong to the Obamas."


2016 Republican National Convention, Convention speakers, Notable speeches, Melania Trump's speech and plagiarism controversy
Following Mrs. Trump's speech, various media outlets reported similarities as alleged plagiarism. Chris Harrick, Vice President of Marketing at the plagiarism prevention service Turnitin, discovered that Trump used about 6% of Michelle Obama's words and found two types of plagiarism, "clone" and "find and replace".


2016 Republican National Convention, Convention speakers, Notable speeches, Melania Trump's speech and plagiarism controversy
Various media outlets suggested that members of Donald Trump's presidential campaign should respond to the accusations, which they did a few hours after the speech in the form of the following statement by the campaign's senior communications advisor, Jason Miller: "In writing [the] speech, Melania's team of writers took notes on her life's inspirations, and in some instances included fragments that reflected her own thinking. Melania's immigrant experience and love for America shone through in her speech, which made it a success."


2016 Republican National Convention, Convention speakers, Notable speeches, Melania Trump's speech and plagiarism controversy
Reince Priebus, chairman of the Republican National Committee, described the speech as "inspirational" but said if plagiarism were found, he thought "it certainly seems reasonable" to fire the person who wrote the speech. Paul Manafort, Donald Trump's campaign chairman, called it a "great speech" and said "obviously Michelle Obama feels very similar sentiments toward her family". He later said "to think that she would be cribbing Michelle Obama's words is crazy", adding "This is once again an example of when a woman threatens Hillary Clinton, she seeks out to demean her and take her down. It's not going to work against Melania Trump." Sean Spicer, director of communications for the Republican National Committee, defended the speech by saying that similar statements have existed before her speech such as quotes by John Legend, Kid Rock, and Twilight Sparkle from My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.


2016 Republican National Convention, Convention speakers, Notable speeches, Melania Trump's speech and plagiarism controversy
David Lauter of the Los Angeles Times stated that while these allegations are unlikely to cost Trump votes, the distraction is unhelpful, referring to it as a "lost opportunity" for the campaign.


2016 Republican National Convention, Convention speakers, Notable speeches, Melania Trump's speech and plagiarism controversy
On July 20, 2016, the Trump campaign issued a statement by Meredith McIver which included the following:


2016 Republican National Convention, Convention speakers, Notable speeches, Melania Trump's speech and plagiarism controversy
In working with Melania on her recent first lady speech, we discussed many people who inspired her and messages she wanted to share with the American people. A person she has always liked is Michelle Obama. Over the phone, she read me some passages from Mrs. Obama's speech as examples. I wrote them down and later included some of the phrasing in the draft that ultimately became the final speech.


2016 Republican National Convention, Convention speakers, Notable speeches, Melania Trump's speech and plagiarism controversy
On July 20, two days after Melania's speech, McIver wrote that Donald Trump declined her offer to resign.


2016 Republican National Convention, Convention speakers, Notable speeches, Chris Christie's speech
In the second night of the convention, Governor Chris Christie gave a speech in a style of a mock trial. After a series of accusations against Hillary Clinton to which his audience responded "guilty", the crowd chanted "lock her up". The crowd's reaction has received widespread coverage following the speech. The "lock her up" chant was later uttered by supporters of Bernie Sanders before the 2016 Democratic National Convention. Clinton responded to the chant in an interview on 60 Minutes by saying that it saddened her.


2016 Republican National Convention, Convention speakers, Notable speeches, Ted Cruz's speech
If you love our country, and love our children as much as you do, stand, and speak, and vote your conscience, vote for candidates up and down the ticket who you trust to defend our freedom, and to be faithful to the constitution."


2016 Republican National Convention, Convention speakers, Notable speeches, Ted Cruz's speech
In the third night of the convention, Senator Ted Cruz of Texas gave a speech in which he did not endorse Trump for president, and instead urged listeners to "vote your conscience, vote for candidates up and down the ticket who you trust to defend our freedom and to be faithful to the Constitution." Pro-Trump delegates were enraged at Cruz's speech, shouting him down and booing him off the stage, in what was described by the New York Times as "the most electric moment of the convention."


