By strengthening relationships among Iraqi citizens, political parties, and government institutions, NDI aims to encourage the development and implementation of policies that meet the needs of the population. The Institute's programs enhance the will and capacity of political parties and government institutions to engage citizens in policymaking and legislative processes, equip civic activists and non-governmental organizations to advocate directly for change at local and national levels, increase the leadership and effectiveness of women in institutions and democratic processes, and promote the conduct of credible and transparent elections.
NDI began working with reform-minded Iraqi politicians in 1999 and established an in-country presence throughout Iraq in June 2003. The Institute has a training center in Erbil, as well as an office in Baghdad focused on its work with the Council of Representatives and political party partners. NDI also supports a network of provincial coordinators, Iraqi political organizers and civil society activists who conduct training, outreach and other activities with the Institute's political and civil society partners throughout the country's 18 provinces.
Electoral Assistance
NDI aims to increase confidence in Iraq's electoral processes by strengthening the capacity of political parties to develop and implement policy-oriented campaigns, preparing candidates and party members to achieve successful results on election day, building the skills of female candidates and activists to participate in the political process, improving the quality of public debate by bringing citizens and candidates together to discuss issues important to voters, and assisting civic partners who conduct voter education and election monitoring to ensure accountability throughout electoral processes.
National Parliamentary Elections – March 2010
In advance of national elections on March 7, 2010, NDI held trainings and consultations for candidates and campaign teams contesting parliamentary seats, commissioned national public opinion polls to assess voter attitudes and inform party messaging, prepared party agents and civil society organizations to contribute to election monitoring efforts, provided Iraqi organizations with grants to conduct voter education activities, and facilitated candidate forums throughout Iraq to promote political dialogue and help voters make informed choices.
To enhance the credibility of the electoral process and the acceptance of election results, NDI provided technical assistance and financial support to the Sun Network for Monitoring Elections, an umbrella of Iraqi civil society organizations that issued reports on the political environment, party and candidate campaigns, and the conduct of electoral authorities in the pre-election period, and conducted a sample-based observation to monitor activities on election day. The Institute also provided support to al-Mirat Media Monitoring Network, which analyzed the performance of Iraqi print media, radio, and television outlets throughout the campaign and electoral periods.
Kurdish Regional Elections – July 2009
On July 25, 2009, political parties and alliances contested 111 seats in the Kurdistan Parliament of Iraq (KPI), and voters elected five candidates for the office of the Kurdistan Regional Government presidency. In preparation, NDI conducted get-out-the-vote training for 320 party agents; distributed grants to civil society organizations to implement projects that supported oversight of the electoral process; provided assistance to the Sun Network for Monitoring Elections, which trained 3,000 domestic election monitors to conduct the first sample-based observation in Iraq; and trained almost 100 candidates in campaign research, voter identification, communication strategies, and message delivery. Forty-eight percent of candidates who attended NDI trainings were elected to the KPI.
Provincial Council Elections – January 2009
More than 14,000 candidates competed for council seats in 14 of Iraq's 18 provinces on January 31, 2009. In preparation for the country’s first implementation of an open-list electoral system, NDI designed an eight-module Campaign Development Series for more than 500 candidates, as well as targeted training for additional female candidates. Candidates who attended NDI trainings won 20 percent of the contested provincial council seats. As well, approximately 50,000 domestic monitors were deployed to 31,400 polling centers across Iraq on election day; almost 20,000 of those monitors had been trained by 500 Iraqis who completed NDI's election monitoring training series.
