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.

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.

One development that helped move women ahead at the national level was a successful campaign to promote enforcement of a provision in the federal election code that designates 2 percent of federal political party funding for women’s leadership training. Many parties had been ignoring the requirement and instead using the earmarked funds for expenses like cleaning services and party supplies.

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.