Bratislava - Slovakia is set to hold presidential elections on March 21, with a runoff election possible on April 4, Slovakian Parliament Speaker Pavol Paska said Thursday.

The speaker is responsible for determining the exact dates of the election, within a time period that is set by law. The runoff will pit the two candidates with the most first-round votes against each other, in case no one gets an absolute majority on March 21.

The latest opinion polls give incumbent President Ivan Gasparovic such a large lead that a runoff seems unlikely.

Washington  - The US Congress confirmed Thursday that Barack Obama won the presidential election, clearing the final hurdle to certify the election before Obama is sworn in on January 20.

In a joint session of the Senate and House of Representatives, Congress declared that Obama defeated Republican Senator John McCain in the Electoral College by a
365-to-173 tally, and that Joe Biden will become the next vice president.

Beirut - Lebanon announced Monday that upcoming parliamentary elections will be held on June 7, 2009 throughout all the country's constituencies.

Another decree is to be issued at a later date setting the schedule for presenting nomination documents, the Lebanese Interior Ministry said.

Holding elections in all constituencies on the same day was a demand by the anti-Syrian ruling majority.

Lebanon last held parliamentary elections in May 2005, when the anti-Syrian ruling majority swept the votes.

Nairobi/Accra - Ghana's opposition candidate John Atta Mills has emerged the victor from an incredibly tight run-off presidential election, Ghana's electoral commission announced Saturday.

Atta Mills, who was running for president for the third time, took 50.23 per cent of the vote, ensuring he will be the man to lead Ghana into the oil era.

The race was decided in the remote farming constituency of Tain, which could not complete its vote in Sunday's presidential run-off election due to problems distributing the ballots.

The Commission wrote to the Chief Secretary and ordered posting of Amaresh Pujari, IPS, as DIG, Madurai Range; Prem Anand Sinha, IPS, as S.P. Madurai and Praveen Kumar Abhinapu, IPS, as Deputy SP and sought compliance from the State Government by 10 a.m. on Friday.

Commission sources said that the transfers were ordered on the report sent by the State Chief Electoral Officer Naresh Gupta as a measure for ensuring free and fair polls.

Nairobi/Accra - Polls closed Friday evening in the last Ghanaian constituency to cast its ballots in a run-off presidential election that has become increasingly tinged with controversy.

The remote farming constituency of Tain, which has just over 53,000 registered voters, could not complete its vote in Sunday's presidential run-off election after problems distributing the ballots.

John Atta Mills of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) holds a 23,055-vote lead over Nana Akufo-Addo of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), meaning that the constituency has the power to decide who wins.

Atta Mills won Tain in the inconclusive first round in early December with 16,211 votes to 14,935 for Akufo-Addo.