Top 8 International Elections to Watch As Americans tick off the primary elections and caucuses that come before the general election in November, voters around the world â in one case, party officials â are also electing new leaders. This promises to be an election year rife with controversy, protests and dissent. Earlier this month, President Vladimir Putin of Russia was re-elected to a third term, taking the wind out of the sails of young Russian protestors, hoping to steer their country towards a "Russia Without Putin." USAToday reports the leader rejected their demands for a rerun of the election, saying the protesters' allegations were merely a political tool. While power remains static in Russia, other parts of the word could see some exchanges of power. Whoever wins the White House will no doubt encounter both new and familiar faces abroad, among U.S. allies and enemies alike. Here are eight international elections to watch this year. Mexico The war against drug cartels has defined U.S.-Mexico relations for almost a decade. because of Mexico's term limitations, and his party (the National Action Party) has nominated current education minister Josefina VÃ¡zquez Mota. If Mota wins, she will be Mexico's first female president. Mota's most formidable campaign rival is Enrique PeÃ±a of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). Sen. John McCain along with other U.S. lawmakers have expressed concern that the Mexican candidates will not be as committed as the incumbent president has been in cooperating with the U.S. to fight the cartels. But the next president is likely to continue Calderon's pressure on the U.S. to legalize marijuana in hopes of reducing the demand that fuels the drug trade. During his tenure, Calderon has focused on using a militarized approach to break up cartels and reduce drug violence, which has killed nearly 50,000 Mexicans during the past five years. PeÃ±a has called for civil institutions to replace the military in the war on drug cartels. His platform focuses on the importance of economic growth and social welfare programs to keep civilians out of the cartels, a position that is gaining momentum in Mexico. Mota has also stressed the importance of education and the need for Mexican citizens to be able to trust police again. Mexico is an extremely important ally to the United States. As our third-largest trading partner, the country's stability and security is essential to the U.S. economy, according to foreign policy experts. Mexico's elections will take place on July 1. Egypt Egypt's first free, post-Mubarak presidential election will take place on May 23 and 24 . After Hosni Mubarak was ousted from power in February, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) took over and has since served as the interim authority. The highly-anticipated presidential race officially began on March 10, and candidates are now able to submit their applications for nomination. Western countries have speculated that the Muslim Brotherhood (MB), the country's most powerful political group, is working with SCAF to find a candidate to run in the election. The uprising against Mubarak in Egypt led the MB to emerge from the margins of political power, and the group has played an important role in the post-Mubarak parliament, occupying 45 percent of the seats. Critics in the West and the United States in particular are concerned about the rise of the MB, as Western foreign policy and political Islamism do not typically engage well with each other. But in an Egypt where public opinion and approval finally matter, foreign policy experts are adamant that the MB will have to transform traditional political Islamism to satisfy the country's growing desire for a new, dynamic approach to politics and economics. For Egyptians, key issues include the economy, employment and security, according to recent Gallup surveys. No matter the outcome of the election, it is clear that its ramifications will reverberate not only throughout Egypt, but throughout the world as well. France President Nicolas Sarkozy has been climbing a seemingly uphill battle for reelection in France. The incumbent president is trailing in the polls behind Socialist challenger FranÃ§ois Hollande. Sarkozy's campaign faces multiple obstacles â he has a floundering approval rating of just 31 percent, he has not delivered on his pledge to cut France's 10 percent unemployment rate in half, and the country's debt has risen by an estimated 40 percent during his five-year tenure as president. Sarkozy, an American tabloid favorite thanks to his supermodel-turned-singer wife Carla Bruni and their newborn child, is often referred to as the "Mitt Romney of Europe" by the media, as many French citizens view him as wealthy and out-of-touch. The debt crisis is the major theme of this election cycle in the euro zone. Sarkozy's reelection platform focuses on tighter immigration controls and the implementation of more economic reforms and policies to help France ride out the European debt crisis. Hollande's platform is based on the notion of "investment" in French culture and has been compared to Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal. Hollande's main challenge is demonstrating how his socialist policies will translate into economic success. The outcome of the election will depend on which candidate can convince the French that he is the one who can reinvigorate the economy in France, one of our closest and most important allies. Elections will be held April 22 and May 6. Libya Libya's first post-Gadhafi elections will choose a 200-member National Assembly to manage the country's affairs for the next year and draft the nation's new constitution. The election will take place before June 23 and will be the country's first in more than four decades. The most