US politics: Battle lines being drawn for 2020 elections

In the run-up to the national elections in exactly three months, rival Libyan politicians seem to be putting a vote seen by many as a chance for peace in acute danger.

Following the German elections, DW has collected various reactions from cultural insiders, including filmmaker Volker Schlöndorff and rapper Nura.

On the eve of delayed elections in Ethiopia, some voters in the Somali region say they don't see the point in turning out because of an opposition boycott. Meanwhile in South Africa, the biggest political parties launch their manifestos ahead of local elections. And Tunisia's president names a little-known geologist as the country's first female prime minister-designate.

Mikhail Saakashvili said he returned to Georgia in support of the opposition as local elections get underway this weekend. Current Prime Minister, Irakli Garibashvili, had vowed to arrest Saakashvili if he returned.

Qataris voted for 30 out of the 45-member council that will approve general state policies — but will have no say in the setting of defense, security or economic policy.

Italy is holding municipal elections on October 3 and 4. Voters in 1,000 constituencies are electing their representatives, including in the city of Naples, where an unusual battle is taking place between two members of the Maradona family. The iconic late Argentinian footballer, who played for Napoli from 1984 to 1991, still has a special place in the hearts of Neapolitans. With a brother and son involved in the campaign but on opposite sides, can Diego Maradona be a kingmaker from beyond the grave? Our correspondents report.

Chad's interim parliament, built to prepare the country for civilian rule, has finally been announced after a five-month wait. But is the National Transition Council merely window dressing for the military junta?

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

In an exclusive interview with FRANCE 24, former Ivorian president Laurent Gbagbo discusses why he set up a new political movement after his old party, the Ivorian Popular Front (FPI), "lost its identity". Despite previously saying that he wanted to step back from politics, Gbagbo told FRANCE 24 that he hasn't ruled out running in the country's 2025 presidential elections and is firmly against a proposal that would disqualify presidential candidates who are more than 75 years old.

In an interview for the November 2021 issue of Esquire magazine, Idris didn't discuss his symptoms but did admit that he was highly anxious when he first discovered he had the virus.

It is the first time a budget has been rejected in Portugal since the country's transition to democracy in 1974. The move ends six years of relative stability under Prime Minister Antonio Costa.

Vancouver Island, in the Canadian province of British Columbia, is home to immense cedars and firs, some of them 800 years old. It's here that an environmental battle is raging between the logging industry and defenders of the Fairy Creek forest. The fight over logging has gone all the way to British Columbia's Supreme Court and is resonating within Canadian society, with police accused of excessive force towards the environmental protesters. Our correspondents François Rihouay, Joanne Profeta and Laura McQuillan report.