NDI - Afghanistan

NDI E-news: Women's Leadership, Zambia, Focus Group Research | October 2011

ntekeei — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 19:54:53 +0000

October 2011

Women Seeking Leadership Roles to Make Change

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Women running for office in the Democratic Republic of Congo learn to use iKNOW Politics. Photo courtesy of NDI_DRC.

"Success without democracy is improbable. Democracy without women is impossible."
— NDI Chairman Madeleine K. Albright

Around the world, women in ever-increasing numbers are taking steps to join in the political process at all levels of government. Partnering with men and supporting each other, women are running for office, rising in the ranks of political parties and advocating for issues that matter in their lives.

In Egypt, where the first post-uprising election will begin Nov. 28, women are working to overcome obstacles presented by both law and custom to win election to the parliament that will draft the country's new constitution. NDI campaign schools are helping them learn about campaign strategies, message development, voter contact, public speaking and the country's complex electoral code as they prepare their candidacies.

In the Balkans, women from political parties are working together across ethnic lines and national boundaries to inject new life into stalled politics. They are championing new education policies that will help women become more entrepreneurial and establishing networks that will help them exchange best practices and overcome barriers to women's participation in politics.

At the campaign school in Cairo.

In Kazakhstan, women make up 58 percent of the civil service but hold less than 9 percent of high-level positions. Women and men from across the country came together last month to draft an action plan to boost opportunities for women to reach decision-making positions in government. The plan calls for a cabinet-level Ministry of Gender Development, creating training schools for women, encouraging women in rural areas to participate in politics and other measures.

During the Democratic Republic of Congo's last legislative elections, fewer than 1,100 of 9,000 candidates were women. To encourage more women to run in November elections, NDI held a campaign school where women interested in parliament learned what it takes to win. Hundreds of women turned out to learn about iKNOW Politics, an online network dedicated to the advancement of women in politics.

In Zambia, Observers Cite Accurate Results, Peaceful Process

Zambia’s Civil Society Election Coalition deployed more than 9,000 highly-trained monitors around the country to observe the voting and counting in last month’s elections. About 1,000 of those were assigned to a nationally representative sample of polling stations. Their conclusion, stated "with great confidence," was that the results announced by the Electoral Commission of Zambia accurately reflected the votes cast and that the process was generally smooth and peaceful. An NDI pre-election observation mission in August, led by Quett Ketumile Masire, former president of Botswana, and NDI Vice Chair Thomas Daschle, pointed out “noteworthy challenges” in the electoral environment and said the country could move forward significantly if its elections were credible and peaceful. Read more»

Liberian Elections Generally Peaceful, Orderly

The Elections Coordinating Committee (ECC), a coalition of seven civil society organizations and a partner of NDI's, fielded 2,000 election monitors to polling locations across the country to observe Liberia's presidential and legislative polls. Based on preliminary reports, the ECC called the elections "generally peaceful and orderly," and urged political parties to respect the official vote totals, expected later this month. Read more»

Key Reforms Needed to Clean Up Afghan Elections

Political and civil society representatives are calling on the Afghan government to carry out critical reforms to clean up the country's fraud-plagued election system. These include increased transparency in election management bodies, improvements to political parties and a better election law. Representatives of civil society, election agencies, parliament, local government, political parties, academia and the media all worked together to come up with an action plan to advance future reforms. Read more»

Citizen Organizations Work to Bolster Parliaments and Public Engagement, Survey Finds

A new report by NDI and the World Bank Institute examines the efforts of some 190 parliamentary monitoring organizations that are monitoring 82 parliaments around the world. These groups are helping citizens sift through and make sense of vast amounts of parliamentary information on such topics as voting records, the content of floor debates and committee deliberations to ensure that citizen interests are represented and legislators are held accountable. Read more»

New Focus Group Research Released in Tunisia, Kyrgyzstan, Somalia

Public opinion research can help governments, political parties and civil society better respond to the issues citizens care about most.

