The Iran Election Bulletin is a biweekly publication covering domestic political and election issues in Iran.

Democratic progress faltered in Mauritania, when in August 2008, less than two years after Mauritanian citizens democratically elected Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi as president, senior military officers led a coup d’état which overturned the government. A military junta led by General Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz ruled the country during the proceeding months of political gridlock which saw the rise of a coalition of political parties standing in opposition to the junta, demanding return to constitutional order.

The smallest of the former Yugoslav republics, Montenegro achieved independence through peaceful referendum in 2006 and is on course to join the European Union and NATO. But like some other countries in the region, it still faces challenges that point to the need for more transparency and accountability in its governance system before it can meet the EU’s membership requirements.

Al Quds Center for Political Studies recently published the first reports ever prepared on parliamentary monitoring in Jordan. They provide information and analysis to Jordanian citizens and civic groups on various elements of parliament’s performance.