From Europe to Latin America, voters elected new leaders and governments during the last few months. Here is a roundup of the newly-elected with reactions from bloggers on the ground.
| Country | Election | Blogs |
| Montenegro | A coalition led by Montenegro’s prime minister made gains in parliamentary elections on March 29. The ruling coalition is likely to push for European Union membership talks. | A blogger at “Blogactiv” describes the role of the EU in the country’s elections. |
| Macedonia | Macedonia’s presidential election is headed for a runoff on April 5 after peaceful elections on March 22 failed to determine a winner. | Ahead of the vote, the “Fistful of Euros” blog called ethnic Albanian candidate Imer Selmani “Macedonia’s Obama.” |
| Slovakia | Slovakia is also headed to a runoff in April after its March 21 presidential election. | The “Fistful of Euros” blog also provides a summary of the election in Slovakia. |
| Azerbaijan | Voters in Azerbaijan approved a controversial referendum to ban presidential term limits on March 18. | An American journalist in Azerbaijan writes about what the referendum will mean for the country’s future. |
| El Salvador | El Salvador veered left in its presidential election on March 15, meaning Mauricio Funes of the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN) will join a growing number of leftist Latin American leaders. | Read our roundup of blogger reactions. |
| Russia | Local elections made headlines in Russia, where an independent candidate caused an upset, replacing incumbent Mayor Mikhail Savchenko of the pro-Kremlin United Russia. | “The Power Vertical” blog explores the implications of the vote for a unified Russia. |
| Venezuela | In mid-February, Venezuela voted to end term limits, allowing President Hugo Chávez to run for re-election. | Read our roundup of blogger reactions. |
| Israel | Since Israel’s hotly-contested parliamentary elections in early February, hardliner Benjamin Netanyahu and Ehud Barak, head of the much more liberal Labor Party, have joined together to form a coalition government. | Read our roundup of blogger reactions following the vote. |
| Bolivia | Bolivians approved a new constitution in late January, seen as a victory for President Evo Morales. | Read our roundup of blogger reactions. |
| Upcoming Elections | ||
| Moldova | Moldova is scheduled to hold its parliamentary elections on April 5 and the Community Party is considered likely to retain and may even increase its majority in the 101-member parliament. | Blogger and Peace Corps volunteer “Dezvoltareerena” hopes the elections “will help bring Moldova into a new era of development.” |
| Indonesia | On April 9, Indonesia — Southeast Asia’s biggest democracy — is slated to hold parliamentary elections to determine which parties can field candidates for the presidential elections in July. | Read what a Worldfocus contributing blogger had to say about how the election season is shaping up in one Indonesian town. |
| India | India, the world’s largest democracy, begins its multi-stage parliamentary elections on April 16, with the fifth and final stage on May 13. | “Rashmi” blogs that in the run up to the elections the media coverage was focused on “juvenile” topics. |
| South Africa | On April 22, South Africa is scheduled to hold its third general election after becoming a democracy and the first since a schism in the ruling African National Congress (ANC). | Blogger Becca Cohen attended an election debate and blogged about corruption being a major theme. |
| Ecuador | Ecuador is scheduled to hold presidential elections on April 26, after ratifying a new constitution this past September. Current President Correa enjoys a 60 percent approval rate. | Blogger “Linea” notes that all the houses around him have signs supporting one candidate or another, suggesting that people have already made up their minds. |
