• Tigran Mehrabyan / PanARMENIAN via Reuters

    People run from an explosion of gas-filled balloons during a campaign rally in the central Republic Square in Yerevan, May 4, 2012. The explosion injured at least 144 people on Friday just two days before a parliamentary election; a local emergency official was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency.

    Explosion at campaign rally prior to parliamentary elections in Yerevan, Armenia

    Reuters reported on Friday that most Armenians are hoping for a calm election that will reinforce stability in the tiny country of 3.3 million squeezed between Iran and Turkey.

    For the first time in Armenia's post-Soviet history, the election is less of a traditional conflict between the government and opposition than a battle for supremacy between members of the governing coalition.

    Instability is a constant threat as Armenia is locked in a dispute with neighboring Azerbaijan over the tiny region of Nagorno-Karabakh, over which they fought a war in the 1990s.

  • Grigoris Siamidis / Reuters

    Greek conservatives rally as election day approaches

    Greek conservative party supporters wave flags during an election rally by their leader Antonis Samaras in the town of Thessaloniki on May 2, 2012. Greece will hold elections on May 6, with the largest number of seats expected to fall to the New Democracy party, whose leader Samaras is pledging lower taxes and to call a halt to across-the-board wage and pension cuts.

    Related story: Greece’s Venizelos says election could decide euro membership

  • Five states vote in primaries with 222 delegates up for grabs

    Matt Rourke / AP

    Election worker Khalid Battle reads a book as he waits for voters to cast their ballots in Pennsylvania primary election at Memorial Gospel Crusades Church, Tuesday, April 24, in Philadelphia.

    Mark Lennihan / AP

    Brendan Reilly, right, completes an election affidavit prior to casting his ballot at a polling station in the lobby of his apartment building on Wall Street in New York, Tuesday, April 24. Voters in New York, Connecticut, Delaware, Rhode Island and Pennsylvania are voting in the presidential primaries Tuesday. Reilly, who voted for Ron Paul, is hoping for a brokered Republican convention to block Mitt Romney's nomination.

     For the latest updates on the primaries in New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Connecticut and Delaware click here.

     

  • French far right holds balance after Francois Hollande edges Nicolas Sarkozy

    Laurent Cipriani / AP

    A supporter of Socialist Party candidate Francois Hollande celebrates after the results of the first round of the French elections were announced at the party's headquarters in Paris, France, on April 22, 2012.

    Reuters reports — Far-rightist Marine Le Pen threw France's presidential race wide open on Sunday by scoring nearly 20 percent in the first round -- votes that might determine the runoff between Socialist favorite Francois Hollande and conservative President Nicolas Sarkozy.

    Hollande got 27.5 percent, compared to Sarkozy's 26.6 percent, and the two will meet in a head-to-head decider on May 6.

    A 4-month presidential race? Welcome to France

    But Le Pen's record score of 20 percent was the sensation of the night, beating her father's 2002 result and outpolling hard leftist Jean-Luc Melenchon, in fourth place with 10 percent. Centrist Francois Bayrou finished fifth with nine percent. Continue reading.

    Jean-Pierre Muller / AFP - Getty Images

    Socialist Party candidate Francois Hollande adjusts his glasses on stage after the announcement of the estimated results of the first round put him in first place.

    Kenzo Tribouillard / AFP - Getty Images

    France's President and Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) candidate Nicolas Sarkozy is pictured following the announcement of the estimated results, which put him in second place.

    Philippe Desmazes / AFP - Getty Images

    Far right Front National (FN) candidate Marine Le Pen celebrates after a strong performance gave her the highest ever score for her anti-immigrant party. She finished third.

    Jeff Pachoud / AFP - Getty Images

    Ballots are displayed on a table in a polling station in Lyon during first round voting.

    In this year's U.S. presidential campaign, more than $100 million has already been spent on TV ads. As Rock Center Special Correspondent Ted Koppel reports, the system is very different in France, where the candidates disappear from TV in the run-up to voting.

