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NDI Hosts the 7th Annual Meeting on the Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation

From left to right: NDI President Kenneth Wollack, Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), NDI Chairman and former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, Congressman David Price (D-NC) and IRI President Lorne Craner.  The evolution of international election observation and its impact were among the topics discussed by a panel of distinguished leaders that opened an international meeting on observation standards hosted by NDI in Washington last month. “Together, we are determined to build on the lessons that we have learned and to make even greater gains in the future,” said NDI Chairman and former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. “In offering that pledge, we feel a sense of urgency because election monitoring can have an enormous impact on human lives.”

Tunisians Frustrated by Political Infighting, Lack of Progress

Following the one-year anniversary of Tunisia’s elections for its National Constituent Assembly (NCA) – the first polls of the Arab Spring – citizens are frustrated by political infighting and the lack of progress on key political and economic issues, according to a new round of NDI focus group research.

Candidate Schools Help Women in West Africa Compete and Win

Aminata Kassé (left), NDI resident director in Burkina Faso, presents a certificate of training completion to a Burkinabe women running for office. As countries across West Africa transition to democracy following years of autocratic rulers, civil unrest, and sometimes civil war, women are frequently left out of the process. Though they make up more than half of the population, women are often excluded from politics by rigid social norms, opaque party structures and other societal hurdles. Yet democracies with more women in power have been shown to yield more equitable societies, have less corruption, and make more advancements in education, infrastructure and health standards.

NDI Delegation Finds Both Cautious Optimism and Serious Challenges for 2013 Pakistan Elections

Xenia Dormandy conducts an interview at the press conference. Photo by Sandra Houston, NDI resident director. Noting the importance of Pakistan’s 2013 elections to the direction the country will take in the years ahead, an NDI assessment mission found cautious optimism among Pakistanis that progress toward democratic governance will continue.  But the delegation also cited serious challenges that, if unaddressed, “could derail the reform momentum and impact the integrity of the elections.”

Libyans Believe Country is Headed in Right Direction, but Express Concern Over Security Challenges and New Government

After Libya’s first democratic election in more than four decades, citizens are proud of having freely elected leaders. But they express concern over the country’s persistent security challenges and disappointment with its new government, according to a new public opinion study conducted by NDI.

NDI Research in Albania Finds That Economy is Top Priority

Participants in a new focus group research study, conducted by NDI, largely think their country is headed in the wrong direction, listing unemployment, rising prices, stagnant salaries and corruption as having a major impact on their quality of life. However, the European Commission’s conditional recommendation to offer Albania candidacy status for EU accession is viewed by some participants as a sign of optimism and improvements, and a main indication for some that the country is on the right track.

Mexican Women’s Coalition Pushes for Reform, Creates “Toolkit” for Advocacy

Mexican women made historic strides last year in securing seats in the country’s national legislature, where they account for more than 36 percent of the membership. But political parties are still struggling to realize similar gains at the state level where just 6.1 percent of the nation’s 2,400 municipal presidents are women.

Training Program Prepares Nicaragua's Next Generation of Leaders

Alumni from Nicaragua's leadership schools identify shared priorities. Silvia Gutiérrez has been an active member of the Sandinista Renovation Movement (Movimiento de Renovación Sandinista, MRS) since she joined the party as a pollwatcher for Nicaragua’s 2006 presidential elections. After her bid for city council in her hometown of Managua in 2008 was cut short when her party was denied participation, she decided to improve her leadership and communication skills by attending a training program aimed at getting more young people involved in politics and civic life.

Selected CLPM Profiles

Marlon Zamora

Staff Interview: Mobile Voter Education and Radio in Ghana's Election

This article was originally published on the NDItech DemocracyWorks blog.  

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