NDI - Cote dIvoire

Réconciliation Nationale / Charles Konan Banny : Les Ivoiriens ont Raison d’être Impatients | Dec. 5, 2012

fstovall — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 21:39:55 +0000

Les observateurs avertis de la scène politique et certains acteurs politiques l’ont maintes fois relevé, le processus de réconciliation nationale n’évolue pas à un rythme convenable qui permette de faire bouger les lignes et projeter la Côte d’Ivoire vers la sortie de crise.

Le président de la Commission Dialogue, Vérité et Réconciliation (Cdvr), Charles Konan Banny, s’est fait à son tour l’écho de ce constat, hier, au Forum sur la participation des femmes à la réconciliation nationale, organisé par le National democratic institute for internationals affaires (Ndi), à l’hôtel Tiama d’Abidjan-Plateau.

Link to story »

Elections Locales : Des Femmes Politiques Sollicitent l`Appui de l`Etat | Oct. 25, 2012

fstovall — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 20:38:53 +0000

Abidjan.Net | Link to story »

Une trentaine de femmes issues de plus de quinze partis politiques ivoiriens, ont appelé, mercredi, les autorités ivoiriennes à les appuyer dans le cadre des prochaines élections municipales et régionales en Côte d’Ivoire.

Ce plaidoyer a été lancé, lors de la cérémonie de clôture d'un forum sur la participation des femmes aux prochaines élections locales à l'hôtel Tiama-Plateau (Abidjan), initié par le National Démocratic Institute(NDI), sur le thème "Le leadership politique des femmes en Côte d’Ivoire".

Link to story »

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

STAY CONNECTED

CONTRIBUTE

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.

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

rrunyan — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 20:59:45 +0000

After months of violence and dislocation in Côte d’Ivoire, reconciliation is a necessary step in the recovery process and a high priority for the new government, President Alassane Ouattara told a Washington audience at an event on Sept. 23 co-sponsored by NDI.

“In a society like that of Côte d’Ivoire, what the president says is important,” Ouattara said. “That’s why I’ve been really preaching reconciliation, unity, solidarity. I think this is taking hold. The process will be long, but we are determined and I believe we will get there.”

President Alassane Ouattara addresses reconciliation in Côte d’Ivoire at an event in Washington.

As part of that process, Ouattara said former President Laurent Gbagbo, who refused to step aside after losing last November’s presidential election, should stand trial for human rights abuses. The violence was sparked by the impasse. But he emphasized that Gbagbo needs to receive a fair trial from the International Criminal Court so Ivorians can have confidence in the result. Soldiers from both sides should similarly be held accountable for human rights violations.

“No one is above the law,” he said. “Justice should be the same for all.”

Ouattara also addressed the economy, emphasizing the need to get young people back to work, largely by boosting the agriculture sector in Côte d’Ivoire, the world’s largest cocoa grower. He also pointed to education reform as a big factor in bringing down unemployment.

But he singled out security in the country and across the region as a particularly high priority, and enumerated several concrete steps taken in the past four months to institutionalize security sector reform and heighten professionalism in the country's new military and security services.

“If you don’t have security then you will not have stability,” he said

The world affairs briefing was held at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, which co-sponsored the event with NDI, the Center for American Progress, the National Endowment for Democracy and Côte d’Ivoire Watch, a coalition of Washington-based civil society organizations.

Watch the full webcast of the event here:

Published September 26, 2011

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

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

Sept. 15, 2011

Happy Democracy Day!

STAY CONNECTED

CONTRIBUTE

"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.

Citizen Election Observation Groups in Cote d’Ivoire Work to Reduce Electoral Violence

fstovall — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 15:47:15 +0000

Six citizen election observer groups in Côte d’Ivoire have agreed to coordinate their efforts during upcoming legislative elections, marking the first time there has been such cooperation in the West African country. The decision emerged from a conference held last month in Abidjan on the impact of election observation in diminishing election-related violence.

During the presidential elections of November 2010, observers faced a number of challenges. Delayed funding left citizen groups without the time needed to properly recruit, train and deploy observers. Subsequently, the presence of multiple, uncoordinated groups led to the release of statements with contradictory conclusions. Many Ivorians complained that such confusion hurt election observers’ credibility with the public, contributing to a post-election conflict that left more than 3,000 people dead and one million displaced.

