Elections

It shouldn't cost $6bn to stand here

The 2012 US election was the most expensive in history. We must demand better [more]

It shouldn't cost $6bn to stand here

Enjoyed Obama's inauguration speech? Now watch this ...

Congratulations, Mr President. Now let's get big money out of politics ...

First woman in the Blue House

Park Geun-hye, a dictator's daughter, wins South Korea's presidential election ...

Will this man mean a more militant Japan?

Former PM retakes office, and his military and nuclear views are a concern ...

More women, less corruption?

Do a greater number of women in leadership roles reduce corruption? The evidence is mixed ...

Dozens arrested during Mexico's presidential inauguration

Violent protests swept Mexico City in opposition to Enrique Pena Nieto's presidency ...

As Obama celebrates, Yemen is hit with a drone strike

Hours after Obama won, did he authorise a strike that killed three people? ...

More stories

Chavez wins again in Venezuela In his closest ever race, El Comandante keeps a firm grip on power ...	Could Arab spring aftershocks topple Jordan's king? King Abdullah dissolves parliament ahead of major Muslim Brotherhood rally ...
Will money buy the US election, and other burning questions Obama and Romney face off in their first debate. The disastrous role of money in politics should be top of the agenda ...	Opposition billionaire is victorious in Georgia Rose revolution leader Saakashvili concedes to Ivanishvili's Georgian Dream ...
Crucial election in Republic of Georgia The Rose revolution has soured, as voters ponder a new direction ...	Chavez in a tight spot as Venezuela votes 'El Comandante' faces an electoral challenge – and the country braces for unrest ...
Emperor Romney has no clothes Are people angry because his leaked comments reveal how things really work? ...	You’ve got my vote! (Now, where’s my supermarket gift card?) Mexican president accused of vote buying with gift cards, fertiliser and cement ...
Sex strike for democracy! Togolese activists call on all women to withhold love for a week to oust the president ...	Back to the dark days? Court rulings deal blow to Egypt's democracy – and martial law is back ...
Martial law returns to Egypt More of the same? Presidential run-off in doubt as country tenses for trouble ...	New Libya descends into violence Tensions in the fledgling democratic state leave 16 dead ...
French socialists storm into the lead Voters give resounding support to Hollande's ambitious reform plan ...	France looks right \| Shanghai talks security \| A day for Mother Nature France heads back to the polls this week as the IAEA and 'Shanghai group' discuss Iran ...
After 5,000 years, finally democracy For the first time, the land of the pharaohs votes freely to choose a leader ...	Egypt votes \| Nato protests \| Leveson hears more Ballot boxes in Cairo, a Nato summit in Chicago, and more testimony about Murdoch – it's a big week ahead ...
Tensions rising in lead-up to Venezuela election Can Hugo Chávez win a fourth term as president by defeating a united opposition – and cancer? ...	Occupy reaches Moscow Court ruling dampens Russia's spring: but not before protesters make Putin's thugs look silly ...
'The one with power washes his face with blood' Slogans suppressed, violence and arrests mark Putin's return to the presidency ...	Austerity? Non merci! Voters in France and in Greece refuse the bitter medicine prescribed by Dr Merkel & co ...
What would Joan of Arc do? Far-right leader Marine le Pen consults French patron saint on whether to back Sarkozy ...	A weekend rumble in Malaysia Democracy reformers vow to defy protest ban in push for free and fair elections ...
Five ways to lose your woman American politics is rife with myths about female voters ...	Adieu Sarkozy? First round result is all bad for incumbent president – but far-right's rise is bad for everyone ...
Down with the rich! Race, LGBT rights – now wealth. Presidential campaign exposes rancorous issues dividing France ...	Democracy hero can travel at last After 24 years, Aung San Suu Kyi permitted to leave country ...
France's big cockfight – a guide Presidential election is not just fascinatingly different – this one's a referendum on Europe's big issues ...	Take power over me, Jean-Luc Just when you thought a leftist economic platform couldn't get any sexier... ...
Eminem helps out the real Mitt Romney Line by line, the wannabe Republican president brilliantly mashed-up ...	'Vapid' Republican race drags on Wobbling moderate Romney is still frontrunner, but religious right keeps fighting ...
Putin's (tear)stained victory Election marred by fraud – but Russian people won't take it lying down ...	Watch: Putin targets 'virgin' voters Paid trolls, assassination claims – isn't the Russian president just a girl's dream candidate? ...
Romney limps on, without the 'little man' Republican frontrunner still can't get a decisive lead ...	Sham election win for crackpot despot 'Dentist-dictator' Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov keeps his grip on Turkmenistan ...
Make or break for Arab spring \| Venezuelan thriller \| Financial crisis crunch Voting in Egypt, Turkmenistan and Venezuela; summit of finance ministers in Beijing ...	China's tiny experiment in 'democracy' Country hooked as a rebellious little fishing village holds historic 'free' elections ...
Maldivian president quits amid coup rumours Exit of groundbreaking campaigner on climate change will worry environmental activists ...	Putin faces historic defiance In Moscow, thousands of protesters demand justice and democracy ...
Homophobia into law in Russia New moves are once again stripping gay citizens of their basic rights ...	Russia's return to propaganda It's election season – and that means danger for journalists and activists ...
Campaigning Sarkozy calls for financial trading tax The French president's pledge just might curb reckless speculation by big banks ...	Romney's rise: a giant step for blah people The Republican presidential nomination is his to lose, in field of lacklustre candidates ...
The optimists' guide: what to look forward to in 2012 From Cairo to Oakland, 2011 was a game-changer. What's coming next? ...	Protesting the Russian election Thousands challenge the vote's results, on the streets and online ...

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