Democracy Updates from NDI.ORG

Women Economic Experts Speak About the Impact of the Global Financial and Economic Crisis on Jordan

mtaqi — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 14:49:31 -0500

NDI Jordan recently held the first event of its new speaker series under the Women Helping Women (WHW) project last week, focusing on “The Impact of the Global Financial and Economic Crisis on Jordan.” Three women economic experts and practitioners spoke at the event, and participants included around 25 members of political parties and civic groups. Participants commended NDI and WHW for highlighting women who excel in their respective fields, including economics, and recognized the program’s work in changing attitudes about women in Jordanian society.

Pictured above: Participants attending the panel on the impact of the financial crisis on Jordan.

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Published on Dec. 12, 2008

Satellite Technology Puts Democracy on the Map

vrao — Wed, 08 Mar 2006 14:12:26 -0500

When Palestinians went to the polls in January, nearly every one of the 1,008 polling stations in the West Bank and Gaza had been mapped using Global Positioning System satellite technology. Thanks to a pilot Geographic Information Systems (GIS) project conducted over the past year, NDI created a "smart map" of the West Bank and Gaza that allows users to search, edit and analyze observation information and election results at polling stations throughout the Palestinian territories.

NDI used this information to document voting irregularities such as police officers or campaigners who violated election regulations by operating inside polling stations. The Palestinian Central Election Commission applied the data to produce maps of official polling stations.

NDI is also employing this technology in Serbia and Bangladesh, where digital mapping is helping observer organizations identify constituencies with unusually high turnout rates for particular candidates.

In addition to its usefulness for elections, GIS mapping holds great potential for political organizers. In Serbia, for example, NDI’s digital maps allow political parties to plot their levels of support in precise geographical regions, helping determine where resources should be allocated.

In Bangladesh, political parties plan to use GIS maps to more effectively plan their political outreach ahead of the 2007 parliamentary elections. "This technology is particularly exciting as a tool for parties to connect with citizens," says Ian Schuler, who led the technical implementation of the NDI project in the West Bank and Gaza. "By showing party leaders where they’re strong and where they need to work harder, GIS technology encourages political parties to reach out to people and inspire participation."

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Published on Mar. 8, 2006

Profiting from Africa's Natural Resources

vrao — Mon, 12 Jun 2006 15:16:54 -0400

Why isn’t revenue from oil, gas and mining spurring economic growth and social development in resource-rich African countries?

Many African countries have received billons of dollars in revenues from oil and other natural resources over the last 25 years. Yet, the per capita income of most of these countries remains at less than $3 a day.

In many cases, the lack of accountability and transparency in the management of revenue exacerbates poor governance and often fuels cycles of corruption, conflict and poverty.

And the global demand for Africa’s resources is increasing. In response, Sub-Saharan Africa is increasing its output and by 2015 could supply America with one-quarter of its oil.

The challenge facing democrats in Africa is to prevent corruption in resource-rich states and fight authoritarian governments seeking to consolidate their power by controlling these resources.

In response to this problem, NDI is conducting a program aimed at strengthening transparency and good governance in resource-rich African countries. Specifically, the Institute is identifying effective policies and techniques for overseeing revenues from extractive industries and helping reformers in various countries develop strategies for increasing democratic oversight of these industries.

In countries where revenues and expenditures derived from natural resources are not transparent, NDI and its local partners are identifying the obstacles and publicizing the findings.

The African Extractive Industries program is currently active in Angola, Congo, Chad, Nigeria, Sao Tome & Principe, Sudan, Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ghana, Sierra Leone and South Africa.

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Published on June 12, 2006

"Free and Fair" Elections?

vrao — Sun, 05 Mar 2006 14:19:30 -0500

For the first time, a common set of principles for professional, impartial and effective election observation has been adopted by more than 20 organizations involved in monitoring elections around the world.

The Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation and the Code of Conduct for International Election Observers are aimed at better insuring the integrity of international election observation.

“The presence of international election observers – fielded always at the invitation of sovereign States – can make a big difference in ensuring that elections genuinely move the democratic process forward,” said UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan at the October 2005 endorsement ceremony. He added, “Until now, however, there has been no set of commonly held principles governing this important work… let us live up to these guidelines.”

“Our hope is that the Declaration will enable consistency among observer groups and ensure the effectiveness and credibility of observation missions worldwide,” said former U.S. President Jimmy Carter at the ceremony at UN Headquarters in New York.

The multi-year process to adopt the common principles was led by NDI, The Carter Center and the United National Electoral Assistance Division.

“This Declaration is a major landmark in developing an international consensus on the principles for election observation,” said NDI Chairman and former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. “It brings together an unprecedented group of international organizations in support of the principles of international election observation.”