Representatives from Ivorian election observation groups work together at the conference.

Responding to feedback from Ivorians, and drawing from best practices from other countries, NDI and its partners determined that a more coordinated approach would reduce the risk of contradictory statements, increase observers’ credibility, and enhance public confidence in the results, thereby reducing the risk of future violence. Participants also agreed that for their monitoring efforts to be credible, they had to be impartial and professional citizen observers.

“In the past, people only respected international election observers. That is changing, and now people respect national citizen observers more.”

- Christopher Fomunyoh, NDI Central and West Africa director

To avert future crises, especially as Côte d’Ivoire prepares for legislative elections set for December 2011, participants at the Aug. 10-12 conference discussed the role of citizen groups in monitoring and mitigating political violence in other countries and how to apply those lessons to Côte d’Ivoire.

“In the past, people only respected international election observers,” said Christopher Fomunyoh, NDI Central and West Africa director. “That is changing, and now people respect national citizen observers more. Domestic election observation has become a prerequisite for credible elections.”

“There is a proverb that states that 10 people who speak make more noise than 10,000 who are silent,” said Makram Ouaiss, a Lebanon-based conflict mitigation and elections expert and one of the leaders of the conference. “Therefore, citizen observer groups need to speak up about what they witness.”

Ouaiss was joined by conflict experts D.M. Dissanayake of the Committee for Monitoring Election Violence (CMEV) of Sri Lanka and Stephen Kirimi of Peacenet Kenya. The West Africa Election Observers Network (WAEON) also sent regional experts to the event: Mashood Erubami, president of WAEON and chairman of the Transition Monitoring Group of Nigeria, Dansa Kourouma of Reseau Afrique Jeunesse (RAJ—Gui) of Guinea, and Francis Oppong of the Center for Democratic Development in Ghana.

These experts presented case studies from their respective countries and led exercises on innovations in violence monitoring techniques such as mapping, SMS text messaging to report violence, citizen mediation efforts and the use of Facebook and other social media to name and shame perpetrators of violence. Dissanayake explained how CMEV deploys observers to monitor all phases of an election — including the pre-election and post-election periods — and conducts voter education campaigns using billboards and posters to urge citizens to vote peacefully. CMEV also maps incidents of violence, with observer reports presenting regular updates. Dissanayake also shared information with Ivorian participants on free mapping tools available on the Internet.

Kirimi explained the advantages of regular communication with government agencies, especially the police. He also explained that because Ivorian civil society organizations can’t stop acts of violence reported by citizen observers, Ivorian organizations should develop strong relationships with law enforcement agencies so they can respond quickly to reports of violence. Kirimi’s organization, Peacenet in Kenya, trains police on how to monitor and respond to electoral violence.

“I really enjoyed hearing about observation efforts in other countries,” said Marie-Paule Kodjo, national coordinator of the Coalition of Ivorian Women for Elections and Post-Crisis Reconstruction. “It gives me ideas of how we can improve election observation in Cote d’Ivoire.”

At the close of the forum, participants developed a number of recommendations, agreeing to:

Establish a working group that brings together all civil society organizations involved in election observation;
Establish another working group that brings together actors involved in the electoral process, including government agencies, political parties and the media;
Provide additional training to observers, polling station workers, party pollwatchers and electoral judges;
Advocate to reduce conflicting cleavages within Ivorian society in order to contribute to national reconciliation; and
Conduct long-term observation that covers all stages of the electoral process.

The conference was sponsored by a partnership comprising a broad coalition of Ivorian civil society organizations, the Global Network of Domestic Election Monitors (GNDEM), the West Africa Election Observers Network (WAEON) and NDI.

Related:

Published Sept. 8, 2011

Côte d’Ivoire in August: Picking up the Pieces

fstovall — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 14:07:25 +0000

Source:

National Democratic Institute

Article Link:

Published Date:

08/24/2011

Christopher Fomunyoh, regional director for Central and West Africa programs, returns from a trip to Cote d'Ivoire in August and offers this analysis of the political situation. In November, violence broke out in the country when then-President Laurent Gbagbo refused to transfer power to the rightful winner of the election, Alassane Ouattara. Now, as the country begins to move forward from the crisis, Fomunyoh looks at a number of the remaining issues, including healing a traumatized society, the potential return of fighting and the revival of the rule of law.

