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.

The Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation and the Code of Conduct for International Election Observers establish the basis for credible international election observation.

Almost all democratic legislatures depend on committees to conduct their business. This paper discusses the different types of committees, committee meetings and hearings, committee membership, leadership and staff and their roles in the legislative process.