     

  • Paula Bronstein / Getty Images

    A woman waits in line to vote in the run-off presidential elections on April 16, 2012 in Dili, East Timor.

    Veterans of independence struggle vie for presidency in East Timor, Asia's poorest nation

    Reuters reports — Two veterans of East Timor's long struggle for independence vied for the presidency on Monday in the second round of an election in which voters said they were most concerned about stability and improving the economy of Asia's poorest state.

    Former independence fighter Francisco Guterres "Lu Olo", from the opposition Fretilin party, narrowly won the first round in March 17 polls. He faces Jose Maria de Vasconcelos, known as Taur Matan Ruak, a former army chief and guerrilla.

  • Time to vote in Wisconsin, Maryland and D.C. primaries

    Jeffrey Phelps / EPA

    An election worker puts up a clock above voting booths in Saukville, Wisconsin, on April 3. Reports state that voters are going to the polls in Wisconsin, Maryland and Washington to make their choice in the Republican presidential primary election.

    Jacquelyn Martin / AP

    Election worker Marline Coughman tapes a "voting" sign outside of Eastern Market on Washington's primary day in Washington, Tuesday, April 3.

    Luis M. Alvarez / AP

    Michael Finn votes at a polling place during a primary election in Ballenger Creek, Md., on Tuesday, April 3. Candidates in Maryland's 6th Congressional District focused their last-minute campaigning mainly on Montgomery and Frederick counties Tuesday as voters went to the polls to choose their parties' nominees.

    Although Rick Santorum has claimed the Wisconsin primary isn't "do or die," pretty much everyone else seems to disagree. The Daily Rundown's Chuck Todd reports.

     For more on the primary season and to see results later today check out the NBC Politics.com reports.

  • Myanmar: A nation 'at the beginning of a road,' ahead of parliamentary elections

    Paula Bronstein / Getty Images

    Burmese feed the seagulls at a jetty along the Yangon river ahead of the parliamentary elections on March 29, in Yangon, Myanmar. The upcoming vote is seen as an important vote of confidence for the country as it continues on the road to political and diplomatic reform. Democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi has fallen ill while campaigning for Myanmar's upcoming by-elections and has currently suspended her tour days ahead of the polls according to medical advice.

    Barbara Walton / EPA

    A Burmese seller adjusts t-shirts supporting the vote for Aung San Suu Kyi, democracy campaigner and leader of the National League for Democracy (NLD) party, at a shop in Yangon, Myanmar, on 29 March. A new wave of reform in Myanmar is taking place ahead of parliamentary by-elections scheduled for 01 April, in which Aung San Suu Kyi will contest in the rural constituency of Kawmhu, south of Yangon. Her father General Aung San, who was assassinated by rivals in 1947, is seens on T-shirt on the right.

    Reuters reports -- Aung San Suu Kyi, the long-time standard-bearer for democracy in Myanmar, is taking a leap of faith in running for parliament on Sunday, opting to enter a political system crafted and run by the soldiers who kept her locked up for a total of 15 years.

    Her party's participation in this weekend's by-elections marks a change of heart for the Nobel Peace Prize winner who repeatedly rebuffed the military's attempts to bring her into a political apparatus in which it dictated the terms.

    But since a general election in November 2010, followed by Suu Kyi's release from house arrest the same month, the pace of change in the former Burma under a nominally civilian government has been staggering, enough to convince her to compromise with the apparently reform-minded ex-generals now in charge.

    Christophe Archambault / AFP - Getty Images

    Commuters cross the Yangon river in Yangon on March 29. More than two decades after its stolen election win, Aung San Suu Kyi's opposition party is set for a dramatic political comeback in Myanmar polls which could herald an easing of sanctions.

    Some Burmese fear it is a deal with the devil that will serve mainly to endorse a military-dominated legislature.

    Suu Kyi is keeping an open mind.

