"I am very concerned about reports of injuries during the security forces operation to disperse protesters in Yerevan this morning.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has urged citizens to actively take part in this Sunday's presidential elections that many observers see as an easy victory for his handpicked successor.

Russians are preparing to go to the polls Sunday to elect their next president. But out of four candidates competing for the post, Kremlin-backed Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev is the overwhelming favorite to win. Yet how much do the Russians actually know about the man who is likely to become their next president aside from the fact that he is supported by Russian President Vladimir Putin? Anya Ardayeva has this report from Moscow.

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.

Russians go to the polls on Sunday for a presidential election in which the victory of Kremlin-backed candidate Dmitry Medvedev is considered a foregone conclusion. VOA Moscow Correspondent Peter Fedynsky reports that Medvedev's path toward high office has been very different from the one facing American presidential hopefuls.

Amnesty International says Russia has clamped down on political freedoms ahead of a crucial presidential election on Sunday. The Britain-based human rights organization accuses Russian authorities of targeting human rights activists, independent organizations and journalists, several of whom died under suspicious circumstances. Stefan Bos reports for VOA from Budapest.

Armenia has come across an ordinary post election phenomenon, namely, absence of political culture, Armenian President Robert Kocharian told the Public Television of Armenia.

A leading human rights group has denounced what it says is a Russian crackdown on freedoms of assembly and expression ahead of Sunday's presidential election.

The Armenian opposition announced that it doesn’t recognize the results of the presidential election and urged a re-election.

The February 19 presidential election in Armenia was conducted mostly in line with the country’s international commitments, although further improvements are necessary to address remaining challenges, the International Election Observation Mission said in a statement published today.

Serge Sargsyan leads election polls of Armenia with 57.1% of the votes, according to the exit poll conducted by Populus.

The presidential election is over in Armenia. All of 1923 polling stations closed at 8 p.m.