"Despite all of these challenges, the Ouattara government continues to make strides in rebuilding the economy and fostering national reconciliation. Ouattara reiterates these two themes in each of his public speeches, notably during his inaugural in May and more recently during the national day celebrations on Aug. 7. He continues to state his willingness to reach out to opposition leaders and their supporters, including members of Gbagbo’s party, the Ivorian Popular Front (FPI)."

International Forum to Examine Role of Citizen Election Observation in Reducing Electoral Violence

fstovall — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 22:30:54 +0000

Author:

National Democratic Institute

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

08/09/2011

Resource Type:

Press Release

Language:

English

Attachment	Size
Read the release	111.28 KB

International Forum to Examine Role of Citizen Election Observation in Reducing Electoral Violence

fstovall — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 22:26:46 +0000

Spurred by the recent political crisis in Côte d’Ivoire and the prospect of upcoming legislative elections, experts are convening at the Hotel Tiama in Abidjan to discuss the role that domestic election observation can play in diminishing the potential for political violence.

Sponsored by the Global Network of Domestic Election Monitors (GNDEM), the West Africa Election Observers Network (WAEON) and NDI, the Aug. 10-12 conference will bring together Ivorian civil society leaders and international experts to discuss comparative experiences monitoring and mitigating electoral violence.

More than 3,000 people died and one million were displaced in fighting that broke out in Côte d’Ivoire after President Laurent Gbagbo refused to transfer power after losing last November’s presidential election. Those problems followed a civil war and several years of political stalemate, creating an urgent need for national reconciliation to heal deep divisions within Ivorian society.

Citizen election monitors have an important role to play in that effort by reporting accurate and timely data to combat uncertainty and misinformation that can lead to violence. With legislative elections scheduled by the end of this year, there is an urgent need for robust and focused election monitoring, conference organizers said.

Conflict mitigation and election expert Makram Ouaiss will facilitate the discussion with conflict experts D.M. Dissanayake of the Committee for Monitoring Election Violence of Sri Lanka and Stephen Kirimi of Peacenet Kenya. WAEON will also provide regional expertise with the participation of Mashood Erubami, president of WAEON and chairman of the Transition Monitoring Group of Nigeria, Dansa Kourouma of Reseau Afrique Jeunesse (RAJ—Gui) of Guinea and a representative from the Center for Democratic Development in Ghana.

These experts will present case studies from their countries and lead exercises on innovations in violence monitoring techniques. The gathering will provide a venue to share best practices and innovative approaches on how civil society in Côte d’Ivoire can build on its years of experience to contribute to conflict mitigation efforts, particularly surrounding the 2011 legislative elections.

The opening session on Wednesday at 8:30 a.m. and the closing session on Friday at 4 p.m. are open to members of the press.

Related:

Published Aug. 9, 2011

In Côte d’Ivoire, Youth Leaders Come Together for Peace, Reconciliation

fstovall — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 15:20:42 +0000

Last year’s presidential elections in Côte d’Ivoire ended in a violent standoff between the incumbent, Laurent Gbagbo, and the internationally recognized winner of the vote, Alassane Ouattara. During the five-month crisis, which ended with Gbagbo’s arrest and Ouattara’s inauguration, more than 3,000 Ivorians died. We spoke with Charles Djrekpo, NDI resident director, about NDI efforts to help the reconciliation process, and how women and youth leaders are the key to a more a peaceful future for Côte d’Ivoire.

What is life like in Côte d’Ivoire now, after the crisis?

The protests put the country through violence, enormous casualties and heavy looting of property. That crisis is now behind us. The country is recovering slowly. But people are still afraid; they are still living with very heavy stress. Many of them are hiding now — they’re afraid to come out in public. Security is not completely assured because there are still so many guns in the hands of people who are not the police.

People still have a lot of hate, a lot of fear, and to stop all that, the government has set up the Commission for Dialogue, Truth and Reconciliation. The leader of that commission is Charles Konan Banny, and he has a good idea of what he has to do. I met with him along with Chris Fomunyoh [NDI regional director for Central and West Africa programs] and he said he’s planning a commission composed of representatives of women’s and youth organizations, political parties, representatives from the main geographic regions of the country, religious leaders and the diaspora — the Ivorians working out of the country. The committee will most likely address problems like youth unemployment, reconstruction and punishment for those who have committed crimes.