In Tunisia, where this month's constituent assembly elections will be the first competitive poll in the country's history, focus group research shows a widening divide between citizens and decision-makers. Citizens are frustrated by a lack of economic opportunities and perceive political parties as debating issues unrelated to their daily lives. Read more»

In Kyrgyzstan, where voters will choose a president Oct. 30, unemployment and corruption are top issues for voters. Focus group research found that ethnic tensions were still strong, but had been supplanted by unemployment and corruption as issues of top concern. Read more»

In Somalia, new research shows rising popular support for writing a new constitution. Somalis are eager to contribute to their country's future, and want a Somali-led response to conflict and greater inclusion in the transition to a permanent government. Read more»

Importance of Authentic Elections and Unhindered Election Observation Stressed at OSCE Warsaw Meeting

Speaking for the United States at the annual human rights meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Patrick Merloe, NDI's director of electoral programs, emphasized the importance of a genuinely competitive electoral process — before, during and after election day. Citing Kyrgyzstan, Moldova and Macedonia as examples of recent, well-run elections in the OSCE region, Merloe stressed the crucial role that citizen and international monitors have in assessing the validity of an election. Read more»

President Ouattara: Reconciliation and Security Reform Key to Recovery in Côte d'Ivoire

The president of Côte d'Ivoire, Alassane Ouattara, stressed the importance of reconciliation following months of violence and displacement in his country during a Washington, D.C., appearance. "The process will be long, but we are determined and I believe we will get there," he said Sept. 23 at an event cosponsored by NDI. Read more or watch the speech»

Don't Miss NDI's 2011 Democracy Award Dinner

Join NDI Nov. 7 as we celebrate the Arab Spring and honor three supporters of democracy at our annual Democracy Award Dinner. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will give the keynote address. The W. Averell Harriman Democracy Award will posthumously honor Geraldine Ferraro, Richard Holbrooke and Charles Manatt for their lifelong commitment to democracy. Appropriate Communication Techniques for Development (ACT), an Egyptian women's group advocating full inclusion of women in the new Egyptian political order, will receive this year's Madeleine K. Albright grant. Buy your ticket»


The National Democratic Institute is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization working to support and strengthen democratic institutions worldwide through citizen participation, openness and accountability in government.

Key Reforms Needed to Clean Up Afghan Elections

fgalleto — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 15:13:37 +0000

More than 60 political and civil society representatives are calling on the Afghanistan government to carry out critical reforms to improve the electoral process before the country’s next round of voting in 2013.

Afghanistan’s 2009 presidential and provincial council elections and 2010 parliamentary polls were marred by widespread fraud, doubts about the independence of election authorities, a defective voter registration process and barriers to women’s participation. Domestic and international observers have said these problems must be addressed to build greater confidence in the integrity of Afghan elections.

The representatives – from Afghan civil society groups, election management bodies, parliament, provincial councils, political parties, academia and the media – participated in a conference in Kabul Sept. 19 and 20 that focused on lessons learned from the country’s past elections. At this convening event, organized by the Free and Fair Elections Foundation of Afghanistan (FEFA) in partnership with NDI, the participants developed a concrete plan to advance key reforms. These included:

Protecting the independence of the electoral management bodies – the Independent Electoral Commission, the Electoral Complaints Commission and the Candidate Vetting Commission;
Ensuring transparency in the conduct of these electoral management bodies, with the aim of enhancing public trust and ensuring justice;
Encouraging political parties to nominate qualified male and female candidates, and engage in transparent reporting of campaign contributions and expenses, and public and comprehensive reporting of the performance of elected representatives;
Developing a new identification system based on a national census in order to evaluate candidates accurately and identify fake voter ID cards;
Conducting several elections simultaneously, if possible;
Introducing a collaborative tracking system that will show the progress of the preparations, execution and evaluation of elections as well as the performance of the election management bodies, elected institutions and key political actors; and
Amending articles of the election law to improve electoral transparency.

The group also appealed to the international community to continue supporting Afghan efforts to promote credible elections – particularly in the areas of financial accountability, broad and inclusive political participation by voters across Afghanistan, and the political empowerment of women, minorities and persons with disabilities.

The conference and NDI’s electoral support programs in Afghanistan are funded through a grant from the United States Agency for International Development.

Related:

Published Sept. 26, 2011

One Nation, One Vote, One Vision: A Shared Commitment to Improve the Electoral Process in Afghanistan

fgalleto — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 13:45:44 +0000

Author:

Participants of the “2009 and 2010 Afghan Elections: Conference on Lessons Learned and Future Directions”

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

09/20/2011

Resource Type:

Statement

Language:

English

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Key Reforms Needed to Clean Up Afghan Elections

fgalleto — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 13:42:36 +0000

Author:

National Democratic Institute

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute, FEFA

Published Date:

09/25/2011

Resource Type:

Press Release

Language:

English

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Rabbani Death May Hint at Divisions within Taliban | Sept. 21, 2011

fgalleto — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 17:20:35 +0000

Stars and Stripes | Link to story »

The conflicting responses would appear to expose divisions within the Taliban, according to Hatem Bamehriz, senior Afghanistan director of the National Democratic Institute.

