Second, most of the parties have never fought each other, or anyone else, in anything close to an open vote.

ECONOMIST: Is a partial election really better than none?

In an open vote, Niphon (who runs Chuan's office) could have taken the first deputy spot, but he, too, has bolder goals - namely replacing secretary-general Sanan Kachornprasart (the official No. 2 in the party).

CNN: ALL STANDING IN A LINE

This will not prevent it from living forever, but to make it do so will then require an explicit, open vote.

ECONOMIST: Farewell, Lord Bumbledom, hello Lord Crony?

Former President Laszlo Solyom - who helped to draft the 1989 constitution and served as the head of the Hungarian Constitutional Court from 1990 to 1998 - said in an open letter to the press on the day of the vote that the only way to stop the changes becoming irrevocable would be for President Janos Ader to refuse to sign the constitutional amendments into law.

BBC: Q&A: Hungary's controversial constitutional changes

Congressional Republicans said they want an open debate and accuse Democrats of trying to limit amendments to avoid a vote on offshore drilling -- an assertion the Democrats deny.

CNN: GOP lawmakers want special session on energy crisis

He did the next best thing, engineering an open nominating convention in which more than 12, 000 delegates were free to vote for any candidate.

CNN: Change at the Top

New Hampshire has an open primary: Voters can go into a polling place independent, or undeclared, and switch to a party to vote, then re-register as an independent when they leave.

NPR: N.H. Polls Marked by Heavy Turnout, Independents