Elections have since 1989 been a standard feature of political life throughout the former Soviet Union, and the habits and institutions we associate with them are still developing there. Nevertheless, electoral abuses remain a serious problem in most of the newly independent states, especially Central Asia and the Caucasus, and the mere presence of international monitoring groups, though numerous, by no means guarantee that elections are carried out properly. In fact, the overall trend in these regions is towards worse elections, with all the attendant consequences: diminished legitimacy, growing domestic discontent and disillusionment, international disrepute and ever larger question marks about stability.

As part of its mission to support an informed debate about developments in the Caucasus and Central Asia, EurasiaNet provides reportage and resources about the conduct of elections in the region in cooperation with local researchers in each of the nations of the Caucasus and Central Asia that are holding elections this year. Features of our coverage include:

• election-related legislation
• poltical programs of parties and blocs participating in the elections
• regular reviews of election coverage in the local press
• analytical summaries of the election results
• a "monitoring the monitors" feature that provides information on the election monitoring efforts mounted by international organizations
• thorough coverage of the Western wire-services' articles on elections in the region.

Bookmark this page and visit often, as election news is added almost every day.