The National Democratic Institute (NDI), in partnership with the International Republican Institute (IRI), produced a House Democracy Partnership (HDP) Global New Member Orientation Manual to support newly elected members of parliament (MPs) and staff in onboarding to the legislature. The manual offers guidance for legislators and staff in their orientation to the legislature, outlining global examples from HDP partner countries and beyond. 

Parliamentary Business and Agenda-Setting in Various Countries

As with every institution and organization globally, parliaments have been disrupted by the global pandemic. Public health provisions meant to limit the spread of COVID-19 have also played havoc with traditional ways of working and communicating. Parliaments, like others, have had to rapidly adjust legislative business, operations and routines to meet the continued priorities of the public and ensure effective governance continued under the crisis.

The National Democratic Institute (NDI) conducted an assessment of North Macedonia’s crisis management response to the COVID-19 outbreak. A team of experts from North Macedonia and the United States examined the capacities of government institutions in North Macedonia in managing the COVID-19 crisis and provided a number of key recommendations to improve the effectiveness of responding to any future crisis in the country. 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WASHINGTON - On Tuesday, National Democratic Institute (NDI) Chairman Madeleine Albright presented Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi with NDI’s 2020 Democracy Award. Under the banner “Changing the Face of Good Trouble,” the virtual event also honored the legacy of Congressman John Lewis, who served on NDI’s advisory board committee.

For the purposes of cooperation and support of the Parliament of the Republic of North Macedonia, the Parliament Support Programme, after the meeting held with Secretary General of the Assembly Cvetanka Ivanova on 6 July 2020, submits this proposal of recommendations for safe work and reorganization of the working processes in the Parliament.

The purpose of this publication is to provide a set of ideas and strategies for political parties that wish to become formal opposition parties within their country’s respective legislative branch. This guide includes institutionalized rules and traditions on the role of a formal opposition in many countries, and also includes advice from political parties in countries new to democratic governance who have served in the opposition. 

Consistent ethical conduct by members of parliament can help build strong, trusting relationships between the public and the legislature.

The following publication provides an introduction to the operation of legislative services in parliaments, a summary of recommendations adopted at legislative services workshops, an outline of the operations of select legislative departments, and examples of different legislative opinions produced by parliamentary services.

The following summary provides updated information on current trends and developments in Western Balkan parliaments and compares the data released by each of the reviewed legislatures. The initial 2013 legislative openness survey summary  was compiled to inform discussion at a regional workshop entitled “Transparency and Parliamentary Cooperation with Civic Societies” organized by the National Council of the Slovak Republic (NC SR) and National Democratic Institute (NDI) in Slovakia in November 2013. The current summary summarizes updates for the period from January 2016 - January 2017.