Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf won nearly 60 percent of runoff votes in November.

The urgent effort at mediation occurred as the political struggle in Ukraine reached its highest pitch since the presidential runoff vote on Nov. 21.

They also set up a runoff vote next month that could result in the election of Lee P. Brown as the first black mayor in the city's history.

Algeria's last seriously contested campaign before that was in 1992, when the army blocked a runoff parliamentary vote that an Islamic fundamentalist party seemed certain to win.

She faces a challenge from three opponents in this week's vote, and a possible runoff vote in November.

In the case of a tie for the lowest number of votes, a special runoff vote is carried out, with the winner proceeding to the next round.

He received over 50% of the vote, defeating his opponents so soundly that no runoff vote was needed.

Ukrainians go to the polls in a rerun of the presidential runoff vote, supervised by about 12,000 international observers.

The Offices President and Vice President The two posts are elected as a ticket by direct popular ballot; there is no runoff vote.

THE day after Néstor Kirchner qualified for a presidential runoff vote here late last month, the stock market plunged more than 8 percent.