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Democracy Updates
Lebanon’s June 7 election was fundamentally peaceful and well administered and should provide the basis for confidence in the electoral process, according to a statement issued by an NDI election observer mission. The delegation was composed of short- and long-term observers from 22 countries who were deployed throughout the country to offer an impartial assessment of the polls.
Lebanon
NDI began programming in Lebanon in 1996, when it assisted local monitoring efforts during parliamentary elections held that year. Despite the flawed nature of elections held under the Syrian occupation, the program met with some success, and the Institute established an office in Beirut in 2001.
NDI continues to support civic organizations, women activists and reform-minded political parties to promote a more responsible political system with institutions that are accountable to Lebanese citizens as a whole, rather than narrow sectarian interests. To this end NDI helped to found the Focus Group Research Center (FGRC) in Beirut, which encourages civic and political actors to better understand and value the viewpoints of citizens on a wide variety of issues related to political reform.
The Institute assists with a number of civil society initiatives and civic education programs designed to increase citizen participation in Lebanese politics. This includes assisting the Civic Coalition for Electoral Reform (CCER), which campaigns to raise public awareness about electoral reform and lobby the government for the passage of a more representative electoral law, and the Lebanese Alternative Budget Project (LABP), whose aim is to promote greater transparency and citizen involvement within the budget process. NDI recently began working with a coalition of Lebanese civic organizations to implement Citizen Lebanon, a nationwide program designed to increase citizens’ political awareness as well as their participation in politics.
Political Context
Civil Society Development
Focus Group Research
Women’s Political Participation
Contact Information
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Lebanese Elections in Brief
During the run-up to the parliamentary elections scheduled for June 7, 2009, NDI is publishing an email update, called Lebanese Elections in Brief, on a weekly basis.
Read Lebanese Elections in Brief:
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Issue 6 – June 1, 2009 | Read this issue »
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Issue 5 – May 26, 2009 | Read this issue »
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Issue 4 – May 18, 2009 | Read this issue »
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Issue 3 – May 11, 2009 | Read this issue »
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Issue 2 – April 29, 2009 | Read this issue »
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Issue 1 – April 20, 2009 | Read this issue »
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