“I think what we’re seeing are the differences between the hard-liners and the moderates inside the Taliban,” Bamehriz said. “The moderates are the ones interested in peace talks; the hard-liners want to disrupt them.”

Link to story »

NDI E-news: Democracy Day, Libya, Pakistan, African Elections | Sept. 2011

fgalleto — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 15:15:40 +0000

Sept. 15, 2011

Happy Democracy Day!

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"Independence!" A woman casts her ballot in the January referendum creating the new country of South Sudan. Photo by Susan Stigant, senior program manager.

Sept. 15 is International Day of Democracy, an annual global celebration of human rights, the rule of law and other principles that unite democracies around the world. The day was designated by the United Nations to reaffirm the universality of democratic values and recognize the aspirations of people around the world to have a say in how they are governed and make free choices about how they live their lives.

Nowhere have those aspirations been more prominent this year than in North Africa, where popular uprisings have ousted dictators in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya. In Libya, the Institute has been working closely since April with the National Transitional Council (NTC) as it creates a plan for a constitution, elections, national security and the protection of civil liberties. In a country where political parties have been outlawed and maligned for 40 years, NDI is helping fledgling parties create platforms and attract supporters. Writing in the Washington Post, Les Campbell, NDI regional director for Middle East and North Africa programs, expressed optimism about the prospects of a successful transition and outlined the positive steps the council has taken already. Matyas Eörsi, resident country director in Benghazi, spoke to NPR about the high expectations — globally and in Libya — facing the country's new government.

For more than 25 years, in more than 70 countries, NDI has worked to strengthen new and emerging democracies. This Democracy Day, consider contributing to our work and support people in North Africa and around the world who want a voice in how their countries are governed.

Pakistan to Extend Political Reforms to FATA

President Asif Ali Zardari's recent decision to extend political and legal reforms to Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) is the result of a lengthy effort by political parties and other organizations to bring more democratic systems of governance to a region considered a haven for militants and religious extremists. The reforms, supported by NDI, will allow political parties to form and operate in FATA for the first time, and will amend a draconian criminal code first enacted by the British in 1848.

Ensuring Women and Young People Take Part in the Political Process

Women and youth have a significant role to play in new and emerging democracies. In Sudan, caricature art helps engage young people who feel excluded from the political process. In Burkina Faso and Iraq, women are learning the skills they need to run for office and build successful political careers. In Nicaragua, the first class of graduates to earn a certificate in leadership and political management are ready to start their political careers. And in Afghanistan, one young woman is helping others prepare for careers in government by starting an internship program that places students in provincial council offices.

Celebrate Democracy with these Upcoming Events

Save the date! NDI will hold its annual democracy dinner on Nov. 7. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will headline the event, which also includes a panel discussion on the Arab Spring. The dinner and an awards ceremony will recognize those who have spent a lifetime supporting democracy.

On Sept. 23, Alassane Ouattara, president of Côte d'Ivoire, will speak at NDI, where he will discuss his government's efforts to rebuild the country's economy and foster national reconciliation in the wake of violence following last November's election. This event is full, but will be streamed live.

Toward Better Elections in Africa

Across Africa, countries are taking steps to ensure more transparent and accountable elections. A recent referendum in Liberia was monitored by the Elections Coordinating Committee, a civil society coalition that provided a nonpartisan assessment of the process and will monitor upcoming presidential and legislative elections. In Côte d'Ivoire, which recently experienced a violent crisis in the aftermath of its November presidential election, citizen election monitors gathered to discuss their role in mitigating violence in legislative polls scheduled for later this year. And in Zambia and Mauritania, NDI fielded delegations that assessed both countries' preparedness for upcoming elections and suggested improvements.

Coming Together for Common Goals

Democracy can't solve longstanding political or cultural divisions overnight, but it can bring different groups together to discuss issues and arrive at common goals. In Bosnia, eight politicians are reaching across party and ethnic lines to tackle the country's biggest challenges together. And in Honduras, where the effects of a 2009 coup and constitutional crisis are still reverberating, a series of "democracy dialogues" is bringing people together to find common ground.