What work was NDI doing before the election?

We brought political parties together to agree on a code of conduct. Côte d’Ivoire’s political party code of conduct is one of the best in the African region. It was signed April 24, 2008. Since then, we have gone through the country to distribute and raise awareness of the contents of the code.

In seven regions, we organized what we call political party platforms. They were a kind of roundtable of political parties — opposition and governmental — and we have asked them to sit together and discuss the problems their region is facing. Over time, they became friendly with each other and collaborated more closely to find solutions to the region’s problems. We’re hoping to extend this program to the other 12 regions where this program doesn’t yet exist.

We have also worked with women’s wings of political parties. We worked with the leaders of the women’s wing of each party to make public announcements asking Ivorians not to resort to violence but to go and vote on election day.

What has NDI been doing in the country since the electoral crisis?

We started by calling on youth leaders to come together. Some were very afraid to come from their hiding place and they asked us to protect them. That’s what we did, by sending NDI marked vehicles and drivers to their hiding places and ensuring them safe travels. Large parties, like Gbagbo’s party, the FPI were represented. The youth wing leader of Ouattara’s party, the RDR, was there. And the leader of the Federation of Students, a kind of trade union of students, was there. I think everyone was very glad to see that these youngsters who had been hating each other accepted our invitation and came to this meeting.

"Our purpose was to let them realize they can meet, that they are citizens of the same country, that there is no reason to kill each other and that they can shake hands once again."

Our purpose was not to discuss something in particular. Our purpose was to let them realize they can meet, that they are citizens of the same country, that there is no reason to kill each other and that they can shake hands once again. And that’s what they did. They ate together, drank together, and they exchanged very good declarations. The discussion was about “what did you live during that period?” People were talking about the difficulties they had during the crisis, how they had been looted, how they lost some relatives. They said, “I’m glad to see you alive, have you lost somebody from your family, have you lost your house?”

They have asked us to plan another meeting as quickly as possible so that they can go further in the exchange and see what they can do to rebuild their country together.

We are also planning to meet with the leaders of women’s wings of political parties and civil society organizations in June.

What is the purpose of these meetings?

I think they will help mitigate violence. We can’t guarantee 100 percent success. We have to endeavor and do and act so that we can mitigate the violence. I think the coming legislative elections, planned for the end of November or early December, will probably be violent if we don’t act to mitigate violence.

Why did you choose to target youth and women leaders?

These are the people who can inform the groups they represent, and I think that’s the best way to spread ideas we have discussed in the meeting. More than 60 percent of Ivorians are under 30 years old. And you know, they were the ones who were encouraged to fight by the political parties; they were the fighters. They have to understand that what they have done is bad and has destroyed their own interests, their own job opportunities. And if they realize through the conversation that it’s against their own interest, I think in the future, they will not be manipulated so easily to fight each other.

We want the women’s leaders to meet because they are still fearful of each other. Our objective is to make them come out, to meet and exchange kind words and see that they have been friendly in the past, that they used to work together. They were adversaries in the past but not enemies, and they have to continue not being enemies, but political adversaries.

Our purpose is to bring them to see each other, discuss and know that it’s better to continue working together.

Related:

Pictured above: Charles Djrekpo

Published June 28, 2011

Political Parties in Cote d'Ivoire Agree to Historic Code of Conduct

fstovall — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 19:09:47 +0000

Author:

National Democratic Institute

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

05/02/2008

Resource Type:

Press Release

Language:

English

Attachment	Size
Read the release	150.63 KB

Ivory Coast Violence Escalates as President-Elect's Fighters Capture Key Cities | March 31, 2011

fstovall — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 15:37:01 +0000

PBS NewsHour | Link to story »

"My hope is that we don't to the point where there's full-blown civil war," says Chris Fomunyoh, director of Central and West African programs at NDI. "I'm also hoping that as the pro-Outtara forces continue to gain momentum that a lot of the military that has supported Laurent Gbagbo in the past will pause and ask themselves the question whether it's worth fighting for a cause that is a lost cause."

