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Our Perspectives

Commentary from experts on the directions and challenges of democracy assistance programs.


05/10/2011	NDI Observers Highlight Progress and Remaining Challenges in How Nigeria Conducts Elections Chris Fomunyoh, Carlo Binda and Richard Klein at SAIS Nigeria’s April presidential and parliamentary elections have largely been viewed as a step forward from the seriously flawed polls of the past. At a recent event, organized by NDI along with the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and the Center for Strategic and International Studies, several members of NDI’s observation delegation detailed the factors that contributed to a sound election. Chris Fomunyoh, NDI’s senior associate for Africa, cited four INEC actions that contributed to a sound election, while NDI Nigeria Director Carlo Binda talked about how the election commission curbed some of the violence that plagued past elections. Richard Klein, NDI’s senior advisor for elections, dug into the data that told a similarly successful story. Read More
04/22/2011	Room for Debate: The Media’s Role Before, During and After Candidate Debates World Press Freedom Day 2011 Matt Dippell, Debates Program Advisor at the National Democratic Institute, discusses the vital role a free press plays in asking the tough questions, holding candidates accountable to their promises, and creating a culture of debate in the electoral process. "The media make debates an expected part of the election process. In many countries, there is little tradition of debates. Few if any countries require candidates to take part in debates. Absent such a requirement, candidates can be reluctant to debate and defend their positions face to face with their political opponents. The media’s role is essential to generating the public expectation that a debate should be held." Read More
04/20/2011	Post-Election Haiti: What Happens Next? Jim Swigert at USIP In a panel discussion on "Post-Election Haiti: What Happens Next?" at the U.S. Institute of Peace, Jim Swigert said, "Democracy is always a work in process," and Haiti is certainly no exception. "Elections are of course essential to democracy but not an end to themselves," said Swigert, NDI's director for Latina American and the Caribbean. "They are only part of the process of constructing democratic governance – democratic culture, rule of law, the responsiveness, transparency and accountability of government and elected leaders. Those are the challenges President Martelly and the next Haitian government and parliament must take on if they are to succeed." Read More
04/13/2011	Yemen's President Hangs On, Despite Demonstrations NPR Protesters in Yemen have been trying to force President Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down. Les Campbell, regional director for the Middle East and North Africa at NDI, talks to Renee Montagne about Yemen's political future. "I think you have to break the opposition into a few parts. The new factor in Yemen is the emergence of the grassroots, what are being called the youth, although they're not always young. A number of young university students that really are the heart of the protests, they were joined by tribesmen, and they're calling for Saleh to step down right now, no conditions. The traditional political opposition, they're looking for something a little different. They're willing to negotiate a political solution. They're willing to have Saleh step down, perhaps with a transition to the vice president. But even the opposition coalition is torn. You have some that want to negotiate with Saleh. You have others that say we have to listen to the youth. They're basically being driven by the vitality and the legitimacy of the youth protests." Read More
04/08/2011	Roma Still Face Challenges Across Europe Huffington Post On International Day of the Roma, Catherine Messina Pajic, deputy director of Central and Eastern Europe programs, writes about the continuing discrimination and hardship Romani people face. In this piece in the Huffington Post, Pajic discusses ways that NDI helps the Roma take control of their own political futures. "NDI is working with Roma at the grassroots level, helping them to make their voices heard. Throughout the region, NDI is expanding the pool of Romani civic and political leaders through workshops and leadership academies; encouraging greater political participation through the ballot box; strengthening the abilities of Romani elected officials to become more effective in their positions; and supporting community projects that help democracy deliver." Read More
03/31/2011	Ivory Coast Violence Escalates as President-Elect's Fighters Capture Key Cities PBS Newshour As the conflict between pro-Gbagbo and pro-Ouattara forces in Cote d'Ivoire escalates toward civil war, NDI's regional director for Central and West Africa, Christopher Fomunyoh, analyzes the situation. "My hope is that we don't get to a point where there's full-blown civil war. I am also hoping that, as the pro-Ouattara forces continue to gain momentum, that a lot of the military that has supported Laurent Gbagbo in the past will pause and ask themselves the question whether its worth fighting for a cause that is a lost cause." Read More
03/07/2011	FOI Bill - Lack of Information is Damaging to Democracy AllAfrica.com In this interview, Carlo Binda, senior resident director in Nigeria, tells Chibuzo Ukaibe that the passage of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Bill by the House of Representatives is a major and needed step towards building confidence between state institutions and the citizenry. "Nothing is, in my view, more damaging to democracy than a lack of information. Information that allows citizens to know what the state institutions are doing is valuable. It helps everybody, not only the citizens but also helps to strengthen those institutions of state and the media is the bridge," Binda said. Read More
02/25/2011	Election Law Reform as Disappointing as Last Fall’s Elections Kyiv Post Writing in the Kyiv Post, Kristina Wilfore, NDI resident director in Ukraine, examines the electoral reform process in the country and finds it disappointing. "Last fall’s local elections were a great disappointment for many non-partisan election watchers who had hoped that bad elections in Ukraine were a thing of the past. Unfortunately, three months into the reform effort, the president’s initiative looks to be equally disappointing. "The most important thing the working group can do is reassure Ukrainians of all political stripes that future elections will be fair. This means maintaining elements of past laws that contributed to several years of democratic elections in Ukraine while solving problems that cropped up last fall. Just as important is making sure that all parties trust the process leading to the needed changes." Read More
02/06/2011	'Different Era' Ahead in Egypt CNN NDI Chairman Madeleine K. Albright appeared on CNN’s State of the Union on Feb. 6 to discuss the ongoing transition in Egypt, the role of the U.S. in that transition and Mubarak's future. “My own personal opinion is the Mubarak era is over," former Secretary of State Albright said. "And the question is how to have a process that really works properly, that allows these various voices to come together and not disagree on some of the tactical aspects.” Read More
02/03/2011	Supporting Democracy in the Middle East MSNBC Former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle appeared on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” show where he addressed the current political situation in Egypt and the rest of the Middle East. Daschle, NDI’s vice chair, talked about the importance of the work NDI and the International Republican Institute (IRI) are doing to support the foundations of democracy in the region. “[The United States is] not involved as a country, but we support NDI and IRI in a way that I think could really pay big dividends,” he said. Read More