Public Opinion Research for Better Policy Platforms

Public opinion research helps political parties and governments address the issues their constituents care about most. In Iraq, people want politicians to focus on jobs, the economy, and water and power delivery. In Somalia, focus group research shows that citizens are losing faith in their transitional institutions and are looking for ways to provide ideas to move their country forward. In Belarus, citizens distrust the Lukashenko regime and blame it for current economic problems. But they remain pessimistic about the prospects for opposition parties. And in South Sudan, citizens want to end tribalism above all else, seeing themselves primarily as Southern Sudanese.

NDI's Washington Office is Moving

NDI's new office

Update your address book! As of Sept. 19, NDI's Washington, D.C., headquarters will be located at 455 Massachusetts Ave., NW, on the eighth floor. All telephone numbers will remain the same.

The 2010 Wolesi Jirga Elections in Afghanistan

fgalleto — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 15:33:28 +0000

Author:

National Democratic Institute

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

09/09/2011

Resource Type:

Report

Language:

English

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Afghan Internship Graduate Starts Her Own Youth Program

fgalleto — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 15:55:36 +0000

Working as an intern in the Afghan parliament in 2007, Atifa Safi helped members and parliamentary committees write reports, take minutes, conduct research and analyze data. She had the opportunity to contribute to the legislative process while seeing the workings of government close up, and the lawmakers benefited from the help that she and other interns provided. When she graduated from the program when it ended in 2008, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she could do more for young people.

Atifa Safi

As a fourth year student at Kabul University studying law and political science, her specific assignment was to work with the Internal Affairs and Legislative Commission, participating in its daily administrative tasks as well as providing parliamentarians with analysis on the interpretation of laws and regulations.

During the intern program, carried out by NDI in 2006-2008, 130 students participated from universities located in Kabul, Nangarhar, Bamyan and Herat provinces. Safi was chosen from a pool of more than 700 applicants seeking the kind of lasting experience that can be gained only from an inside look at how government operates. Through the program, interns were placed in the parliament and their local government equivalent, Afghanistan’s provincial councils.

Both the participants and the institutions cited the program’s benefits. In addition to their administrative, analysis and research duties, the interns were exposed to high-ranking figures from both inside and outside of government. They attended a number of forums where key topics were discussed with high-level participants. All told, interns generated more than 30 comprehensive research papers.

Safi graduated from the program when it ended in 2008 and now works at the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Foundation (FES), a nonprofit German political foundation engaged in democracy promotion and international dialogue on economic, social and political development. There, she became project coordinator for the Young Leader Forum program, which helps young people in Kabul and the provinces develop leadership skills.

But Safi couldn’t shake the feeling that she could do more for young people. “The NDI internship program was so productive for me and I learned so much from it,” she said, “that I thought to create a similar program at FES to benefit more students.”

Following through on that desire and building on her own intern experiences, Safi started an FES program to place students as interns at provincial councils across the country. The councils, which are the only face of government that most Afghans ever see, range from nine to 29 members, depending on the province’s population. The councilors’ job is to ensure that citizens’ views are reflected in provincial development planning; to monitor and evaluate development programs; to manage conflict among tribes, villages and districts; and to oversee provincial development spending.

Councils in the provinces of Balkh, Baghlan, Bamyan, Herat, Khost, Ningarhar and Parwan are participating in the FES internship program. As part of an initial one-year pilot program, the interns have six-month placements with those councils, for a total of 14 the first year.
While employment is hard to find in Afghanistan, Safi said she is hopeful that the experiences the interns are gleaning in the provinces will help them find jobs that, like hers, will contribute to democracy and good governance in the Afghanistan.

Related:

Published Aug. 29, 2011

NDI E-news: South Sudan, Burma, Tunisia | July/August 2011

fgalleto — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 13:51:47 +0000

August 2011

Newly Independent South Sudan Looks To Future, Permanent Constitution

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Children march in the independence day parade in Juba

South Sudan became the world's newest country on July 9 after a January referendum that showed overwhelming support for independence. Richard Nuccio, NDI's senior director in the new country's capital, Juba, was invited to the independence festivities and captured the celebration in photos. "It was an amazing moment and I felt very privileged to be a part of it," he said later during an interview on WPFW's Africa Now!