    "Some are a little bit too optimistic about the situation. We are cautiously optimistic. We are at the beginning of a road," the 66-year-old Suu Kyi said last month.

    "Many people are beginning to say that the democratization process here is irreversible. It's not so."

    Read the full story.

    Paula Bronstein / Getty Images

    A Burmese monk rides a city bus as a young boy looks on ahead of the parliamentary elections on March 29, in Yangon, Myanmar. The upcoming vote is seen as an important vote of confidence for the country as it continues on the road to political and diplomatic reform. Democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi has fallen ill while campaigning for Myanmar's upcoming by-elections and has currently suspended her tour days ahead of the polls according to medical advice.

    Christophe Archambault / AFP - Getty Images

    Pendants carrying portraits of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her father General Aung San are displayed for sale at the National League for Democracy (NLD) headquarters in Yangon on March 29. More than two decades after its stolen election win, Aung San Suu Kyi's opposition party is set for a dramatic political comeback in Myanmar polls which could herald an easing of sanctions.

    Christophe Archambault / AFP - Getty Images

    Residents walk past shops selling bananas in Yangon on March 29. More than two decades after its stolen election win, Aung San Suu Kyi's opposition party is set for a dramatic political comeback in Myanmar polls which could herald an easing of sanctions.

  • Voters deal heavy blow to India's next Gandhi

    Manish Swarup / AP

    Samajwadi Party supporters, faces smeared with colored powder, celebrate election success by burning firecrackers at their party office in New Delhi, India, on March 6, 2012.

    Reuters reports from New Delhi — India's Rahul Gandhi failed spectacularly to deliver a promised comeback for his Congress party in crucial state elections, casting fresh doubt on his capacity to become the next member of a storied dynasty to lead the country.

    The Congress party flop in India's most politically vital state was also a blow to the already-tottering government of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, reducing his scope to re-launch reforms and reverse a slowdown in economic growth.

    "It has been a disaster for the Congress, it's an even bigger disaster for Rahul Gandhi and the Gandhi family," political analyst Amulya Ganguli said as results came in from Uttar Pradesh and four smaller states that went to the polls.

    With the count nearing its conclusion on Tuesday, the Congress party was trailing in fourth place in the big northern state of Uttar Pradesh, which with 200 million people would be the world's fifth-most populous country if independent.

    Sajjad Hussain / AFP - Getty Images

    Congress party General Secretary Rahul Gandhi (in white) comes out from his residence to address the media in New Delhi on March 6, 2012.

    "I accept responsibility for the fact that we did not perform well. After all, I was the main campaigner ... the Congress party fought well, but the result is not good," the 41-year-old Gandhi said.

    There was also mostly disappointing news for Congress from other states that went to the polls over the past month. It was heading for a loss in Punjab, Goa and possibly Uttarakhand too, but was set to win in the far-flung border state of Manipur. Read the full story.

    Rajesh Kumar Singh / AP

    Samajwadi Party supporters celebrate in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, on March 6, 2012. Their victory means former wrestler Mulayam Singh Yadav will become chief minister for a fourth term since 1989, ousting the flamboyant lower-caste leader Mayawati.

     

  • Moscovites square off following Putin's re-election

     

    Denis Sinyakov / Reuters

    Opposition supporters gather before a protest demanding fair elections in central Moscow, March 5. International monitors said Russia's presidential election was clearly skewed to favor Vladimir Putin, a verdict that could spur more protesters.

    Sergei Karpukhin / Reuters

    A Russian police officer stands by a barricade as supporters of Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin wave flags during a rally in central Moscow, March 5.

    Thousands are gathering in Moscow today following the presidential elections in Russia to show support or protest Vladimir Putin's continued reign. According to the Globe and Mail, some protesters are planning to establish a tent city Monday night similar to those used by Ukrainian protesters during the 2004 Orange Revolution and Egyptian activists on Cairo’s Tahrir Square last year. Such rolling non-stop protests on a central Moscow square – less than a mile from the Kremlin walls – would pose an unprecedented challenge to Mr. Putin’s rule.