2016 Republican National Convention, Convention speakers, Notable speeches, Ted Cruz's speech
Convention security personnel and Cruz advisor Ken Cuccinelli escorted Cruz's wife Heidi out of the hall, fearing for her safety. Newt Gingrich spoke after Cruz and said: "I had the text of what Ted Cruz was gonna say, and I thought it was funny," Gingrich said. "I mean, Ted gets up and he says, 'Look, vote your conscience for someone who will support the Constitution.' Well, in this particular election year, that by definition cannot be for Hillary Clinton." The following morning, Cruz attended a contentious meeting with delegates representing Texas that resulted in what CNN labeled "a remarkable 25-minute back-and-forth with his own constituents, defying appeals from his own Texas delegation to put the party above his inhibitions and back Trump."


2016 Republican National Convention, Convention speakers, Notable speeches, Ted Cruz's speech
Cruz's speech sparked a backlash and elicited negative reactions from prominent Republicans supporting Trump. New Jersey governor and former presidential candidate Chris Christie called the speech "awful" and "selfish." New York Representative Peter T. King called Cruz a "fraud" and a "self-centered liar." Senator Dan Coats of Indiana responded that Cruz was a "self-centered, narcissistic, pathological liar."


2016 Republican National Convention, Convention speakers, Notable speeches, Ted Cruz's speech
Representative Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, when asked about Cruz's speech, responded that she "would tell [Cruz] the same thing I would tell my kids, 'get over yourself.'" Susan Hutchison, chair of the Washington State Republican Party, confronted Cruz after his speech and labeled Cruz a "traitor to the party." In addition, Cruz was denied entry to influential Republican donor Sheldon Adelson's suite at the convention.


2016 Republican National Convention, Convention speakers, Notable speeches, Ted Cruz's speech
Conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh speculated that Cruz was trying to mimic Ronald Reagan's speech at the 1976 Republican National Convention, in that "he wanted to deliver a speech that was Reaganesque in that the delegates would walk out of there thinking that they should have nominated him. He didn't get there." Instead, Limbaugh compared his speech to Ted Kennedy's at the 1980 Democratic National Convention, in which he failed to endorse President Jimmy Carter, the nominee, by putting his own interests ahead of the interests of the party.


2016 Republican National Convention, Convention speakers, Notable speeches, Ted Cruz's speech
According to CNN, in the wake of Cruz's non-endorsement of Trump at the RNC, his critics believe that an intraparty challenge could be possible. GOP donors and Texas politicians have asked Representative Mike McCaul to run against him in the next cycle's Texas primary in 2018. McCaul, a representative for six terms and chair of the House Homeland Security Committee, has not yet made a decision but likewise has not yet ruled out a possible Senate run. Later, on September 23, 2016, Cruz publicly endorsed Trump for president.


2016 Republican National Convention, Convention speakers, Notable speeches, Peter Thiel's speech
Instead of going to Mars, we invaded the Middle East. … It's time to end the era of stupid wars and rebuild our country. When I was a kid, the great debate was about how to defeat the Soviet Union, and we won. Now we are told that the great debate is about who gets to use which bathroom. This is a distraction from our real problems. Who cares?


2016 Republican National Convention, Convention speakers, Notable speeches, Peter Thiel's speech
Peter Thiel, a billionaire PayPal co-founder and Silicon Valley investor, delivered a manifesto for tackling the greater issues of the day, focusing on technology, the economy and small government. Thiel also affirmed his pride to be "gay, a Republican and most of all an American", a stance that earned him a standing ovation, chanting "USA!". It was the first time in the history of Republican National Conventions that a speaker identified himself as gay in his speech, although there have been previous speeches by gay men.


2016 Republican National Convention, Convention speakers, Notable speeches, Donald Trump's speech
Trump, having been formally nominated as the Republican presidential nominee on the second night of the convention, spoke on the fourth and final night of the convention. Trump's speech was leaked hours in advance by Correct the Record, a liberal-leaning Super PAC, though Trump had already given copies of his speech to the network press pool. Trump's daughter, Ivanka Trump, introduced Trump in a speech immediately before his own speech. "Here Comes the Sun" was used as the entrance music for Ivanka Trump. The George Harrison estate complained about the use of this song, which his family said was "offensive and against the wishes of the George Harrison estate."