South Sudan adopted a transitional constitution just before independence and will soon set about crafting a permanent one. NDI will work with a coalition of women's civic groups from throughout the country to submit recommendations for the new document. The coalition wants to be sure that gender quotas for all branches and levels of government are a part of the constitution and that full separation of powers is addressed.

In March and April, NDI conducted the latest in a series of focus groups it has been organizing since 2004. This latest round explored South Sudanese attitudes toward independence and the future of their new country. “What we heard in the past was a focus on separation,” said Traci Cook, researcher and author of the upcoming report. “We found that they are now turning the corner and beginning to look internally.” Participants saw themselves as South Sudanese first and foremost, and want to move past tribal discrimination and corruption in the new government.

NDI President Wollack Reflects on Returning to Burma after 16 Years

In June, NDI President Kenneth Wollack traveled to Burma to meet with Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi and other leaders. Wollack reports that little in the country has changed since his last visit, but that Suu Kyi remains the unflappable and optimistic leader he met in 1995. Read more»

Aswat Community Connects Activists in the Middle East and North Africa

The Arab Spring uprisings have underscored the impact that social media can have on advancing democracy. As early as 2005, NDI recognized social media's potential and launched Aswat, an online community for those in the Middle East and North Africa looking to make governments more responsive, transparent and effective. Now, recognizing the additional responsibilities and challenges facing citizen reporters, Aswat is training them on journalistic ethics and professional standards. Read more»

Civic Group Invites Nicaraguan Citizens to Participate in Election Monitoring

A new website launched by the Nicaraguan group Ethics and Transparency allows citizens to report any electoral problems that might compromise the November national elections. Read more»

New Report: Political Parties in Afghanistan

Based on 90 interviews with party representatives and civil society, this new report explores how Afghan political parties view themselves, what kinds of assistance would serve them best and ways they might work together in the future. Parties see themselves primarily as supporting individual candidates, rather than an ideology, and focus their activities on elections instead of planning party strengthening activities between polls. The review also revealed that Afghan parties are highly interested in modernizing their internal structures and promoting cross-party cooperation. Read more»

Opinion Research Shows Tunisians Concerned About the Future

Six months into their political transition, Tunisians are concerned about high levels of unemployment, according to the latest round of focus group research conducted by NDI. Tunisians are also concerned about personal security, but are more optimistic about gains in freedoms of expression and association. Read more»

New Library Helps Liberian MPs Write Legislation

A new library and research service in the Liberian parliament is helping lawmakers write legislation. Among them is Senator Gloria Musu Scott, who wanted to draft a bill providing domestic partnership benefits for those in common law marriages. So she visited Liberia's new Legislative Information Service (LIS) to find how other countries have handled the issue and conducted an Internet search that turned up similar laws in several U.S. states. This type of information would not have been available until the library opened a few months ago. Read more»

Mauritanian Parliament Seeks Citizen Input for Social Security Reform

Social security is a hotly debated topic in Mauritania. The current system is expensive, and the government is facing choices on whether to raise taxes, cut services or restructure the program. Rather than operating behind closed doors, the parliament has sought citizen input, holding a public meeting and asking leaders from civil society organizations to weigh in with their policy ideas. Read more»

As Mauritanians prepare for parliamentary and municipal elections tentatively scheduled for the fall, keep up with the latest political analysis and developments by subscribing to the Mauritania Elections Bulletin. Subscribe»

Political Parties in Afghanistan: A Review of the State of Political Parties after the 2009 and 2010 Elections

rrunyan — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 13:56:27 +0000

Author:

National Democratic Institute

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

07/13/2011

Resource Type:

Report

Language:

English

Media Type:

PDF

English

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Moving Forward in Afghanistan

Thu, 30 Jun 2011 13:50:16 +0000

Source:

MacLean's

Article Link:

Published Date:

06/28/2011

In this article for MacLean's, Grant Kippen, a member NDI's international observer mission to Afghanistan's Parliamentary elections in September 2010, asserts that the recent ruling of the Special Elections Court that called for nearly 1/4 of the Parliament to be removed from office only serves to undermine the legitimate Constitutional authority of the Independent Election Commission and the Electoral Complaints Commission. Kippen urges restraint in this crisis so that personal feelings over past events do not supersede the more important goal of rebuilding Afghanistan.

