GLOBAL JOURNALIST: Elections always fascinating, sometimes free and fair

Charles Davis, associate professor, Missouri School of Journalism: It is election season, not just in the United States but in many countries around the world from Brazil to Egypt. Brazil just elected its first female president, and in Egypt, opposition parties are being repressed ahead of the Nov. 28 vote. What common themes continue to emerge in elections around the world? What challenges do countries face as they elect leaders to represent them? What is the state of fair elections in the world? Our guests today are Arch Puddington, director of research, Freedom House, New York; Todd Benson, bureau chief, Reuters, Sao Paulo, Brazil; Moheb Zaki, senior adviser, Ibn Khaldun Center for Development Studies, Cairo, Egypt; Brian Byrnes, independent journalist, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Todd Benson in Brazil, what are the messages from the election of Brazil’s first woman president and the election of a former leftist rebel turned government power-broker?