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.

LCA participants in Nakuru engaging in group discussions.

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.

Les Campbell, NDI regional director for Middle East and North Africa programs, and Danya Greenfield of the Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East participated in a recent discussion at the Middle East Institute about the challenges Jordan faces after the Jan. 23 parliamentary elections.

Technical improvements such as standardized ballots resulted in progress from previous elections, but the King still hasn’t instituted meaningful reform.

Though few Mauritanians are able to have a say in their country’s political life, one group of dedicated women is determined to be heard. The Advocacy Initiatives Group for Women’s Political Participation (Groupes des Initiatives de Plaidoyer pour la Participation Politique des Femmes, GI3PF), a nonpartisan organization comprising women from all walks of life, is committed to encouraging women’s participation in Mauritanian politics at the local and national levels.

Anna Starostenko (center), a UDAR local councilor from Kyiv, listens with colleagues as NDI presents the results of its public opinion research on gender issues in Ukraine.

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.

The National Democratic Institute (NDI), celebrating its 30th anniversary and seeking to broaden its network of international support, announced today that Stephen Whisnant, managing director for the United States Olympic Committee, has joined the Institute as director of philanthropy.

WASHINGTON, DC – The National Democratic Institute (NDI), celebrating its 30^th anniversary and seeking to broaden its network of international support, announced today that Stephen Whisnant, managing director for the United States Olympic Committee, has joined the Institute as director of philanthropy.

NDI-Liberia ICT Program Officer Melvin Doe and Darren Wilkins of Monrovia-based Sahara Technology train rural journalists on how to use Freedom Fone.

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.

KYIV, Ukraine – 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 Foreign Policy, Amy Mawson, a senior project manager at Fireside Research, outlines the challenges that South Africa’s Independent Electoral Commission faced in organizing the country’s first post-apartheid election in 1994. The commission, lead by Johann Kriegler, was tasked with creating polling places, issuing voter cards and bringing opposing factions into the conversation, among other things.