NDI Condemns Afghanistan Terrorist Attack and Mourns Loss of Those Killed in Kandahar

fgalleto — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 18:53:02 +0000

Author:

National Democratic Institute

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

04/01/2009

Resource Type:

Press Release

Language:

English

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NDI Fields Election Observation Mission For Afghanistan Presidential and Provincial Council Elections

fgalleto — Tue, 31 May 2011 22:06:37 +0000

Author:

National Democratic Institute

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

08/15/2009

Resource Type:

Press Release

Language:

English

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Women’s Participation Gains Ground, Faces High Hurdles

rrunyan — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 23:05:53 +0000

Where women have gained a political voice around the world, there have been tangible gains for democracy, including greater responsiveness to citizen needs, increased cooperation across party and ethnic lines, and more sustainable peace.

Afghan women candidates speak at a pre-election rally in Kabul.

In places as diverse as Timor-Leste, Croatia, Morocco, Rwanda and South Africa, an increase in the number of female lawmakers has led to legislation dealing with discrimination, domestic violence, family codes, inheritance, and child support and protection. In Rwanda, for example, since assuming 56 percent of the seats in parliament in 2008, women have been responsible for forming the first cross-party caucus to work on controversial issues, such as land rights and food security.

“There is a growing recognition of the untapped capacity and talents of women and women’s leadership,” NDI President Kenneth Wollack said in congressional testimony last June. In the last 10 years, the rate of women’s representation in national parliaments globally has grown from 13.9 percent in 2000 to 19.1 percent in 2010.

This move toward more women’s participation was evident in several elections in 2010. The number of Lebanese women elected to municipal offices increased from 201 in 2004 to 530 in 2010. The increase was particularly noteworthy because it came without the help of a quota law, a technique used in a number of countries in the Middle East and elsewhere to ensure a specified number of seats for women.

In Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan and Jordan women won parliamentary seats with the help of new quota laws; but in Afghanistan and Jordan two additional women were elected in their own right outside the quota. In Afghanistan, more than 60 percent of the 406 women candidates, including more than a third of the 69 women who won, attended campaign schools that NDI organized with a curriculum tailored to address challenges particular to Afghan women. In Jordan, 12 of the 13 women who won participated in NDI’s candidate training program.

NDI leadership training session for women activists in Kyrgyzstan

Though quotas continue to be the most effective means for jumpstarting women’s representation, studies conducted by NDI indicate that quotas by themselves have not removed the obstacles that many women confront. Getting a quota law passed is an important step, but ensuring that it is carried out is sometimes the real hurdle.

“What does it matter if there is a quota in so many countries if we’re not reaching that number?” said Susan Markham, NDI’s director of women’s political participation. “In many countries, it’s on the books, it’s a law, but the number of women nominated by their political parties does not reach the quota level or we would have a much higher percentage of women in office.”

In Kenya, where a newly-passed constitution stipulates that 30 percent of all government leadership – not just elected officials – must be women, the first board that was created to help implement the constitution did not meet the 30 percent mark.

The legislature in the West African country of Burkina Faso passed a gender quota law in 2009 requiring that 30 percent of the candidates on political party lists be women. It held the promise of new opportunities for Burkinabe women, traditionally marginalized politically. But since the law was enacted, there has been little progress on implementing it in time for local and legislative elections to be held in 2011 and 2012, respectively. NDI helped establish the Coalition for the Implementation of the Quota Law – a group composed of eight Burkinabe civil society organizations and three political parties – which has evaluated the technical challenges of applying the quota law in the upcoming elections and produced recommendations on how to address them.

Helping parties understand the benefits of including women is one key to implementation, Markham said. “If your party gets more votes, and thus more seats, with women, then male members of the party don’t have to lose their seats,” she said.

Political parties’ reluctance to include women, coupled with the opportunities parties afford women when they do embrace equity, leads Markham to characterize parties simultaneously as “the greatest entry point and barrier to women in politics.”

NDI organized training programs on communication and political strategy for potential women candidates in Guatemala.

NDI’s political party programs focus on building the skills and knowledge of women party activists, as well as working with party leaders to recognize the value of women as voters, party leaders and candidates. NDI’s Win with Women Global Initiative, convened in 2003 by NDI Chairman Madeleine K. Albright, has focused exclusively on internal political party reforms that strengthen women’s roles.

