Election preview: East Timor

Constitutional shenanigans have led to an unnecessary early election in East Timor, but its democracy seems to be still functioning.

Election preview: Malaysia

If Malaysia was a democracy, the opposition would already be in power. As it is, they look like missing out again.

Italy's post-election deadlock continues, as obstinacy on the centre-left raises the likelihood of the far right taking power.

Central Europe's most illiberal leader faces the voters, helped by a voting system designed for his own benefit.

Will Italy's rival populists get together? Or does that idea rest on a misunderstanding?

Attempts to square the Brexit circle remain unsuccessful. But do the Tory Brexiters really care?

The Italian results might look complicated, but they really boil down to just two options.

Germany can finally get a new government after the Social Democrats vote resoundingly in favor of a coalition with the centre-right.

The centre-left's predicament in Italy probably looks worse than it is. But in the circumstances that's not much consolation.

A refractory populist bloc and an octogenarian kingmaker pose big problems for forming government in Italy.