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Manikas Testifies in Senate on Burma’s Democratic Progress

After decades of military rule and economic stagnation, Burma is beginning to institute political and economic reforms, but these are only beginning, Peter Manikas, NDI senior associate and regional director for Asia programs, said in Senate testimony April 26 before the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asia and Pacific Affairs. The outcome is not assured, he said.  The political situation is fragile and much more needs to be done to help ensure that the democratization process continues.

NDI Chairman Albright To Receive Presidential Medal of Freedom

Madeleine K. Albright portrait
Madeleine K. Albright. Photo by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders.

NDI Chairman and former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright will be awarded the 2012 Predential Medal of Freedom, President Barack Obama announced. The Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, is presented to individuals who have made especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors. Albright is one of the 13 people selected to receive the medal this year. The awards will be presented at the White House in late spring.

For The First Time, Libyan Citizen Network Will Observe Elections

A coalition of civil society organizations from across Libya has launched the Shahed Network for election observation, the first citizen election monitoring effort ever attempted in the country.

At an April 23 press conference, the network announced its plans to recruit and train observers to monitor all aspects of the June 19 polls for a constituent assembly known as the National Public Conference. The group is working to deploy observers for voter registration in early May. Its goal is to recruit and train observers who will be present in 1,500 polling stations across Libya, for both voter registration and on election day.

Congolese Want Leaders to “Reach Out To Us,” Opinion Research Finds

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New focus group research from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) finds an overwhelming majority of participants believe the country can become a full-fledged democracy, provided it has better leadership and unity among the people. Those surveyed were also especially concerned with the corrosive power of corruption in the country, and they want political parties and elected leaders to be more responsive to citizens.

Fomunyoh Testifies to Senate on Entrenched African Leadership

Entrenched and often autocratic one-man rule is causing a “democracy deficit” and impeding political development in many African countries, Christopher Fomunyoh, senior associate and regional director for Central and West Africa at NDI, said in congressional testimony April 18.

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