diff --git a/include/XSLT/impl/xslt_attribute.hpp b/include/XSLT/impl/xslt_attribute.hpp
index 5775e409..bdddb2f9 100755
--- a/include/XSLT/impl/xslt_attribute.hpp
+++ b/include/XSLT/impl/xslt_attribute.hpp
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ public:
       namesp = namespace_->evaluateAsString(node, context.xpathContext());
     else
     { 
-      QName qn = QName::createQName(name);
+      QName qn = QName::create(name);
       if(!qn.prefix.empty())
       {
         std::map<std::string, std::string>::const_iterator ns = namespaces_.find(qn.prefix);
diff --git a/include/XSLT/impl/xslt_element.hpp b/include/XSLT/impl/xslt_element.hpp
index 415f1740..2c5d3f03 100755
--- a/include/XSLT/impl/xslt_element.hpp
+++ b/include/XSLT/impl/xslt_element.hpp
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ public:
       namesp = namespace_->evaluateAsString(node, context.xpathContext());
     else
     { 
-      QName qn = QName::createQName(name);
+      QName qn = QName::create(name);
       std::map<std::string, std::string>::const_iterator ns = namespaces_.find(qn.prefix);
       if(ns == namespaces_.end())
         throw SAX::SAXException("xsl:element Runtime Error - Undeclared prefix " + qn.prefix);
diff --git a/include/XSLT/impl/xslt_qname.hpp b/include/XSLT/impl/xslt_qname.hpp
index 3dc66750..eb7ef8ec 100644
--- a/include/XSLT/impl/xslt_qname.hpp
+++ b/include/XSLT/impl/xslt_qname.hpp
@@ -13,38 +13,45 @@ struct QName
   std::string prefix;
   std::string localName;
   std::string namespaceURI;
+  std::string qname;
 
-  static QName createQName(const std::string& qName) 
+  QName(const std::string& p,
+              const std::string& lN,
+              const std::string& uri) :
+    prefix(p),
+    localName(lN),
+    namespaceURI(uri),
+    qname(p.empty() ? lN : (p + ":" + lN))
+  {
+  } // QName
+
+  static QName create(const std::string& qName)
+  {
+    return create(qName, "");
+  } // create
+
+  static QName create(const std::string& qName, const std::string& namespaceURI)
   {
     if(!Arabica::XML::is_qname<Arabica::default_string_adaptor<std::string> >(qName))
       throw SAX::SAXException("Bad name : " + qName);
 
     static char COLON = Arabica::text::Unicode<char>::COLON;
-    QName qn;
+
+    std::string prefix;
+    std::string localName;
 
     size_t colon = qName.find(COLON);
+     
     if(colon == std::string::npos) 
-      qn.localName = qName;
+      localName = qName;
     else
     {
-      qn.prefix = qName.substr(0, colon);
-      qn.localName = qName.substr(colon+1);
+      prefix = qName.substr(0, colon);
+     localName = qName.substr(colon+1);
     }
-
-    return qn;
-  } // createQName
-
-  static QName createQName(const std::string& qName, const std::string namespaceURI) 
-  {
-    QName qn(createQName(qName));
-    qn.namespaceURI = namespaceURI;
-  
-    if(!qn.prefix.empty() && qn.namespaceURI.empty())
-      throw SAX::SAXException("Undeclared prefix " + qn.prefix);
-    return qn;
-  } // createQName
-}; // QName
-
+    return QName(prefix, localName, namespaceURI);
+  } // create
+}; // struct QName
 
 } // namespace XSLT
 } // namespace Arabica
diff --git a/include/XSLT/impl/xslt_sink.hpp b/include/XSLT/impl/xslt_sink.hpp
index c57f6ecd..17258915 100755
--- a/include/XSLT/impl/xslt_sink.hpp
+++ b/include/XSLT/impl/xslt_sink.hpp
@@ -52,8 +52,8 @@ public:
 
   bool start_element(const std::string& qName, const std::string& namespaceURI)
   {
-    QName qn = QName::createQName(qName, namespaceURI);
-    return start_element(qn.prefix, qn.localName, qn.namespaceURI);
+    QName en = QName::create(qName, namespaceURI);
+    return start_element(en.prefix, en.localName, en.namespaceURI);
   } // start_element
 
   bool start_element(const std::string& prefix, const std::string& localName, const std::string& namespaceURI)
@@ -68,8 +68,8 @@ public:
       namespaceStack_.declareNamespace(prefix, namespaceURI);
 
     std::string mapped_prefix = namespaceStack_.findPrefix(namespaceURI);
-    name_ = (!mapped_prefix.empty()) ? mapped_prefix + ':' + localName : localName;
-    namespaceURI_ = namespaceURI;
+
+    element_stack_.push(QName(mapped_prefix, localName, namespaceURI));
 
     atts_.clear();
     pending_element_ = true;
@@ -80,8 +80,8 @@ public:
 
   void end_element(const std::string& qName, const std::string& namespaceURI)
   {
-    QName qn = QName::createQName(qName, namespaceURI);
-    end_element(qn.prefix, qn.localName, qn.namespaceURI);
+    QName en = QName::create(qName, namespaceURI);
+    end_element(en.prefix, en.localName, en.namespaceURI);
   } // end_element
 
   void end_element(const std::string& prefix, const std::string& localName, const std::string& namespaceURI)
@@ -95,6 +95,7 @@ public:
     {
       std::string mapped_prefix = namespaceStack_.findPrefix(namespaceURI);
       do_end_element((!mapped_prefix.empty()) ? mapped_prefix + ':' + localName : localName, namespaceURI);
+      element_stack_.pop();
     } // end_element
 
     namespaceStack_.popScope();
@@ -102,7 +103,7 @@ public:
 
   void start_attribute(const std::string& qName, const std::string& namespaceURI)
   {
-    QName qn = QName::createQName(qName, namespaceURI);
+    QName qn = QName::create(qName, namespaceURI);
     start_attribute(qn.prefix, qn.localName, qn.namespaceURI);
   } // start_attribute
 
@@ -208,7 +209,7 @@ public:
 
     flush_element();
 
-    name_ = target;
+    target_ = target;
   } // start_processing_instruction
 
   void end_processing_instruction() 
@@ -219,7 +220,7 @@ public:
     if(!text_mode_)
     {
       std::string data = escape(buffer_.str(), "?>", "? >");
-      do_processing_instruction(name_, data);
+      do_processing_instruction(target_, data);
     } // if ...
   } // end_processing_instruction
 
@@ -306,8 +307,7 @@ private:
     if(want_decs)
       addNamespaceDeclarations();
 
-    do_start_element(name_, namespaceURI_, atts_);
-
+    do_start_element(element_stack_.top().qname, element_stack_.top().namespaceURI, atts_);
     pending_element_ = false;
   } // flush_element
 
@@ -336,8 +336,8 @@ private:
   int buffering_;
   bool pending_element_;
   int pending_attribute_;
-  std::string name_;
-  std::string namespaceURI_;
+  std::stack<QName> element_stack_;
+  std::string target_;
   SAX::AttributesImpl<std::string, Arabica::default_string_adaptor<std::string> > atts_;
   std::stringstream buffer_;
   bool text_mode_;