Others are prominent, like the frequent use of executive orders to govern, which has been controversial off and on since the Second World War.
The trip is seen as a "reward" for the governing party, which has taken tentative steps towards reform.
The governing Democratic Party, which has had defections amid plunging ratings, is under pressure from the main opposition party to call nationwide elections.
Those guidelines might be useful for the ECB's 22-member governing council, which hasn't had a female member since Gertrude Tumpel- Gugerell's term expired in May last year.
Even France's governing Socialist Party, which has long had ties to Mr. Gbagbo and which in October gave him a crucial endorsement, expressed its disappointment.
Sepp Blatter, the president of FIFA, soccer's world governing body, which has called for zero tolerance of racism, could not be reached for comment.
The group, known as Bersih — or clean, in Malay — argues that the electoral system unfairly favors the governing coalition, which has led Malaysia since independence in 1957.
It is in stark contrast to the established parties, especially the governing PP, which has been overwhelmed by corruption scandals in recent years.
There is also a growing lobby that thinks the governing council, which has 17 members, is too unwieldy a body to act consistently and decisively.
Numbers like these worry the governing Communist Party, which has a particular aversion to the specter of urban slums and their potential as cauldrons for social instability.
