Elections | featured news

Kenya's presidential race tightened on Friday as Uhuru Kenyatta's lead narrowed over his main rival, Prime Minister Raila Odinga, raising the prospect of a second-round run-off.

CARACAS (Reuters) - Sobbing and shouting, a sea of Hugo Chavez's supporters paraded his coffin through the streets of Caracas on Wednesday in an emotional outpouring that could help his deputy win an election to keep his socialist revolution alive.

Actress Ashley Judd is giving off lots of signals that she is going to make the race against Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell in 2014. She's chatting with Democratic legislative leaders in the state about the idea and huddling with the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee too.

More than 140 Catholic cardinals met Monday at the Vatican, where the process of selecting a new pope edged toward beginning. The cardinals gathered in the morning, but had not decided when the conclave to select Pope Benedict XVI's successor would start, Vatican spokesman the Rev. Federico Lombardi told reporters.

Former South Carolina governor Mark Sanford reportedly asked his ex-wife to manage his campaign for Congress, just as she had when he first ran for the U.S. House in 1994 during happier times. In a New York magazine story, the disgraced Republican who tearfully admitted on national TV that he had an extramarital affair not only went to Jenny Sanford asking for her blessing to re-enter politics, he also had a proposal to join forces again.

Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa swept to a re-election victory on Sunday that allows him to strengthen state control over the OPEC nation's economy and gives a timely boost to Latin America's alliance of socialist leaders.

Problems in the election system extend beyond isolated voting issues in a few locations, according to a study from the Pew Charitable Trusts.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel's party was in the lead Sunday after the first state poll of a general election year, initial results showed, but the race for a ruling coalition rested on a knife-edge.

The latest heir apparent to India’s oldest and most powerful political dynasty was elevated Saturday to the ruling Congress party’s second-highest post, a move that the party hopes will revive its fortunes ahead of national elections expected later this year.

Italy's caretaker Prime Minister, Mario Monti, promises to cut labour taxes in an interview seen as the launch of his election campaign.