2016 Republican National Convention, Convention speakers, Notable speeches, Donald Trump's speech
Trump spoke for 75 minutes, making his speech the longest since at least the 1972 Republican National Convention and one of the longest acceptance speeches ever in major-party convention history. In his speech, Trump stated that America faces a "crisis" due to "attacks on our police" and "terrorism in our cities," and emphasized an important theme in his campaign: law and order.


2016 Republican National Convention, Convention speakers, Notable speeches, Donald Trump's speech
In evaluating the speech, Glenn Thrush of Politico noted the influence of Richard Nixon, Spiro Agnew, Ronald Reagan, and Rudy Giuliani, all of whom sounded similar themes earlier in American history in attempts to win over the "Silent Majority". Trump also promised to limit American participation in global crises and trade deals. When Trump turned to the subject of illegal immigration, many in the audience began shouting "Build the wall, build the wall," referring to a signature promise of Trump's campaign to build a wall on the Mexico–United States border.


2016 Republican National Convention, Convention speakers, Notable speeches, Donald Trump's speech
Trump also repeatedly attacked President Barack Obama and the Democratic presumptive nominee, Hillary Clinton, arguing that the country and world had become less safe during their time in office. However, Trump attempted to reach out to supporters of defeated Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders, as well as down-and-out urbanites. In his speech, Trump also became the first Republican nominee to mention the LGBT community in a GOP nomination address, saying, "As your president, I will do everything in my power to protect our LGBTQ citizens from the violence and oppression of a hateful foreign ideology."


2016 Republican National Convention, Convention speakers, Notable speeches, Donald Trump's speech
Philip Rucker and David Fahrenthold of the Washington Post found Trump's speech to be "relentlessly gloomy," and observed that Trump painted himself as an agent of change, while he cast Clinton as a defender of the status quo. Trump's speech was variously dubbed the "Mourning in America" speech and the "Evening in America" speech in reference to Ronald Reagan's more optimistic "Morning in America" campaign ad. Niall Stanage of The Hill argued that Trump's speech brought stability to a turbulent convention and showed Trump at his "most comfortable and energized."


2016 Republican National Convention, Convention speakers, Notable speeches, Donald Trump's speech
A Politico poll found largely positive reactions among "GOP political insiders" while Democrats argued that Trump's "dark" speech would prove damaging. The New York Post released a cover story the next day by Michael Goodwin praising Trump's speech, declaring it "the speech of his life," and also saying that the speech "could signal the start of an American revival." Ratings figures released by the major networks showed that approximately 32 million viewers watched Trump's speech, slightly ahead of the number that watched Mitt Romney's 2012 speech.


2016 Republican National Convention, Convention speakers, Notable speeches, Donald Trump's speech
Some LGBT advocates critiqued Trump's reference to LGBT people, on the ground that it stood in contrast to positions he had taken on LGBT issues during the campaign; activists such as Chad Griffin of the Human Rights Campaign and Rick Zbur of Equality California suggested that the statement was an attempt to turn LGBT people against Muslims and pit minority groups against each other.


2016 Republican National Convention, Convention speakers, Notable speeches, Donald Trump's speech
A Gallup survey found that 35% of Americans saw Trump's speech positively (either "excellent" or "good"), while 36% saw it negatively. According to Gallup, the speech had "the least positive reviews of any speech we have tested after the fact." 36% of Americans said the convention made them more likely to vote for Trump, while 51% said it made them less likely to vote for him. This is the highest "less likely to vote" percentage for a candidate in the 15 times Gallup has asked this question after a convention. It is also the first time in Gallup's convention polling that a Democratic or Republican convention has made more say that they are less likely to vote for the party's nominee.