Endorsing organizations commit themselves, for example, to: act impartially; monitor all stages of the election process; and accept no funding from the host government. The common principles also establish prerequisites for observation such as freedom of movement, freedom to make public statements and free access to information. The Declaration also calls for organizations to ensure that sending monitors not be done in a way that lends undue legitimacy to undemocratic elections.

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Published on Mar. 5, 2006

Women in African Public Life

vrao — Thu, 06 Apr 2006 13:07:31 -0400

Two days before January's swearing-in of Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf – Africa’s first female head of state – more than 250 women met in Monrovia to discuss the role of women in African politics, business and economics.

"Women are gathering from all over the world to celebrate and share collectively in this victory. This is not only a victory for the women of Liberia but a victory for women all over Africa,” said President Johnson Sirleaf shortly before her inauguration. "I intend to ensure that my government will fulfill its promise to the Liberian people and make a good first impression that all women can be proud of."

The keynote address at the conference, titled Women Uniting for Change: In Unity, There is Strength, was delivered by Elizabeth Rehn, former Minister of Defense for Finland. Representatives from governments, NGOs, political parties, business, religious groups, and regional organizations, such as Gertrude Mongella President of the Pan-African Parliament, met and discussed women’s political participation and leadership, their roles in peace and security and the reproductive health and rights of women in Africa.

For the first time, this conference provided an opportunity for women from all over the world to convene in Liberia,” said Vabah Gayflor, Liberia’s Minister of Gender and Development, and co-sponsor of the event with NDI. “It is truly an honor for us and we hope that the interaction between the Liberian women and their counterparts from all over the world was an enriching experience,” she added.

"We believe the conference helped create the conditions for substantive initiatives for women in Africa to emerge,” says NDI Senior Program Manager of Women’s Programs Kristin Haffert. “The election of President Johnson Sirleaf adds new voice to the principles of the Win With Women Global Initiative we’ve been involved with for the past few years.” Win With Women offers recommendations for advancing women’s political participation in individual countries. It was developed in 2003 by women leaders from around the world, and has since been applied in over 25 countries. It was made available to all participants at the conference.

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Published on April 6, 2006

Women Uniting in Afghanistan Parliament

vrao — Tue, 09 May 2006 10:54:30 -0400

Despite their electoral success, the 68 women who sit in Afghanistan’s lower house of the National Assembly, or Wolesi Jirga, face restrictive social pressures and occasional violent intimidation along their path to equality.

To increase their influence in political decision-making, the women sought NDI's help in forming the country’s first multi-partisan women’s caucus. Recognizing that Afghanistan’s newly democratic political culture is an opportunity for women’s participation in public life, members of this new parliamentary group are working with NDI to strengthen their skills as legislators and representatives.

“I met with 10 female legislators - they’re more animated and excited about their country than any of the men,” says Richard Holbrooke, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, who asked NDI to arrange the meeting during a recent visit to Afghanistan. “When they form a women’s caucus, a process that has started with encouragement from NDI, they will become a powerful force for progress.”

At the moment, the women are drafting the caucus’ bylaws and debating a formal name; once this is accomplished, the legislators will formally launch the new women’s parliamentary group.

Since 2003, NDI has worked with Afghan women political leaders, civic activists and candidates to increase women’s political participation.

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Published on May 9, 2006

Text Messaging Delivers for Montenegro Election Monitors

vrao — Thu, 23 Mar 2006 15:51:32 -0500

In May, Montenegrins voted in a nationwide referendum to end their union with Serbia. For the first time, SMS text messaging technology was used to help safeguard the vote by enabling observers to report results almost instantly from polling stations throughout the country.

When Montenegrins voted to end their union with Serbia, the dissolution of what had been Yugoslavia was complete. Before the referendum, polls showed Montenegro bitterly divided on independence; proponents felt that sovereignty would bolster Montenegro’s economic interests by facilitating entry into important regional and international institutions such as the European Union, while opponents were anxious to preserve the region’s historic ties to Serbia. Public confidence in the fairness of the election was paramount to ensure stability in what promised to be a close election.

The public turned to the Montenegro Center for Democratic Transition (CDT) a local election monitoring group, for early signals of the outcome and a confirmation that the electoral process and official results were legitimate.

Two key thresholds would determine the outcome of the independence vote: whether over 50% of Montenegrins participated by turning out to vote, and whether 55% or more citizens voted for independence. With assistance from NDI, CDT deployed 200 observers around the country to monitor turnout and vote counting. The statistical sample of 200 polling stations generated very accurate projections of voter turnout throughout Election Day as well as the official result shortly after the polls closed.

CDT monitors reported hourly and the group was able to announce definitively that the turnout threshold was met by 1pm and therefore the referendum result would be binding. Later that evening, they announced to the nation that the final result was so close as to be a statistical “dead heat,” and official word of the nations’ future would have to wait. This meant that Montenegro’s independence status could not be projected until the official counting from every polling station in the nation was complete.

