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The political turmoil in the Andean region goes on. Following mass demonstrations, social unrest and political instability in Chile, Bolivia and Ecuador in recent years, it is now Peru that is suffering a deep political crisis. It all started after Congress removed the then President, Pedro Castillo, on 7 December 2022, after his self-coup attempt. His Vice-President, Dina Boluarte Zegarra, became Peru's first female head of state and its sixth president in five years. Violent protests have since ...

Protests erupted in Kazakhstan on 2 January 2022 and quickly span out of control, resulting in multiple deaths and several days of chaos. Although initially triggered by a fuel price hike, the unrest points to deeper causes of discontent, including poverty, inequality and frustration at the lack of political change. A Russia-led peacekeeping mission has helped to restore order, but could also compromise Kazakh independence.

The Mexico dialogue between the Venezuelan government and opposition, as well as the latter's decision to run in the 21 November 2021 local and regional elections, have revived hopes for a peaceful and negotiated solution to the country's political conflict. Nevertheless, the Maduro government has suspended the third round of negotiations, dimming prospects for a successful outcome of the dialogue. The EU is observing the elections.

At 13.00 EST on 6 January 2021, the 117th United States Congress and US Vice-President Mike Pence assembled in the Capitol Building, seat of the US Congress in Washington, DC, to tally the electoral votes certified by the 50 states and the District of Columbia, thereby declaring Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, respectively, US President-elect and Vice-President-elect. The ceremony was interrupted when an angry mob, seemingly encouraged by President Donald Trump in a speech earlier that day, broke into ...

The recent protests in Russia are the largest since the 2011-2012 demonstrations over alleged electoral fraud. They reflect widespread discontent with longstanding problems such as endemic corruption exacerbated by an economic downturn, but are unlikely to topple Putin's regime.

Low-level protests in Jordan throughout 2011 were met by offers of reform from the King, and subsided as neighbouring countries descended into chaos and civil war. The Syrian refugee crisis has diverted attention away from the causes of the unrest in 2011, but has given rise to new grievances that have the potential to undermine the stability of the country once more.

President Macky Sall decided to put constitutional changes to a referendum on 20 March 2016. The proposal includes a reduction of the presidential term length from seven to five years. Nevertheless President Sall, following the Constitutional Council's opinion, declared the reduction could not apply to his current mandate: he would thus stay in office until 2019, contrary to a promise he made when he was elected. While Sall's supporters hailed his sense of responsibility, opponents denounced this ...

Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) is the only western Balkan country that has not yet formally applied to join the EU. In March 2015, the Council finally approved the conclusion and entry into force of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) with BiH, a major breakthrough which puts the country on track for eventual EU membership.

China's legislature, the People's National Congress (NPC), has made recommendations about the 2017 direct election of Hong Kong's Chief Executive, foreseen in Hong Kong's constitution. Hong Kong's legislature could reject the recommendations, although the NPC has final say. China's authorities have warned that civil disobedience and protestors' calls to respect international standards may have serious consequences. The European Parliament has called for 'international standards' to be respected in ...

The European Union has called on all parties to seize the opportunity offered by the proposed early elections. Since 2011, Thailand’s government has restored stability and defused tensions… at least on the surface. Yet, the possibility of a new crisis was never excluded. Reforms proposed by the current Prime Minister, Yingluck Shinawatra, have proved controversial within her party and among the opposition. Yingluck withdrew support to a controversial amnesty bill after the Senate rejected it, but ...