Apart from an unexpectedly strong performance by the Bill and Ben Party, the NZ election result more or less matched expectations, writes NORM KELLY on our partner website, Inside Story.

The contest between Senators Barack Obama and John McCain for the presidency of the United States is being followed intently around the world. How much exactly, in terms of U.S. foreign policy, is at stake? Many commentators are emphasising the similarities of the two candidates’ foreign policies, and it is certainly true that the menu...

Presidential elections in the United States are decided not by the popular vote but by the election of state delegates to the Electoral College. In this APO Backgrounder, Rodney Tiffen describes how the system works and what it means for the result - and looks at the latest polling from the United States.

This paper details House of Representatives by-elections held from 14 September 1901 (Darling Downs) to 6 September 2008 (Lyne and Mayo), a period during which there were 144 by-elections, an average of 3.5 per parliament.

Three years after the Helsinki agreement between the Indonesian government and the Free Aceh Movement (Gerakan Aceh Merdeka, GAM) to end a 30-year conflict, Aceh is tense in the lead-up to general elections in 2009. The sources of unease are several. As preparations get underway for the April 2009 parliamentary elections with 44 parties –...