    Story: 'Serious problems' with vote that kept Vladimir Putin in power, monitors say

  • Tearful Vladimir Putin regains Russia presidency amid fraud allegations

    Ivan Sekretarev / AP

    Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who claimed victory in Russia's presidential election, tears up as he reacts at a massive rally of his supporters at Manezh square outside the Kremlin on March 4, 2012.

    Msnbc.com news services report — His eyes brimming with tears, Vladimir Putin defiantly proclaimed to a sea of supporters that they had triumphed over opponents intent on "destroying Russia's statehood and usurping power."

    Putin said the presidential election, which official figures said he had won with more than 63 percent of the vote, had prevented Russia from falling into the hands of enemies. Complaining of widespread fraud, his opponents said they would rally near the Kremlin on Monday night.

    Monitors cited "serious problems" with the vote and called for alleged electoral violations in Sunday's election to be thoroughly investigated.

    See more images of Vladimir Putin on PhotoBlog.

    Maxim Shipenkov / EPA

    People look at the screen providing images from a network of surveillance webcams installed at polling stations all over the country at Russia's Central Election Commission (CEC) in Moscow on March 4, 2012.

    Vladimir Putin easily wins a third-term presidency despite massive street protests and allegations of fraud. NBC's Jim Maceda reports. 

     

  • Putin wins Russian presidency, exit polls show

    Andrew Lubimov / AP

    A Russian navy sailor casts his ballot as others queue to cast their ballots at a polling station at the Russian Fleet base during the Russian Presidential election, in Sevastopol, Ukraine, March. 4. Vladimir Putin appears all but certain to return to the Kremlin in Sunday's Russian presidential election, but he'll find himself in charge of a country far more willing to challenge him.

    Alexander Zemlianichenko / AP

    Russian Prime Minister and presidential candidate Vladimir Putin, left, and his wife Lyudmila leave a polling station in Moscow, Russia, March 4.

    Vladimir Putin won a resounding victory in Russia's presidential election on Sunday, exit polls showed, securing a new six-year term in the Kremlin and a mandate to deal with opposition protests after a vote that opponents said was marred by fraud. 

    Two television exit polls forecast the prime minister would win 59.3 and 58.3 percent of the votes, easily enough to make a runoff against the second-placed candidate unnecessary.

    -- Reported by Reuters 

  • Voting begins in Iran's election

    Kamran Jebreili / AP

    People line up to cast their ballots for the parliamentary elections at Masoumeh shrine in the city of Qom, Iran, on March 2, 2012.

    Ayatollah Khamenei's official website via EPA

    Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, right, giving his ID to officials before casting his vote in Tehran on March 2, 2012.

    Morteza Nikoubazl / Reuters

    Young people stand in line while waiting to cast their votes at a mosque in central Tehran on March 2, 2012.

    Behrouz Mehri / AFP - Getty Images

    A clergyman chooses his candidates at a polling station at the Massoumeh shrine in the religious city of Qom on March 2, 2012.

    Behrouz Mehri / AFP - Getty Images

    A girl stands next to a ballot box as election officials register a voter at a polling station at the Massoumeh shrine in Qom on March 2, 2012.

    Atta Kenare / AFP - Getty Images

    A couple cast their vote at a polling station in Tehran on March 2, 2012.

    Iranians voted on Friday in a parliamentary election which is expected to reinforce the power of the clerical establishment of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei over hard-line political rivals led by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

    The election is unlikely to have much impact on Iran's foreign policies - the country's disputed nuclear program and international relations are already strictly controlled by Khamenei.

    But it could allow the clergy to strengthen its hand in determining the political backdrop ahead of a presidential election due in 2013. Read more.

    -- NBC News, msnbc.com staff and news services contributed to this report

    EDITORS' NOTE: Foreign media are subject to Iranian restrictions on leaving the office to report, film or take pictures in Tehran.

    See more photos of the election campaign on PhotoBlog.

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