He worked his way up through the rough-and-tumble rank-and-file of the former ruling United National Independence Party to the governorship of Lusaka in 1985, where he made his mark as an action man.

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But fringe parties such as the right-wing British National Party and the anti-Europe UK Independence Party did not make much headway against the mainstream forces (though the Greens made history in getting their first MP elected).

ECONOMIST: Election results

He casts himself as a moderate and emphasises his independence from the national Republican party, which is far too conservative for Massachusetts voters.

BBC: US election: Six crucial Senate races

As his opponent tried to link him to Clinton and Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry, Bowles attempted to strike a level of independence from the national Democratic Party.

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In 1938, she joined the National Congress party and became active in India's independence movement.

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The ruling Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) won the country's first multi-party general election for 16 years, getting 80% of votes cast to 10% for the main opposition party, the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA).

ECONOMIST: Politics this week

These ranged from the eccentric United Kingdom Independence Party and Geert Wilders's Freedom Party in the Netherlands, which both came second in their national polls, to Hungary's anti-gypsy Jobbik party and the Pirate Party in Sweden.

ECONOMIST: The worrying European elections