The National Democratic Institute is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization working to support and strengthen democratic institutions worldwide through citizen participation, openness and accountability in government.

Kenya is preparing for its first general elections since 2007, when 1,500 people died and 600,000 more were displaced in post-election violence.  Following passage of a new constitution in 2010, many new elected offices were created, so March 4 polls will include many candidates who have never campaigned or held office before. A large number are not schooled in the skills that lead to successful campaigns or in the responsibilities of candidates and elected leaders.

Nearly half of Ukrainians think there are too few women in elected office, according to a poll released today by the National Democratic Institute (NDI). Ukrainians believe women politicians are better equipped than men to deal with many important policy issues, and they want political parties to address barriers to women’s political participation.

In Liberia, where more than 40 percent of adults are illiterate and where citizens who live outside of the capital, Monrovia, have little or no access to the Internet or television, radio is often the only reliable source of news.  Traditionally, getting news to radio stations involves recording it onto CDs, which then need to be driven to the stations.  This is both expensive and time consuming, and stories are usually out of date by the time they are aired.

An international observation delegation fielded by NDI said the Jan. 23 Jordanian parliamentary elections saw a marked improvement in procedures and administration from past polls.  But it also found election day shortcomings and irregularities, as well as a number of systemic distortions.