Paulina Chavez
Press Secretary
[email protected]
WASHINGTON, D.C.- The National Democratic Institute (NDI) last night presented the 2025 Madeleine K. Albright Democracy Award, the Institute’s highest honor, to Chisankho Watch of Malawi and Ms. Nino Dolidze of Georgia, for their exceptional leadership and steadfast commitment to protecting citizens’ right to vote and confidence in their elections. The Award recognizes those who defend freedom and democratic values, even at great personal risk.
Opening the ceremony, NDI Board Chair Tom Daschle invoked the enduring power of the democratic idea: “The freedom to choose your own leaders and hold them accountable is perhaps the most powerful idea in human history. It has inspired ordinary people to acts of extraordinary courage, and to extraordinary achievements,” he said.
At the ceremony in Washington, D.C., U.S. Representative Gregory Meeks presented the award to Chisankho Watch, commending the coalition’s efforts as “a true bright spot for democracy in 2025.” During Malawi’s tense 2025 general elections, he declared, “Chisankho Watch strengthened trust in the electoral process, supported the integrity and independence of the official results, and helped lay the foundation for a peaceful transfer of power…Their work stands as a powerful reminder that when citizens organize, engage, and insist on transparency, democracy becomes stronger and more resilient.”
On behalf of Chisankho Watch, Bishop Gilford Matonga dedicated the award to the Malawian people, whose commitment to democracy made a peaceful transfer of power possible. “In a world where democracy is backsliding, we are very proud to have contributed to global democratic norms and practices—something cherished dearly by all Malawians,” he said.
Naz Durakoglu, representing U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen, presented Ms. Dolidze with the award and underscored her courage in the face of intimidation by Georgia’s ruling party. “Last year, the Georgian government took unprecedented steps to silence its citizens. They passed authoritarian laws. They walked away from Georgia’s constitutional promise to join the Euro-Atlantic community. And they cracked down on civil society and imprisoned political opposition. That is why this year’s honoree matters so much,” she affirmed.
Dedicating the award to the brave people of Georgia and to all who defend democracy around the world, Ms. Dolidze underscored the imperative of international solidarity with Georgians in their democratic struggle. “Democracy is not guaranteed…We continue this fight not because it is easy, but because it is ours. But the world should know more about the unbreakable struggle of the Georgian people. Because this fight is not local; it is part of the broader fight for democracy, human rights, and the security architecture of Europe, the United States, and the entire world,” she said.
NDI President Tamara Cofman Wittes invoked the power of citizen action as the root of democracy’s resilience. “As my wonderful mentor Madeleine Albright used to say: What people have the capacity to choose, they have the ability to change. Our awardees tonight exemplify that spirit,” Wittes said. She underscored NDI’s commitment to accompany its partners as they work for freedom and democracy: “We are stronger when we connect with, learn from, support and celebrate one another, and that lesson – that democracies are stronger when we work together – is the foundation of our work at NDI.”
NDI’s 2025 Day of Democracy came at a pivotal moment, as the international community prepares to mark the 20th anniversary of the Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation (DoP), a landmark agreement affirming the indispensable role of impartial observation in safeguarding credible elections and strengthening the resilience of democratic societies.
NDI kicked off its Day of Democracy with a symposium on “Defending Democracy: The Power of Citizen Election Observers,” which brought civic actors from several continents together to examine the challenges and opportunities that citizen observers face in upholding credible election processes.
NDI’s Day of Democracy brought together practitioners, policymakers, philanthropic leaders, and private-sector partners to reaffirm shared values and shared responsibility to safeguard our democratic future, and to celebrate those working for democracy and making democracy work.
To learn more about this year’s awardees and the Madeleine K. Albright Democracy Award, click here.