Although unable to project the final outcome, CDT’s monitoring effort and media statements gave the public fair warning not to speculate on the result until all the ballots were counted. This played a critical oversight role that contributed to public confidence in the outcome and stabilization of the political environment. The referendum passed with only 55.5% of the vote – a mere 2046 ballots above the threshold out of 460,000 votes cast. In this situation, early speculation on the outcome could have been inaccurate and thus undermined voter confidence in the integrity of the election. It could also have increased the possibility of the election results being contested and possibly led to violence or unrest. CDT’s prudent approach was subsequently praised by local and international observers of the referendum recognizing the stabilizing effect of their work.

The accuracy and timeliness of CDT’s results were attributable to excellent work by the monitors and their use of a rapid reporting system that used SMS text-messaging technology to provide up-to-the-minute turnout and final results information without pulling them from their observation duties. Bulk-SMS also allowed CDT to communicate political and program updates to observers in polling stations. Thousands of text message reports were automatically delivered from observers into a central database for instant analysis by CDT and NDI officials. The rapid reporting system was instrumental in allowing the group to make key assessments, leading to the astute political decisions made by CDT as their election projections were announced to the public.

NDI is proud to have provided technical assistance to CDT as they became the first election monitoring group to use SMS technology as the primary means for communicating with observers in an election observation program. Employing widely accessible technologies such as mobile phones for political and civic activism is on the rise and holds tremendous potential for increased participation by citizens in politics and oversight of their governments. In this case, CDT used text messaging to empower their election observers to oversee the conduct of their nation’s referendum on independence and further their nation’s democratic development.

This is just one example of how SMS and related technologies are beginning to have an impact on politics and democratic development as civic groups, political parties and activists innovate as they strive to achieve their political ambitions.

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Published on Mar. 23, 2006

Macedonia's Parliament Opens Its Doors to Citizens

vrao — Tue, 26 Sep 2006 12:19:27 -0400

The Second Annual Macedonian “Assembly Days” offers a step toward giving the public a voice and first hand view of their government in action.

Since gaining independence from communist Yugoslavia in 1991, Macedonia has withstood violent conflict in neighboring countries and its own brush with civil war, and is now on course to join the transatlantic community of democratic nations. The country of two million is vigorously pursuing political and economic reforms in hopes of obtaining membership in both the European Union and NATO. Its parliament, known as the Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia, is building political stability by promoting public participation in the reform process.

Parliament is strengthening its public outreach in impressive ways. With NDI’s assistance project, members of parliament have opened 46 constituent offices around the country. As a result of these outreach efforts, constituent offices received more than 120,000 visits from citizens who raised 9,720 cases, of which 4,589 were resolved.

Parliamentary committees have also convened public legislative hearings on key reform issues in the Assembly and public meetings in locations throughout Macedonia, thus providing forums where citizens can give their views on draft legislation. And with NDI’s help parliament has organized an innovative, week-long initiative called “Assembly Days”, in which several thousand citizens, including young people, visit the Assembly to learn how it functions and to have a better understanding of how, in Macedonia’s young democracy, government affects their lives.

The second annual “Assembly Days” took place in May 2006. Like the 2005 inaugural event, some ten thousand citizens from all over Macedonia walked through parliament’s doors to participate in roundtable discussions with parliament’s president, the Honorable Ljupco Jordanovski (now Ambassador to the U.S.). Also included were conversations with other members of parliament on such issues as Macedonia’s accession to the European Union, education, and job creation. Participants in Assembly Days also got to tour the parliamentary building; observe legislative proceedings; and view a fine arts exhibition. Children participated in drawing contests.

President Jordanovski officially opened the event, commenting that the influx of citizens will help the institution improve its work as members of parliament hear what the public has to say.

“In many countries in the world, parliaments are closed places where decisions are made with little public awareness, much less input”, said NDI/Macedonia Country Director Chris Henshaw. In literally throwing open the doors of parliament, President Jordanovski and his colleagues are turning parliament into what it should be—an open and participatory institution that belongs to the citizens of Macedonia.”

Parliament plans to make Assembly Days an annual event.

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Published on Sept. 26, 2006

Election in Yemen a Test of Democracy

vrao — Wed, 13 Sep 2006 14:35:42 -0400

On September 20, the citizens of Yemen voted in presidential and local elections, only the second of such elections since the country’s unification in 1990.

Historically, Yemen’s elections have been plagued by tense relations between political parties and allegations of misconduct by electoral commissions. The country’s rural environment and severe poverty are additional challenges to election administration. Both civic groups and political parties have a vested interest in assuring that candidates can campaign freely, voters have equal access to polling centers and a reasonable and uniform process for counting ballots is in place.

