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Australia's Prime Minister John Howard is facing his fifth re-election and another three-year term on the post. He also announced today, that in case of a re-election he is planning to retire before his next term as Prime Minister ends while the public opinion considers his retirement before the elections to give national politics momentum.

Read more about the change of Australian politics in the International Herald Tribune and join the debate in our forums: Who rules the world?

This weekend Sierra Leoneans voted for a new head of state. Now, 50 percent of the votes have been counted and it seems like opposition candidate Ernest Bai Koroma is still ahead. This year's election in Sierra Leone is widely recognised as fair and transparent but there was some tension during the campaigning period. The national electoral commission has therefore appealed for all sides to be patient and stay calm until the final results are presented.

Read more about the historic elections in Sierra Leone on BBC News online and the New York Times join the debate in our forums: Why bother to vote?

After a series of scandals, decreasing public approval and less than one year as Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe announced his resignation from the post today. Another reason for his         resignation is the lack of oppositional support for an extension of Japanese military assistance in Iraq. Read more about the situation in The Japan Times, on BBC News online, the International Herald Tribune and Al Jazeera.

Join the global debate in our forums: Why bother to vote?