Nigeria’s April presidential and parliamentary elections have largely been viewed as a step forward from the seriously flawed polls of the past, with much credit going to the leadership of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The INEC chairman, Dr. Attahiru Jega, discussed the accomplishments and challenges faced by the commission at a May 10 Washington, D.C., event organized by NDI along with the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

Elections last week in the Sudanese state of South Kordofan were generally well conducted despite a number of deficiencies, according to the findings of a citizen observation group, the Sudanese Group for Democracy and Elections (SuGDE).  The group deployed 90 observers for gubernatorial and state legislative elections held May 2-5.

On Jan. 31 the Serbian government submitted 2,483 answers to the European Union’s (EU) questionnaire to determine if Serbia is ready to become an official candidate for membership. An EU opinion on candidacy is expected later this year and, if positive, would accelerate Serbia’s democratic transition process as the country seeks to harmonize its political system to established EU standards on human rights, governmental transparency and other critical measures.