critical matter in revolutionary Libya is the issue of legitimacy, or lack thereof, which has widened divisions in Libya. Officials hope that the elections will have a stabilizing effect on the country and quell the recent chaos and militia violence that has lingered in the country in the aftermath of one of the Arab Spring's leading revolutions, as recently reported by the New York Times . Only time will tell whether the revolution Libyans shed blood for will result in the progressive, democratic changes at the heart of the Arab Spring movement. Venezuela The leftist politics of anti-U.S. President Hugo Chavez have ruled Venezuela since 1999. Chavez will face Henrique Capriles Radonski, the governor of the country's second-largest state, Miranda, in the election on Oct. 7. The incumbent president has the state media as well as government money from its vast oil wealth on his side as he seeks reelection, and despite some of the country's antagonism towards Chavez, he has many supporters and a strong connection with the poor in Venezuela. But the president is sick with an unknown type of cancer and is recovering from his third surgery in a year. Despite reports that Chavez's cancer is spreading, he maintains that he is recovering fast and is ready for the grueling campaign season. Chavez's signature campaign style involves personally meeting the beneficiaries of his welfare programs. But the president is now facing radiation treatment that threatens his ability to be mobile as the campaign kicks into high gear. His team has plunged into social media and the Internet to allow Chavez the opportunity to "virtually" interact with voters in slums and rural areas. His Twitter account lay dormant in the days following his surgery, but posting resumed at the end of February with his usual greeting to followers: "Good morning, good world!" Meanwhile, despite his early momentum, Capriles faces a tough election against Chavez. He has been vilified in Venezuela's state-run media, accused of being a homosexual and a Zionist. Capriles's campaign platform focuses on improving education as way to alleviate the poverty-stricken country. On March 4, Capriles held a rally in Caracas, during which a group of armed men fired guns. In a message on his Twitter account, Capriles blamed the government for the attacks, but the group responsible has yet to be identified. Senegal Senegal's presidential election took place on Feb. 26, amidst controversy and protests over the constitutionality of a third term for incumbent president Abdoulaye Wade. Although Wade won the majority of the vote, no candidate received 50 percent of the vote needed to assume the presidency. There will be a run-off election between incumbent Wade and candidate Macky Sall, who came in second after the first round of elections. Thousands of people gathered in Dakar over the weekend in support of Sall, including the 12 opposition candidates who fell off the ballot after the first round of the vote. Wade's popularity has plummeted in Senegal as food prices have soared and frequent power cuts have handicapped the livelihoods of many Senegalese people. But Wade said he failed to win the majority because "the West was campaigning against me," South Africa's News 24 reports. The 85-year-old's campaign sparked anger and protests in Senegal, leading the U.S. and France to urge the leader to retire. At least six people died in protests leading up to the election, and hundreds more were injured. If Wade wins in the second round of the vote, these protests are expected to continue. The run-off election is currently scheduled for March 25. South Korea South Korea's presidential elections will take place December 19. Incumbent president Lee Myung-bak is term-limited and ineligible for reelection. The current frontrunner is Moon Jae-in, a South Korean lawyer who was jailed for protesting against military rule in 1975, and who advocates more welfare spending and closer ties with North Korea. Foreign policy experts say the election is "wide-open" and key issues will be the economy, jobs and wealth disparity. Jae-in's strongest opponent is conservative Park Geun-hye, the daughter of a South Korean military ruler, who has been the favorite up until recently. While neither potential candidate has officially declared whether they will run, both are considered to be near-certain candidates. Conservatives in South Korea have witnessed a recent decline in popularity, and the liberal opposition is expected to steal the conservatives' majority in Parliament in the April parliamentary election. The United States is watching this election closely, as the potential change in leadership in South Korea comes at a crucial time following the recent death of North Korean leader Kim Kong-il in December 2011. China Chinese President Hu Jintao and Vice Premier Wen Jiabao will hand over power to "heir apparent" Xi Jinping and Li Keqiang this fall. All are members of China's ruling Communist party, one of the largest political parties in the word. Under the Chinese constitution, the successor must simultaneously hold three positions to be the leader: General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), President of the People's Republic of China and Chairman of the Central Military Commission. The successor is hand-chosen by the CCP leadership, and the National People's Congress that will be held towards the end of the year merely lends an official confirmation of the new leader already chosen by the Party. Future Chinese leader Xi Jinping visited Washington in February as he prepares to become China's paramount leader. He will succeed Hu Jintao as general secretary of the Communist Party in October or November and as president in 2013. Xi's daughter is currently a sophomore at Harvard University, President Obama's alma mater.