|
Burma Groups Expose Intimidation, Fraud in Nov. 7 Elections
Burmese citizens protest the 2010 elections.
Elections in Burma, the first in 20 years, along with the release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi after years of house arrest, have brought increased attention to the situation in the autocratic Asian country. "Our thoughts and prayers are with Aung San Suu Kyi and her people," NDI Chairman Madeleine K. Albright said in a statement marking Suu Kyi's release.
"We will do everything in our power to be supportive as she continues the struggle to bring true democracy to Burma."
To highlight abuses associated with the elections,
the Burma Partnership, a coalition of media and human rights groups inside the country and civil society organizations across the border in Thailand, created the Burma Election Tracker website. It documents visually and in prose abuses suffered by Burmese citizens before, during and after election day. NDI provided technical assistance to the partnership in developing the site.
| |
Burma Election Tracker visually displays election incidents by type and location.
|
Prior to the vote, the elections were widely seen as being structured to minimize opposition and ensure a victory by the ruling military junta. NDI analyzed the legal and human rights framework of Burma's new constitution and election law and concluded that the election process would be a setback for Burma's democratic development. The first-person accounts published on the election tracker support that conclusion, with incidents ranging from
violence and intimidation to fraud to abuse of government power. Due to the difficulty of getting reports out of the country, the site is able to compile only a fraction of incidents from the election.
"The reports that we gathered," the tracker said, "demonstrate that these elections were deeply flawed, and were fundamentally illegitimate, unfree, unfair and undemocratic."
NDI has helped local partners create similar websites to track information about elections, their run-up and aftermath.
In Afghanistan, NDI created an online mapping tool for the analysis of election results from 2004, 2005 and 2009 with layers of ethnographic, demographic, topographic and security data. Preliminary results from 2010 will be added soon. And in Bahrain,
monitors mapped incidents, polling locations, and ethnic and religious populations to draw broader conclusions about parliamentary elections in October.
|
|
Election Watch: Jordan, Ukraine, Côte d'Ivoire
In November, NDI fielded an
international delegation of 61 short- and long-term election observers that monitored all aspects of the electoral process in Jordan, from the campaign to balloting on election day to the counting of ballots. In a preliminary statement
issued after the Nov. 9 polls, the delegation said that while the vote was a clear improvement over the nation's 2007 elections, a number of structural shortcomings and other problems should be addressed for future polls. Read more»
After October local elections in Ukraine, NDI commented on
the deterioration of electoral freedoms since the country's presidential election earlier in the year. The Institute said it shared the concerns of Opora, Ukraine's largest domestic election monitoring organization and an NDI partner, which highlighted an atmosphere of mistrust. Read more»
In Côte d'Ivoire, people voted in October presidential elections, the first in 10 years, following a civil war. In an effort to mitigate election-related tensions, NDI worked with political parties seeking to reaffirm a campaign code of conduct
they'd signed in 2008, contributing to a peaceful election day. A runoff will be held Nov. 28. Read more»
New NDI Publications
Don't miss the latest NDI publications and contributions:
NDI President Kenneth Wollack and Governance Director K. Scott Hubli write in the Journal of Democracy about "Getting Convergence Right" on the relationship between democracy and development programs. Read more»
Writing in the Harvard International Review, Wollack discusses the history and evolution of democracy assistance and how such assistance fits into overall U.S. foreign policy goals. Read more»
Shari Bryan, NDI vice president, writes about "The Youth Bulge in Africa" in a paper presented to the National Intelligence Council. Read more»
NDI focus group research with more than 800 Southern Sudanese showed significant support for a referendum in which they will decide whether to choose unity with the North or to secede, and a strong desire for the vote to be held on schedule, in January. The report, Southern Sudan at the Crossroads, was released in September. Read more»
After passage of a series of constitutional reforms designed to expand democratic practices in Hong Kong, citizens are cautiously optimistic about the future. The Calm After the Storm compiles research and conclusions of popular opinion in Hong Kong following the reform vote last summer. Read more»
| |
NDI Aids Haitian Groups Working on Presidential Debates, Cholera Containment
With 19 candidates running for president of Haiti, differentiating them by platform and issue can be difficult. To help Haitians make informed decisions in preparation for the Nov. 28 vote, NDI helped produce a series of six candidate debates, aired on 32 television and radio stations, that focused on substantive issues about the future of the country. Read more»
In an effort to contain Haiti's cholera outbreak, grassroots organizations known as Initiative Committees are working to educate citizens about the importance of hygiene and safe drinking water. Developed more than a decade ago with NDI support, the committees are using their networks to help with relief and rebuilding efforts in the aftermath of last January's earthquake. Read more»
Coalition to Monitor Vote for Better Elections in Nigeria
Nigeria is at an electoral crossroads. Next year's vote for president could herald a democratic turnaround or lead to further electoral fraud and possible violence. To monitor the process and verify results, a coalition of four prominent civil society groups have come together to form Project 2011 Swift Count, hoping that their independent effort will deter fraud and help restore public trust in the election. Read more»
Albanian Women Claim a Voice in Politics through Advocacy on Health Care
A multipartisan network of politically active Albanian women is advocating for better health care services for women, as well as spreading information about early detection and treatment for breast and cervical cancers. The educational campaign has reached nearly 5,000 women, and has led to free cervical cancer screening tests for women in one Albanian city. The women are also lobbying local and regional officials for more resources for women's health care. Read more»
Women Speak Out Against Discrimination in Burkina Faso
A coalition of representatives of women's and human rights organizations in Burkina Faso recently traveled to Geneva, Switzerland, to present a report on the status of women's rights in the West African country to the U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women. The coalition highlighted some of the major challenges facing Burkinabe women, including lower rates of school attendance for girls, unequal access to health care, and high rates of domestic violence. Read more»
|
Share
