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President Vladimir Putin's United Russia party won a sweeping victory on Sunday in the Russian national elections.

Putin's party was expected to win the election. However, international organizations say that the elections were rigged. Putin denies the claim and has said that the recent elections mirrors the internal stability in Russia.

Putin has been president of Russia for two consecutive terms, which is the limit in that country. Putin is expected to step down after the presidential elections in the spring, however, he has indicated that he intends to remain the most important person in Russian politics.

On Tuesday Denmark held a contentious election. After a new party entered the political scene in the spring, the election was viewed as a chance to enable political change after six years under the Liberal-Conservative government.

However, after a heated election the Liberal-Conservatives, together with the support of the Danish Peoples Party (Dansk Folkeparti), won a narrow majority in parliament, with 90 of 179 seats.

The Danish prime minister, Anders Fogh, has promised to seek broader coalltions while in government.

According to a recent article by Allan Stam in Online Opinion democracy is currently being questioned on all fronts. However, Stam argues that empirical evidence by political scientists prove that well functioning democracies embark in safe foreign policy. 

The reason is that people do not want to be part of expensive and long-lasting wars. This is becuase this is not in the majorities self-interest. Meanwhile, politicians do not want to be leaders of unpopular wars.

Therefore, democratic institutions such as voting, free press and separation of powers help politicians engage in an efficient foreign policy that wins wars. 

Stam says that recent studies show that:

"Aristocrats do not bring out the best in the people. Rather, it is
the so-called mob that brings out the best in the government elite."

Army General and President Pervez Musharraf delcared a State of Emergency in Pakistan. The Army has imposed Martial Law.

The declaration came only hours before the Supreme court were to announce the legality of Musharraf's reelection. The Supreme Court refused to endorse the declaration. They argued it was unconstitutional. Following the declaration, the Supreme Court was placed in house arrest and a new Chief Justice was appointed.

According to Najam Sethi of Rediff News Musharraf has declared a state of emergency as Army Chief and announced a Provisional Constitutional Order, which only an Army Chief can order. Meanwhile, the Provisional Constitutional Order 'confirms and upholds' Musharraf as President of Pakistan. It demands a new oath from those judges who wish to be part of the new Federal Shariat Court, High Court and Supreme Court. Sethi argues that this will create a pro-executive judiciary within a relatively short amount of time.

Demonstrations are expected from the oppostion. However, with the media blinded and the judiciary temporarily suspended it seems the army and the police will be able to crush the movement. Afterwards, Sethi believes that Musharraf will return the country to a democracy.

After bloody protest led by Burmese munks the UN brokered a deal with the Burmese government who promised to start negotiations with Burmese pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi. The first meeting between the new 'minister for relations' General Aung Kyi and Aung San Suu Kyi took place today. As of yet, there is no news on what was discussed during the meeting. And it is still unclear whether Burma is any further along the path towards democracy.

It is the first known meeting between the government and the pro-democracy forces in the past 12 years. The Burmese Junta agreed to start the negotiations with Suu Kyi if she agreed to denounce international sanctions against the Junta. 

Yesterday Bush declared that the United States of America wants to aid Cuba, but only after democracy has been restored.

Bush has stated that there will be no change in the current economic sanctions, but that the current U.S. administration wants to aid political dissidents by inviting them to embassy events all over the world and encouraging NGO's and civil society to reach out to Cuban emmigrants.

Moreover, Bush has promised to start an 'International Freedom Fund' for Cuba. All nations are invited to donate to the Fund, which will help develop Cuba. Bush declared that the funds will only become available to Cuba after democracy has been instated in the country. 

Environmentalists warn that current government policies on rivers are destroying fragile water ecology. Damns and cannals heat up water, kills the fish and creates serious environmental and social havoc, says The Times of India.

River projects are commonly build with government funds. It is argued that river developoments benefit the common good. However, in light of several repports that have come out over the last few years; river developments usually causes more damage than they do good, benefiting mainly big coorperations and urban areas. Environmentalists argue that government policies on rivers need to be 'democratized' to benefit the common good.

According to Koigi Wa Wamwere's article on allAfrica.com the upcomming Kenyan elections are becomming all about 'Majimbo'.

Majimbo is a term referring to power being vested in the various regions of Kenya, rather than with a national government. Majimbo is promoted by the Orange Democratic Movement, or the ODM, which argue that it will lead to powersharing between the regions of Kenya.

However, Wamwere argues taht Majimbo will not lead to greater powersharing, but rather will lead to a divided Kenya, in which the rich regions will become richer and the poor regions will become poorer.

Instead Wamwere suggests that the politicians should promote Social Democracy as the way forward for a united Kenya.

Inspired by our 10 questions, we have been running the poll 'Who would you vote for for President of the World?' for the past 10 days.

The poll was composed of an eclectic group of people, including:

Barack Obama, Lisa Simpson, Hillary Clinton, Arundhati Roy and David Sizek.

We are proud to annonce the winner RIGHT HERE RIGHT NOW:

The person you would most like to become President of the World is former South African President and Human Rights Activist Nelson Mandela.

Unfortunately Nelson Mandela is retired right now and we don't have a global government.

Thank you all for your votes!

Recently Nigeria's Senate President David Mark announced that the 2007 Presidential elections were legitimate.

Mark said that the elections mark a milestone in Nigerian Democracy as it is the first time one Nigerian government has been democratically replaced with another.

According to allAfrica.com Mark

"urged politicians to learn to accept election results in good faith,
saying that there would always be a loser and a winner in any contest."