In the West African country of Guinea, the ruling military junta is preparing to hand over power to a civilian government after the country's June 27 presidential election. The poll would be the first open and competitive presidential election since independence in 1958, and all parties engaged in the country's transition process appear committed to peace and dialogue, according to a communiqué released on May 30 in Conakry, the capital.

In places as diverse as Timor-Leste, Croatia, Morocco, Rwanda and South Africa, increasing numbers of women are being elected to political office. In each case, more women has meant more legislation related to anti-discrimination, domestic violence, family codes, inheritance, and child support and protection.

The Western Balkans — Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia — face ethnic divisions and other politic

The efforts of civil society organizations to monitor and assess the work of legislatures often receive little attention, but this critical and growing area was the focal point of a recent meeting among representatives of parliamentary monitoring organizations (PMOs) and the international development community.