2016 Republican National Convention, Convention speakers, Notable speeches, Donald Trump's speech
According to a CNN/ORC poll, the public rendered a split decision on whether the convention made them more or less likely to back Trump, with 42% saying more likely while 44% saying less so. 40% called the speech "excellent or good," and about half of voters (45%) said Trump's speech reflected the way they feel about things in the U.S. today. However, some negative numbers included the fact that 18% called Trump's speech "terrible," which was the highest number recorded in that category by CNN since it first started to ask the question in 1996.


2016 Republican National Convention, Convention speakers, Notable speeches, Donald Trump's speech
According to FiveThirtyEight, poll averages suggested a post-convention bounce of 3 to 4 percentage points for Trump.


2016 Republican National Convention, Demonstrations
The number of demonstrators was significantly lower than expected and, according to Cleveland records, three of five officially permitted protests planned for the first three days of the convention did not occur. Lower-than-expected was attributed to a variety of factors, including "fear of violence from the police and fear of violence from the Trump supporters"; Cleveland's relatively small size compared to cities such as Chicago or New York; and a heavy police presence.


2016 Republican National Convention, Demonstrations
On July 18, the convention's first day, dueling anti-Trump and pro-Trump demonstrations took place at various places in Cleveland, attracting several hundred demonstrators each. The demonstrations were peaceful, with just two reported arrests.


2016 Republican National Convention, Demonstrations
On July 19, the convention's second day, peaceful protests continued. Demonstrators included those from groups such as the antiwar organization Code Pink and from the West Ohio Minutemen, a militia group. Three people were arrested for criminal mischief for climbing flag poles and hanging a banner at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, bringing the total number of convention-related arrests to five. A brief scuffle between supporters of pro-Trump conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and anti-Trump protesters was quickly broken up by police. On July 21, the final day of the convention, Jones and Roger Stone interrupted a broadcast of Cenk Uygur's The Young Turks, leading to a confrontation between Jones, Stone, and Uygur.


2016 Republican National Convention, Demonstrations
On July 20, the convention's third day, seventeen people were arrested, and two officers sustained minor injuries. The International Business Journal reported: "News reports and videos circulated on social media about the increasingly tense nature of protests that have included activists from Black Lives Matter, the Ku Klux Klan and the Westboro Baptist Church, in addition to ardent supporters for Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton."


2016 Republican National Convention, Demonstrations
On July 21, the final day of the convention, Donald Trump's acceptance speech was briefly interrupted by Code Pink activist Medea Benjamin.


2016 Republican National Convention, Demonstrations
The demonstrations were generally peaceful. Some demonstrators expressed disappointment at the low turnout. In contrast, the 2016 Democratic National Convention saw a larger turnout and more arrests than the Republican Convention.


2016 Republican Party presidential candidates
This article contains the list of candidates associated with the 2016 Republican Party presidential primaries for the 2016 United States presidential election.


2016 Republican Party presidential candidates, Candidates
Individuals included in this section have their own Wikipedia page and either formally announced their candidacy or filed as a candidate with Federal Election Commission (FEC) (for other than exploratory purposes).


2016 Republican Party presidential candidates, Candidates, Withdrew during the primaries
The following individuals participated in at least two presidential debates. They withdrew or suspended their campaigns at some point after the Iowa caucuses on February 1, 2016. They are listed in order of exit, starting with the most recent.


2016 Republican Party presidential candidates, Candidates, Withdrew before the primaries
The following individuals participated in at least one authorized presidential debate but withdrew from the race before the Iowa caucuses on February 1, 2016. They are listed in order of exit, starting with the most recent.


2016 Republican Party presidential candidates, Candidates, Other candidates
The following notable individuals filed as candidates with FEC by November 2015.


2016 Republican Party presidential candidates, Candidates, Other candidates
Additionally, Peter Messina was on the ballot in Louisiana, New Hampshire, and Idaho. Tim Cook was on the ballot in Louisiana, New Hampshire and Arizona. Walter Iwachiw was on the ballot in Florida and New Hampshire.


