diff --git a/README.rst b/README.rst
index 4bc5df42..efac55bd 100644
--- a/README.rst
+++ b/README.rst
@@ -89,8 +89,8 @@ Watch a key
     client.watch('/nodes/n1') #equivalent to client.read('/nodes/n1', watch = True)
     client.watch('/nodes/n1', index = 10)
 
-Get a lock
-~~~~~~~~~~
+Locking module
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
 .. code:: python
 
@@ -115,6 +115,23 @@ Get a lock
         lock.renew(60)
     lock.is_locked()  # False
 
+
+Leader Election module
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+.. code:: python
+
+    # Set a leader object with a name; if no name is given, the local hostname
+    # is used.
+    # Zero or no ttl means the leader object is persistent.
+    client = etcd.Client()
+    client.election.set('/mysql', name='foo.example.com', ttl=120) # returns the etcd index
+
+    # Get the name
+    print(client.election.get('/mysql')) # 'foo.example.com'
+    # Delete it!
+    print(client.election.delete('/mysql', name='foo.example.com'))
+
 Get machines in the cluster
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
diff --git a/docs-source/index.rst b/docs-source/index.rst
index 61a691ba..0411c69a 100644
--- a/docs-source/index.rst
+++ b/docs-source/index.rst
@@ -116,6 +116,23 @@ Use lock primitives
         lock.renew(60)
     lock.is_locked()  # False
 
+Use the leader election primitives
+..................................
+
+.. code-block:: python
+
+    # Set a leader object with a name; if no name is given, the local hostname
+    # is used.
+    # Zero or no ttl means the leader object is persistent.
+    client = etcd.Client()
+    client.election.set('/mysql', name='foo.example.com', ttl=120) # returns the etcd index
+
+    # Get the name
+    print(client.election.get('/mysql')) # 'foo.example.com'
+    # Delete it!
+    print(client.election.delete('/mysql', name='foo.example.com'))
+
+
 
 Get machines in the cluster
 ...........................
diff --git a/src/etcd/__init__.py b/src/etcd/__init__.py
index 3d17d27e..308d3411 100644
--- a/src/etcd/__init__.py
+++ b/src/etcd/__init__.py
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import collections
 from .client import Client
 from .lock import Lock
+from .election import LeaderElection
 
 
 class EtcdResult(object):
diff --git a/src/etcd/client.py b/src/etcd/client.py
index 2baae33b..8ec4510c 100644
--- a/src/etcd/client.py
+++ b/src/etcd/client.py
@@ -453,6 +453,10 @@ def ethernal_watch(self, key, index=None):
     def get_lock(self, *args, **kwargs):
         return etcd.Lock(self, *args, **kwargs)
 
