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Elections determine who will govern but they cannot assure that the newly elected government will be able to govern effectively. Each government has to face unique policy problems and all of them will have to meet the challenges that constrain their ability to govern. This article explores three of those common challenges: the ability to exercise effective leadership, managing the constraints and changes of the institutions of government, and understanding the external events that constantly threaten the government's standing and derail its best considered policies and strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the history of the Senate in Australia as a democratic institution as well as identifies the various scenarios that have emerged. Its history can be divided into two eras, before and after the introduction of proportional representation for the 1949 election. There were six senators elected in each state and three every three years within the first 46 years. In addition, the article argued that it was only in 1981 when the Senate gained balance of power and really acted as a house of review. Information on which political parties won the majority seats within this period is addressed.

The article discusses a national election that was held in Nepal in 2008 in which citizens chose representatives to rewrite the country's Constitution. Changes that occurred in the country's government through this election are mentioned, such as Pushpa Kamal Dahal being elected the country's Prime Minister. Political instability that existed in Nepal since the 1990s is discussed. A history of the various governments that have ruled in Nepal from the 1800s through the first part of the 21st century is presented.