In Mexico’s national congress, a ban on serving consecutive terms often makes it difficult for legislators to build on their experience in office or forge strong relationships with their constituents.

Since the 1986 fall of the Duvalier dictatorship, Haiti has struggled as it moves toward democracy. The country is the poorest in the Western Hemisphere, and the public is frustrated with the limited degree of progress made in addressing issues such as poverty, public safety and corruption, which threaten the country’s political stability.

Organizers had to scramble to find extra chairs for 340 Yemeni tribal sheikhs, governors, political party and civil society organization members, and journalists who turned out for the sixth televised town hall meeting to discuss Yemen’s highly anticipated National Dialogue Conference, which began last month. Despite an electricity outage caused by an attack on oil pipelines outside of Sana’a, the capital, participants flooded the March 13 meeting, originally arranged for just 230 people.

Since its independence in 1960, the Central African Republic (CAR) has struggled to overcome political instability, mutinies and rebellions. On March 24, a coalition of rebel groups, Seleka (“union” in Sango), overthrew the government of President Francois Bozizé. Following the coup, one of the rebel leaders, Michel Djotodia, appointed himself president, formed a new government and stated his intent to remain in power until presidential elections are held in 2016. Following the coup, citizens have faced pervasive looting, and a lack of water and electricity.