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.

Reps. Howard L. Berman (D-Calif.) and Gerald E. Connolly (D-Va.) advocate for an overhaul of the U.S. foreign aid system that would make it more effective in serving the country’s long-term interests, arguing that the Global Partnerships Act of 2012 (H.R. 6644) will help modernize the foreign aid process currently outlined by the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to make it more transparent and accountable.

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.

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Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will provide level playing ground to all the political parties and contesting candidates to ensure fair, transparent and credible elections, Secretary ECP Ishtiak Ahmad Khan said.

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For the first time, constituents in Liberia’s 73 electoral districts will now benefit from a new information-on-demand service about the work of their Representatives and Senators in the National Legislature.

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.

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.”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 21, 2012