In the run-up to Tuesday's local council elections, the Egyptian regime has left little to chance. It has made it almost impossible for members of opposition movements to register as candidates.

Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai declined to declare himself the winner of a presidential election on Tuesday, saying he would wait until an announcement from the electoral commission.

A number of foreign leaders have sent messages of congratulation to the Chinese leaders newly elected at the ongoing First Session of the 11th National People's Congress (NPC) and the First Session of the 11th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) concluded Friday.

Jia Qinglin was reelected chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the top political advisory body, in Beijing on Thursday afternoon, starting a new term of five years.

Violence and accusations of fraud have marred elections in Malaysia Saturday, where a long-ruling coalition is expected to win. The elections have been overshadowed by racial tensions in a nation that prides itself on ethnic harmony among its Malay, Chinese and Indian population. VOA's Luis Ramirez reports from the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur.

International agencies are helping Indonesia prepare for a massive country-wide election in 2009 that will include local offices in hundreds of districts. As Chad Bouchard reports from Jakarta, election officials hope to avoid past mistakes.

The stinging rebuke Pakistani voters delivered to President Pervez Musharraf has reverberated in the corridors of power in Washington. Since 1999, the United States only had to deal with one single figure in Islamabad, especially on United States' key concern in Pakistan: counterterrorism. But, as VOA correspondent Gary Thomas reports, the U.S. must now navigate a considerably more complex political landscape.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations is expressing concern over Burma's decision to exclude pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi from future elections. The statement from ASEAN follows the completion of Burma's draft constitution. But the regional bloc still says it will not interfere in Burma's domestic affairs. Naomi Martig reports from VOA's Asia News Center in Hong Kong.

President Bush says Monday's general elections in Pakistan were fair and that he hopes the new government there will continue an anti-terrorism alliance with the United States. VOA White House Correspondent Scott Stearns reports Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf says he will not step down, despite big opposition wins.

With bleak opinion polls in his briefcase, Prime Minister Fredrick Reinfeldt says it’s time to kindle new life into the New Moderates.

The African Union has elected new leadership at its summit meeting in Addis Ababa, but postponed action on an audit report that sharply criticizes the outgoing leaders.

Thailand's governing coalition in parliament has chosen former Bangkok governor Samak Sundaravej as the country's new prime minister. Mr. Sundaravej is a close ally of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a military coup in 2006. VOA's Luis Ramirez reports from Bangkok.