Preferential voting will determine the fate of Sarah Palin, but on a broader front it could make a huge difference to the future of the Republican Party.
Author: Charles Richardson
On saving the governor-general, part I
The secret ministries affair in Australia has thrown up important questions about the role of the governor-general. The solicitor-general's advice on the matter fails to cast much light.
Election preview: Angola
Angola continues to struggle with the legacy of civil war and one-party rule, but the opposition seems to have its best chance yet for winning government.
Progress in Singapore?
Fifteen years after first floating the idea, Singapore moves to decriminalise homosexuality, in a sign of changing times.
Populism or fascism?
Does Italy's recent experience show populists losing ground to the far right? Or is that a misunderstanding of what "populism" is all about?
August electoral roundup
A regular feature: this month, news from Kenya, Kuwait, Senegal and Canada, plus an update on a Washington story.
Democracy in Alaska
Alaskan voters are trying out a new voting system, which among other things offers them the opportunity to return Sarah Palin to the limelight.
Kosovo is not Crimea
A war scare in the Balkans offers a warning against being misled by the force of bad analogies.
A cliffhanger in Kenya
Vice-president William Ruto has a narrow lead in Kenya's presidential election, but it may not be enough to avoid the country's first ever runoff.
Election review: Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea went to the polls last month; counting is incomplete, but the prime minister has been re-elected anyway.
The World is Not Enough 