The 2006 local and presidential elections were only the second such elections in Yemen. The local elections were highly contested across the country. While President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who came to power in a 1978 military coup, was expected to be re-elected in the presidential election, he faced the first true opposition candidate to his presidency. These elections were seen as a critical step in establishing a non-partisan and transparent electoral process that political parties and Yemeni citizens perceive as legitimate, therefore increasing their willingness to abide by and respect the results of the polls.

After its unification in 1990, the Republic of Yemen, situated on the southwestern corner of the Arabian Peninsula, initiated a rapid process of political modernization. Reform efforts focused on allowing and even encouraging the development of opposition parties. Other important changes included the integration of women into the political processes, the establishment of an independent electoral commission, and broadening freedom of the press. Initially, these reforms were relatively successful and in 1993 Yemen held its first multi-party legislative elections. A 1994 conflict between the former ruling parties of the north and south caused a brief setback in the development of new democratic institutions but in 1997 the country managed to hold its second multi-party elections. In 1999 Ali Abdullah Saleh became the first democratically elected President of Yemen.

Despite flaws in the early parliamentary and presidential elections Yemen has taken many positive steps toward democratic consolidation. In 2001, the Supreme Court of Elections and Referenda (SCER) was established as an independent electoral authority to administer and oversee elections. The SCER was relatively successful in managing the parliamentary elections of 2003, although their impartiality and independence was questioned by some. However, the creation of this electoral authority and the fact that it continues to engage in discussions with opposition parties and NDI’s local partners has encouraged greater confidence in the electoral process.

However, significant shortcomings continued to plague the process as Yemen prepared for elections. These included severe voter registration problems, specifically regarding underage voters, bias in the media, restrictions on election observers, and election-related violence. In late July, NDI sent a delegation to Yemen to assess the pre-election environment in anticipation of the September vote and offer recommendations.

During the campaign period and on election day, NDI continued to support the efforts of over 1,000 domestic monitors. While President Saleh was re-elected to office, the final election results stated that opposition Presidential candidate Faisal Bin Shamlan captured an unprecedented 20% of the vote. In its preliminary report, the European Election Observation Mission described the elections as being "open and genuine," despite some concerns about overcrowding at the polls, possible breaches of vote confidentiality and restrictions on women's access to voting places. Both the EU and NDI are expected to release final observation and monitoring reports in November 2006.

Although no one expected the presidential and local elections to have been flawless, they nonetheless were seen to be a gauge of progress for the country, and an indication of what areas will require the most work in the future.

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Published on Sept. 13, 2006

Nicaragua: The Return of a Revolutionary

vrao — Mon, 13 Nov 2006 15:55:04 -0500

As a result of the November 5, 2006 elections and after 16 years of lost presidential bids, Sandinista leader Daniel Ortega has reclaimed control of the Nicaraguan executive office. With nearly all votes counted, Ortega received 38 percent, beating other four candidates and easily surpassing the 5 percent margin needed to declare victory and avoid a second round runoff.

In a statement to the people of Nicaragua, the Organization of American States (OAS) called the conduct of the election “exemplary” and hailed it as a “historic moment that consolidates and strengthens the path of peace and institutional renovation in Nicaragua.”

Ortega has affirmed that his first priority will be to ameliorate the country’s massive poverty problem by promoting foreign investment and free trade. This has been greeted with skepticism by many who remember Ortega’s past as a Marxist revolutionary and his conduct during a bitter civil war against the rebel group known as the contras. However, Ortega insists that he has abandoned such contentiousness as public policy and is committed to working through democratic channels. Regional leaders, including Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, have already congratulated Ortega on his victory. The United States government, previously vocal in its opposition to his candidacy, now affirms that it will be willing to work with President Ortega should he remain committed to democratic values.

Despite initial concerns that the election would be manipulated, election day passed with few significant problems. International observer delegations from the Carter Center, the OAS and the European Union declared the elections to be generally transparent and credible. Turnout was high, with the OAS reporting about 70% participation.

In addition, most voters were easily able to find their names on the voter registry and cast their votes, signifying some improvement in the voter registration process. The Carter Center remarked in an initial statement that there were party pollwatchers from at least 3 parties present at almost all of the polling stations, as well as other domestic observers.

NDI’s partner organization, a domestic nonpartisan monitoring group called Ethics and Transparency (Etica y Transparencia, ET), conducted a quick count which corroborated the Supreme Electoral Council’s official results showing Ortega’s first round victory. Additionally, ET fielded more than 11,000 volunteers to conduct qualitative observation of the election at most of the country’s polling stations and gather information on the legislative elections. ET also monitored legal challenges presented by political party representatives.

In addition to a new president, Nicaragua has elected a new National Assembly, whose composition has not been yet finalized. The international community has urged Ortega to facilitate inter-party cooperation in his government. Given the high degree of participation from both civil society and political parties in this election, it is clear that the public will be monitoring the activities of the new government closely.

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Published on Nov. 13, 2006