Lebanon's upcoming parliamentary elections, pitting pro-Western political elements against a coalition led by Hezbollah, will test the country's ability to manage political change among many factions.

As the world's largest democracy goes to the polls, this Backgrounder looks at the laws, major players, and issues, including economic reform, caste, and religion, that have shaped India's politics.

A brief overview of the Israeli political system.

Iraq's provincial elections provide signals about the maturity of the country's political system, as well as highlight new power brokers in the provinces.

As Zimbabwe's economic crisis has deepened, President Robert Mugabe has ceded significant power to the country's security forces.

Party caucuses, which date to the 1800s, have declined in importance but they could be decisive in choosing the 2008 Democratic presidential candidate.

Close Republican and Democratic presidential nominating contests are focusing attention on the role of delegates, who ultimately will be choosing their party’s nominees.

While some reports attribute Kenya’s postelection crisis to tribalism, most analysts see weak political institutions at the root of problems.

Pakistan’s Pervez Musharraf faces growing opposition at home and abroad, but what form of government might replace his military rule remains unclear.

A pair of important elections in Iran may indicate which direction the public mood is swinging ahead of parliamentary polls next year.

Polls continue to show Democrats regaining control of at least one house of Congress in the November 7 elections. If this happens, they could exercise greater oversight of executive bodies and trade policy, but they are not expected to press for sharp changes on Iraq.

Sandinista leader Daniel Ortega leads the polls ahead of November 5 presidential elections and appears on the verge of an extraordinary political comeback. It remains unclear what an Ortega presidency would mean for the country.

The U.S. midterm elections for Congress, typically dominated by domestic concerns, may turn on how the public views the role of majority Republicans on a wide range of foreign-policy-related issues, including the war in Iraq, national security, and immigration.

On July 30, the Democratic Republic of the Congo will hold its first multiparty presidential and parliamentary elections in four decades. Many hope this will be the country’s first fully democratic election, but a host of challenges—including infrastructure, security, and communication—have experts hoping the Congolese people will merely accept the election’s results.

A referendum on Montenegro's independence could redraw national boundaries in the Balkans. It could also strain tensions in an already volatile region.

Cyprus' parliamentary elections are the first since the 2004 referendum on Kofi Annan's plan for reunification was voted down, and the first since the country's accession to the EU that same year. These elections differ further in that some Turkish Cypriots have registered to vote, and a Turkish Cypriot is running for office.

Incumbent President Alvaro Uribe is favored to win Colombia's May 28 elections, a result that would mark a departure from the trend that has seen left-leaning governments come to power around the region.

Italians will head to the polls for parliamentary elections on April 9 and 10 to determine whether Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi or challenger Romano Prodi and his center-left coalition will win the tight race.

As Thailand heads into snap elections April 2, embattled Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra tries to fend off protests from opposition groups who charge him with autocratic governance and corrupt business dealings.

Ukrainians go to the polls to show whether they endorse the pace of reforms since the 2004 Orange Revolution or seek to return to warmer ties with Russia. The party of former presidential candidate Viktor Yanukovich goes into the vote with the highest approval ratings of any political bloc.