2016 Republican Party presidential candidates, Candidates, Other withdrawn candidates
Individuals in this section formally announced a bid for the nomination of the Republican Party, and filed with the FEC to be a candidate, but were not featured in any major opinion polls, and were not invited to any televised presidential primary debates.


2016 Republican Party presidential candidates, Potential candidates who did not run, Previous
The following people were the focus of presidential speculation in multiple media reports during the 2016 election cycle but did not enter the race.


2016 Republican Party presidential candidates, Potential candidates who did not run, Previous
Michele BachmannU.S. Representative from Minnesota 2007–15, presidential candidate in 2012


2016 Republican Party presidential candidates, Potential candidates who did not run, Previous
Sam BrownbackGovernor of Kansas 2011–2018, presidential candidate in 2008Endorsed Marco Rubio


2016 Republican Party presidential candidates, Potential candidates who did not run, Previous
Herman CainPresident of the National Restaurant Association 1996–99; presidential candidate in 2012


2016 Republican Party presidential candidates, Potential candidates who did not run, Previous
Ken CuccinelliAttorney General of Virginia 2010–14; nominee for Governor of Virginia in 2013Endorsed Ted Cruz


2016 Republican Party presidential candidates, Potential candidates who did not run, Previous
Nikki HaleyGovernor of South Carolina from 2011 to 2017, former U.S. Ambassador to the United NationsEndorsed Marco Rubio, then Ted Cruz


2016 Republican Party presidential candidates, Potential candidates who did not run, Previous
Steve KingU.S. Representative from Iowa since 2003 Endorsed Ted Cruz


2016 Republican Party presidential candidates, Potential candidates who did not run, Previous
Ted Nugentmusician and civil liberties activist from MichiganEndorsed Donald Trump


2016 Republican Party presidential candidates, Potential candidates who did not run, Previous
Sarah PalinGovernor of Alaska 2006–09; 2008 vice-presidential nomineeEndorsed Donald Trump


2016 Republican Party presidential candidates, Potential candidates who did not run, Declined
Individuals listed in this section were the focus of media speculation as being possible 2016 presidential candidates but publicly, and unequivocally, ruled out presidential bids in 2016.


2016 Republican Party presidential candidates, Potential candidates who did not run, Declined
Marsha BlackburnU.S. Senator from Tennessee since 2019, U.S. Representative from Tennessee 2003-2019


2016 Republican Party presidential candidates, Potential candidates who did not run, Declined
Newt GingrichSpeaker of the House of Representatives 1995–99; presidential candidate in 2012


2016 Republican Party presidential candidates, Potential candidates who did not run, Declined
Jon Huntsman, Jr.United States Ambassador to China 2009–11; Governor of Utah 2005–09; presidential candidate in 2012


2016 Republican Party presidential candidates, Potential candidates who did not run, Declined
John McCainU.S. Senator from Arizona 1987–2018; presidential candidate in 2000; presidential nominee in 2008Endorsed Lindsey Graham


2016 Republican Party presidential candidates, Potential candidates who did not run, Declined
Ron PaulU.S. Representative from Texas 1976–77, 1979–85 and 1997–2013, presidential candidate in 1988, in 2008, and in 2012Endorsed Rand Paul


2016 Republican Party presidential candidates, Potential candidates who did not run, Declined
Tim PawlentyGovernor of Minnesota 2003–11, presidential candidate in 2012Endorsed Marco Rubio


2016 Republican Party presidential candidates, Potential candidates who did not run, Declined
Mike PenceGovernor of Indiana 2013-2017 vice presidential nominee for Donald Trump in 2016


2016 Republican Party presidential candidates, Potential candidates who did not run, Declined
Mitt RomneyGovernor of Massachusetts 2003–07; presidential candidate in 2008; presidential nominee in 2012


2016 Republican Party presidential candidates, Potential candidates who did not run, Declined
Paul RyanFormer U.S. Representative from Wisconsin and former Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, vice presidential nominee in 2012


2016 Republican Party presidential candidates, Potential candidates who did not run, Declined
Joe Scarboroughcable news and talk radio host, U.S. Representative from Florida 1995–2001Endorsed Jeb Bush