Political parties should play key roles in democratic governance by representing citizens and aggregating their concerns into policy, and by vetting, selecting and influencing political leaders. However, corruption, state capture, populism and opaque party organizations undermine public confidence in parties around the world, fueling political instability.

The National Democratic Institute (NDI) conducted quantitative and qualitative public opinion research between March and June 2021 in Lebanon, that examined the legacy of the protest movement, how people feel about the government, political parties, and politicians, who citizens trust to represent their needs, and what people see as the best possibilities for reform. 

The key findings and themes that emerged from the research are:

In April 2021, Kosovo citizens were more optimistic than in the fall about the direction of the country. Economic recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic and vaccination against the virus joined longstanding concerns related to unemployment and corruption. Concerns about the safety of the vaccine were high, and belief in false Covid-19 narratives remained, just before Kosovo began its broader national vaccination campaign.

NDI cautions that opinions from this research represent a snapshot from April 2021 only.

The February 2021 snap parliamentary elections marked the beginning of a new chapter for Kosovo. For the first time since Kosovo's independence in 2008, a single political party has a majority in the Assembly. It also elected a female president for the second time and a record 43 women representatives to the 120 seat National Assembly.

By Coen Pustjens, Program Director

The democracy support community implements a wide range of programming to promote more competitive and representative multiparty systems. Traditionally, these political party programs have focused on improving the capacity of party activists and political leaders to: conduct citizen outreach; represent different societal groups, including marginalized communities; develop and pursue public policy proposals; recruit and nominate candidates; compete in elections; and form governments.

The National Democratic Institute (NDI) developed a Fundraising Guidebook for political parties and movements in Serbia to ensure privacy, safety, and transparency when raising funds, both for the parties themselves and for potential donors. When a political party is not represented in a local, provincial or national assembly, it receives no financial income from the state, and most parties will limit their political activities as a result.