+    @property
+    def election(self):
+        return etcd.LeaderElection(self)
+
     def _result_from_response(self, response):
         """ Creates an EtcdResult from json dictionary """
         # TODO: add headers we obtained from the http respose to the etcd
diff --git a/src/etcd/election.py b/src/etcd/election.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..b5876fab
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/etcd/election.py
@@ -0,0 +1,81 @@
+import etcd
+import platform
+
+
+class LeaderElection(object):
+
+    """
+    Leader Election class using the etcd module
+    """
+
+    def __init__(self, client):
+        """
+        Initialize a leader election object.
+
+        Args:
+            client (etcd.Client): etcd client to use for the connection
+        """
+        self.client = client
+
+    def get_path(self, key):
+        if not key.startswith('/'):
+            key = '/' + key
+        return '/mod/v2/leader{}'.format(key)
+
+    def set(self, key, name=None, ttl=0):
+        """
+        Initialize a leader election object.
+
+        Args:
+            key (string): name of the leader key,
+
+            ttl (int): ttl (in seconds) for the lock to live.
+
+            name (string): the name to store as the leader name. Defaults to the
+                           client's hostname
+
+        """
+
+        name = name or platform.node()
+        params = {'ttl': ttl, 'name': name}
+        path = self.get_path(key)
+
+        res = self.client.api_execute(path, self.client._MPUT, params=params)
+        return res.data.decode('utf-8')
+
+    def get(self, key):
+        """
+        Get the name of a leader object.
+
+        Args:
+            key (string): name of the leader key,
+
+        Raises:
+            etcd.EtcdException
+
+        """
+        res = self.client.api_execute(self.get_path(key), self.client._MGET)
+        if not res.data:
+            raise etcd.EtcdException('Leader path {} not found'.format(key))
+        return res.data.decode('utf-8')
+
+    def delete(self, key, name=None):
+        """
+        Delete a leader object.
+
+        Args:
+            key (string): the leader key,
+
+            name (string): name of the elected leader
+
+        Raises:
+            etcd.EtcdException
+
+        """
+        path = self.get_path(key)
+        name = name or platform.node()
+        res = self.client.api_execute(
+            path, self.client._MDELETE, {'name': name})
+        if (res.data.decode('utf-8') == ''):
+            return True
+        return False
diff --git a/src/etcd/lock.py b/src/etcd/lock.py
index 452ef545..adf7ee5a 100644
--- a/src/etcd/lock.py
+++ b/src/etcd/lock.py
@@ -24,6 +24,8 @@ def __init__(self, client, key, ttl=None, value=None):
             value (mixed):  value to store on the lock.
         """
         self.client = client
+        if not key.startswith('/'):
+            key = '/' + key
         self.key = key
         self.ttl = ttl or 0
         self.value = value
diff --git a/src/etcd/tests/integration/test_election.py b/src/etcd/tests/integration/test_election.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..11e333d1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/etcd/tests/integration/test_election.py
@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+import etcd
+from . import test_simple
+import time
+import unittest
+
+class TestElection(test_simple.EtcdIntegrationTest):
+    def setUp(self):
+        self.client = etcd.Client(port=6001)
+
+    def test_set_get_delete(self):
+        e = self.client.election
+        res = e.set('/mysql', name='foo.example.com', ttl=30)
+        self.assertTrue(res != '')
+        res = e.get('/mysql')
+        self.assertEquals(res, 'foo.example.com')
+        self.assertTrue(e.delete('/mysql', name='foo.example.com'))
+
+
+    def test_set_invalid_ttl(self):
+        self.assertRaises(etcd.EtcdException, self.client.election.set, '/mysql', name='foo.example.com', ttl='ciao')
+
+    @unittest.skip
+    def test_get_non_existing(self):
+        """This is actually expected to fail. See https://github.com/coreos/etcd/issues/446"""
+        self.assertRaises(etcd.EtcdException, self.client.election.get, '/foobar')
+
+    def test_delete_non_existing(self):
+        self.assertRaises(etcd.EtcdException, self.client.election.delete, '/foobar')
+
+    def test_get_delete_after_ttl_expired_raises(self):
+        e = self.client.election
+        e.set('/mysql', name='foo', ttl=1)
+        time.sleep(2)
+        self.assertRaises(etcd.EtcdException, e.get, '/mysql')
+        self.assertRaises(etcd.EtcdException, e.delete, '/mysql', name='foo')
diff --git a/src/etcd/tests/unit/test_leader.py b/src/etcd/tests/unit/test_leader.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..0d2b3788
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/etcd/tests/unit/test_leader.py
@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+import etcd
+import unittest
+
+from .test_request import TestClientApiBase
+
+try:
+    import mock
+except ImportError:
+    from unittest import mock
+
+class EtcdLeaderElectionTestCase(TestClientApiBase):
+    def setUp(self):
+        self.client = etcd.Client()
+
+    def _mock_api(self, status, d):
+        #We want to test at a lower level here.
+        resp = self._prepare_response(status, d)
+        self.client.http.request_encode_body = mock.create_autospec(
+            self.client.http.request_encode_body, return_value=resp
+        )
+        self.client.http.request = mock.create_autospec(
+            self.client.http.request, return_value=resp
+        )
+
+
+    def test_get_leader(self):
+        """ Can fetch a leader value """
+        self._mock_api(200, 'foo.example.com')
+        self.assertEquals(self.client.election.get('/mysql'), 'foo.example.com')
+        self._mock_api(200,'')
+        self.assertRaises(etcd.EtcdException, self.client.election.get, '/mysql')
+
+    def test_set_leader(self):
+        """ Can set a leader value """
+        self._mock_api(200, u'234')
+        #set w/o a TTL or a name
+        self.assertEquals(self.client.election.set('/mysql'), u'234')
+        self.assertEquals(self.client.election.set(
+            '/mysql',
+            name='foo.example.com',
+            ttl=60), u'234')
+        self._mock_api(500, 'leader name required')
+        self.assertRaises(etcd.EtcdException, self.client.election.set,'/mysql')
+
+    def test_del_leader(self):
+        """ Can remove a leader value """
+        self._mock_api(200,'')
+        self.assertTrue(self.client.election.delete('/mysql'))