The Institute also continues to work with women once they’ve gained office. NDI supports the creation and development of parliamentary caucuses that have helped harness the power of women legislators to increase their influence, add a gender perspective to policy development and address priority issues for gender equality through legislation. These groups often present a unique opportunity within legislatures for multi-party debate, giving women’s caucuses the ability to have a larger role in legislative, civic and political processes.

Many parliamentary caucuses also work to make women better legislators and political leaders by conducting training programs and other activities that help round out their knowledge and skills. Some caucuses include women’s branches or wings within political parties that can impact how parties operate and the policies they advocate. Other broader caucuses include party activists, elected women and leaders from civil society organizations who work together to advocate for change.

This story was originally published in the Spring 2011 edition of NDI Reports. You can read the entire newsletter here: www.ndi.org/NDI-Reports-Spring-2011/index.html. Please visit NDI’s complete newsletter archive at www.ndi.org/newsletter_archive to read newsletters dating back to 1987.

Election Stories Unfold on a Map

rrunyan — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 22:23:32 +0000

NDI and its partner organizations use digital mapping to enhance transparency and provide information on elections and other events. The type of information conveyed is not new to election observing, but how it’s conveyed – powerfully and visually – provides a snapshot that could be lost in a statistical report.

Map of Bahrain shows that the most populous areas (in blue) and super polling centers (green pins) do not overlap.

A map of Bahrain showing population density and polling center locations for last October’s parliamentary elections appears to have something incongruous. So-called super polling centers – established to relieve pressure on overcrowded polling stations and offer voters a conveniently located alternative – are not in any of the most populated districts.

Green pins representing the 10 super centers are all located outside the map’s blue-shaded areas where most people live, raising questions about the centers’ use.

NDI and the Bahrain Transparency Society, a local civic group, used this map powered by the Ushahidi platform – an organization that got its start mapping reports of violence after Kenya’s 2007 elections – to illustrate a point that might otherwise have gone unnoticed.

Bahrain is just one location where NDI and its partner organizations use digital mapping to enhance transparency and provide information on elections and other events. The type of information conveyed is not new to election observing, but how it’s conveyed – powerfully and visually – provides a snapshot that could be lost in a statistical report.

At www.afghanistanelectiondata.org, a site NDI launched after the 2009 presidential election, visitors can find layers of demographic, ethnographic, topographic and security information that can be applied to Afghanistan election data from 2004, 2005, 2009 and 2010. Visitors can run customized queries with the results displayed as lists, charts and maps that can show, for example, which candidates had more votes in areas where fraud was identified or numbers of reported security incidents were higher.

Because trying to understand such extensive and diverse data sets can be difficult, the mapping tools present them visually, making it much easier for election officials, political parties, civic groups, journalists and others to “see” what took place in an election.

“Maps and other visualization tools provide a powerful way for complex data to tell a story,” said Chris Spence, NDI’s chief technology officer. “They give our partners and others the chance to identify trends and make other data with geographical information to identify possible political or administrative problems. For example, if election monitors report voting material shortages in polling stations, we can quickly establish whether these problems are unique to a specific area so that election officials can be alerted and take corrective action. It’s much more difficult to make this kind of rapid assessment if you’re looking at the data in a spreadsheet or report.”

Map of Burma with colored circles showing the nature of campaign violations and circle sizes indicating the number of reports

The Burma Election Tracker website was launched, with NDI assistance, by dozens of Burmese groups based on the Thai border. It mapped hundreds of reports from Burma’s November elections coming in from a network of trained reporters across the country. The reports were color-coded based on the nature of the abuse, so the color and size of dots on the map made it clear where there were, for example, the most incidents of violence and intimidation, limits on polling station access or campaign restrictions.

But the power of maps with political information isn’t just about “putting dots on a map on election day,” Spence said. “An important component includes providing as much supporting information about the electoral or political environment as possible so that the reports can be interpreted effectively. It’s also important to have plans in place to use the reports for additional political activity or otherwise respond to the situation.” For the Burmese activists, this included a series of outreach activities to focus regional and international attention on the situation during the moment of opportunity created by the first general election in the country since 1990.

Maps are just one approach to visualizing complex data sets. There are a number of new and evolving visualization tools that are promising for conveying information and telling stories that political parties, civic groups and other actors in emerging democracies will use to increase their voice, create political space and hold governments accountable.

Visit www.ndi.org/democracy_and_technology for more information on NDI’s work with information communication technologies.

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