Thai parliament opens special session as protests continue

Ethiopian opposition leader Nega casts his ballot in parliamentary vote

Communist Pavel Grudinin has been blocked from running for the Russian parliament, with electoral officials claiming he has offshore assets.

South Sudanese former rebels attend their first parliamentary session alongside members of Salva Kiir's party. We speak to Dr. Andrew Yaw Tchie, Senior Research Fellow at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs, about whether the move is a promising sign of stability. Plus, the runner-up in Tunisia's 2019 presidential election is reportedly arrested in Algeria. Nabil Karoui is being investigated for alleged money laundering and tax evasion.

The two politicians come from opposite sides of the country but the same party: the Greens. One of the candidates said it was "historic" and another proclaimed it was "madness!"

The elections, which took place amid a widespread election boycott by anti-government activists, didn't generate much enthusiasm among Iraq's young population.

The first session of the Bundestag's 20th legislative period has begun with the traditional gong, signaling that the largest and most diverse German parliament in history may finally convene.

Prime Minister Viktor Orban declared victory in Hungary's parliamentary election after partial results showed his ruling Fidesz party is comfortably ahead of their opposition rivals.

On May 15, parliamentary elections will take place nationwide in Lebanon. The Lebanese diaspora, estimated to be double the size of the domestic population, already cast their ballots last week. Around 60 percent of people across 58 countries turned out, slightly more than in 2018. We bring you a special edition of Middle East Matters on Lebanon's first elections since the mass protests of 2019.

Emmanuel Macron's alliance is in a tight race with the new left-wing union NUPES according to initial projections. Macron is predicted to win a greater number of districts which could grant him a parliamentary majority.

A new left-wing coalition wants to win a majority in France's upcoming legislative elections and challenge Emmanuel Macron's hold on parliamentary power. Their chances are slim but not impossible.

French papers look at the political bombshell for President Emmanuel Macron, whose centrist bloc emerged from Sunday's second round of the legislative elections well short of an absolute majority in parliament. Libération, the main left-wing daily, describes the results for his group as a "slap", while Le Parisien and Le Figaro headline that France is now "ungovernable". Macron will be unable to push on with his legislative agenda without significant opposition support.

Macky Sall's hopes for a controversial third term as Senegalese president were dealt a blow on Thursday as the opposition deprived him of a parliamentary majority. Cost-of-living concerns lead voters to support Sall’s detractors in last Sunday's vote.