Communities around the world are united by the challenges engendered by the COVID-19 threat. Local officials are at the forefront of the fight: the tone and immediacy of their response to this emergency not only define their leadership, but also directly impact the health and wellness of their citizens.

Ensuring accountable, transparent and inclusive elections in which women are free to participate equally is a cornerstone of any democratic system. Elections offer pivotal moments to strengthen women’s political participation and change the face of politics to better reflect a country’s citizenry. While Ethiopia has taken recent strides towards gender parity in high-level government positions, these gains have not yet translated into tangible improvements for women’s security and grassroots political participation.

Although it infects indiscriminately, COVID-19’s fallout will inevitably impact people differently around the globe. Beyond immediate health risks, the pandemic’s ripple effect will compound and deepen the socio-economic challenges already faced by marginalized communities, especially in places where public officials have traditionally demonstrated an unwillingness or inability to consider their needs.    

While public attention regarding COVID-19 has been focused on the health crisis and its economic repercussions, autocrats are moving quickly to Machiavelli’s maxim -- “never waste an opportunity offered by a good crisis.” Around the world, anti-democratic leaders are using the pandemic as a means of tipping (or skipping) elections, settling scores with political adversaries and channeling public funds to personal accounts.  Authoritarian opportunists use ‘