Iraq

According to the Interior Ministry 481 civilians were killed this month. (CNN.com)

2 DECEMBER 2007

Russia, politics

In parliamentary elections, President Vladimir Putin's United Russia Bloc won 315 seats in the 450-seat State Duma, up from the 222 it won in the December 2003 elections. The remaining seats were divided between The Communist Party of the Russian Federation (KPRF), the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR) and A Just Russia (JR). Foreign observers criticized the fairness of the election due to the government's strong influence over the media, among other things. (CNN.com, IFES, www.rulers.org)

Venezuela

In a referendum, a series of constitutional amendments proposed by President Hugo Chavez was narrowly defeated; the changes would have, among other things, abolished term limits for the office of President and increased the President's power. (CNN.com)

5 DECEMBER 2007

Iraq

A car bombing in the Karrada district of Baghdad killed 19 people. (CNN.com)

11 DECEMBER 2007

Algeria

The al Qaeda Islamic Magreb terrorist group claimed responsibility for two suicide bomb attacks in Algiers, one against the Constitutional Council and Supreme Court, and the other against UN offices. (CNN.com)

12 DECEMBER 2007

Iraq

Three car bombs killed at least 27 people in central Amara. (CNN.com)

Lebanon

A blast in the Beirut suburb of Baabda killed Brig. Gen. Francois Al-Hajj. (CNN.com)

16-18 DECEMBER 2007

Iraq

Turkey carried out artillery and air attacks on PKK positions in the Qandil mountains, as well as a small, brief ground forces incursion across the border on the 18th. The Iraq government asked Turkey “to halt such military actions...which may affect the friendly relations existing between the two peoples and governments of the two neighbors." (CNN.com)

17-18 DECEMBER 2007

Israel, Gaza Strip

There were Israeli airstrikes against Islamic Jihad and Hamas militants. (CNN.com)

18 DECEMBER 2007

Ukraine, politics

Parliament elected Yulia Tymoshenko as the new Prime Minister; she received the minimum 226 votes needed in the 450-seat body. (CNN.com)

19 DECEMBER 2007

South Korea, politics

A presidential election was held. Lee Myung-Bak of the Grand National Party (GNP) won with 48.7% of the vote; Chung Dong-Young of the United New Democratic Party (UNDP) had 26.2% and Lee Hoi-Chang had 15.1%. Lee had promised to take a more critical stance regarding relations with North Korea, saying that denuclearization was important for the North's economic development and for improved cooperation between North and South. He also said he would press the North to improve its human rights record. Lee also promised reforms to improve economic growth. (CNN.com, IFES)

21 DECEMBER 2007

Pakistan

A bomb attack on a mosque in Charsadda killed at least 50 people. (CNN.com)

23 DECEMBER 2007

Thailand, politics

Elections were held for the first time since the military overthrow of Thaksin Shinawatra's government in September 2006. Four hundred seats in the 480-seat House of Representatives were at stake. Members of Thaksin's banned Thai Rak Thai party regrouped as the People's Power Party (PPP); it won 233 seats, four of which were later nullified for vote fraud. The Democrat Party (DP) won 164 seats. Turnout was 72.7%. (IFES, AP) On 19 January the PPP announced it would form a coalition government with several other parties; PPP leader Samak Sundaravej was expected to be Prime Minister. (AP)

Uzbekistan, politics

President Islam Karimov was easily reelected in an election dismissed by foreign observers as not allowing a serious challenge to the incumbent. (AP)

25 DECEMBER 2007

Iraq

A suicide bombing in Baiji killed at least 25 people and wounded 80. (CNN.com)

26 DECEMBER 2007

Sri Lanka

According to the navy, its patrol craft inflicted heavy losses on a LTTE supply flotilla off the coast of the northern Mannar district. (AP)

27 DECEMBER 2007

Pakistan

A suicide attacker killed former prime minister Benazir Bhutto and 22 other people at a political rally in Rawalpindi. The government later said that Baitullah Mehsud, a Taliban commander, planned the attack.

The next day, there was sporadic violence in cities across the country, and hundreds of thousands attended Bhutto's funeral in Garhi-Khuda Baksh. (CNN.com)

Iraq

The US military later said it killed, on this date, Muhammad Khalil Ibrahim and two other members of al Qaeda with an airstrike south of Baghdad. (CNN.com)

27 DECEMBER 2007-FEBRUARY 2008

Kenya

Presidential and legislative elections were held on 27 December. President Mwai Kibaki was running for reelection against Raila Odinga, leader of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM). Violence broke out in several cities as the votes were counted. On the 30th the government announced that Kibaki had won the presidential race with 51.3% of the vote to Odinga's 48.7%. The ODM accused Kibaki of election fraud, and in the following days clashes grew between ODM supporters and police. There was violence, mostly in Nairobi and the Rift Valley, between Odinga and Kibaki supporters which appeared to fall along tribal lines; Kibaki is from the Kikuyu tribe while Odinga is from the Luo. By the end of January the Red Cross was saying over 860 people had been killed and more than 200,000 displaced by the violence. By late February the Kenya Red Cross was saying the displaced numbered more than 300,000. (CNN.com)