Watch »

More like this:

Strategic Ivory Coast Towns Fall To The Opposition»

In Ivory Coast, Fighters' Advances Could Signal Changing Tide | Mar. 30, 2011

Wed, 30 Mar 2011 18:48:21 +0000

PBS | Link to story »

Four months after the people of Cote d'Ivoire voted to replace him as president, Laurent Gbagbo refuses to leave office and stays entrenched in his presidential palace in the economic capital of Abidjan. NDI's Central and Western Africa director, Christopher Fomunyoh, speaks optimistically about the advancement of the rebels toward the capital.

Link to story »

West Africa Election Observers Join Together to Promote Credible Elections

Mon, 28 Feb 2011 16:26:59 +0000

West African elections can run the democratic gamut. From the peaceful presidential polls held in Ghana in 2008 to the ongoing election-related standoff in Cote d’Ivoire, elections in the region have seen everything from successful transfers of power to ethnic tensions to widespread fraud. Citizen election observation groups from 11 countries have formed the West Africa Election Observers Network (WAEON) to help ensure accountability, increase honesty and accuracy, and instill confidence in legitimate election results in their countries.

Citizen election observation groups from 11 countries have formed the West Africa Election Observers Network (WAEON) to help ensure accountability, increase honesty and accuracy, and instill confidence in legitimate election results in their countries. WAEON’s goal is to enable observers from different countries in the sub-region to exchange ideas and recommendations for better approaches to observation. Comprised of independent, nonpartisan organizations, WAEON helps citizen observer groups in West Africa meet criteria set forth in the Declaration of Global Principles for Nonpartisan Election Observation and Monitoring by Citizen Organizations, an internationally recognized standard for election monitoring. NDI played a key role in the creation of WAEON by bringing together observer group representatives in a series of workshops on election best practices. Participants decided to form the network to help improve election monitoring in their countries.

In announcing its creation on Feb. 21, WAEON promised to “provide technical and moral support to its member organizations in order to encourage nonpartisan citizen election observation, champion electoral reforms and advocacy, and promote credible elections as a means of deepening electoral democracy in the sub region.”

The network will create a forum for information sharing among neighboring countries. Although international monitors have observed elections in the region since the 1970s, domestic groups have only recently taken on this task. The Jan. 31 elections in Niger and upcoming polls in Nigeria and Liberia provide observation opportunities for WAEON member groups. Network members also will have the chance to hear from counterparts in other countries, such as Ghana, that have conducted more advanced observation efforts based on statistical principles. Other WAEON goals are to increase the quality of observation across the region and improve the credibility of elections.

On Feb. 21 and 22, NDI sponsored a workshop with WAEON members on voter registration observation. Other activities include a series of exchange visits that give representatives from participating West African countries a chance to study how neighboring nations prepare for elections and tally votes. For example, WAEON members recently met with election administrators, government officials, and civil society representatives in Niger and Nigeria in the lead-up to their elections.

Related:

Pictured above: WAEON Treasurer Djeneba Kone Diarra of Mali and WAEON Chairperson Mashood Erubami of Nigeria at the launch of WAEON in Abuja, Nigeria, on Feb. 21, 2011.

Published on March 3, 2011

NDI's Chris Fomunyoh Discusses the Political Stalemate in Cote d'Ivoire | Dec. 29, 2010

rrunyan — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 16:03:15 +0000

PBS NewsHour | Link to story »

Appearing on the PBS NewsHour, Chris Fomunyoh, NDI’s senior associate and regional director for Central and West Africa, emphasized the importance of a quick resolution to the stalemate in Cote d'Ivoire, or the Ivory Coast.

“We must remember that over five million Ivorians participated in this electoral process,” Fomunyoh said. “And they had hoped, for the most part, that these elections would be the culmination of all of the peace agreements that have been negotiated over the years that have postponed the elections, which ordinarily would have been conducted in 2005.

“And so here we are, a month after the elections, all of this fighting and people still waiting to get an outcome that can give them a sense that Ivory Coast is in the process of healing and national reconciliation.”

Dec. 29, 2010 | Watch »

NDI - Cote dIvoire

Réconciliation Nationale / Charles Konan Banny : Les Ivoiriens ont Raison d’être Impatients | Dec. 5, 2012

Elections Locales : Des Femmes Politiques Sollicitent l`Appui de l`Etat | Oct. 25, 2012

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

STAY CONNECTED

CONTRIBUTE

READ MORE

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

Watch the full webcast of the event here:

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

STAY CONNECTED

CONTRIBUTE

READ MORE

Citizen Election Observation Groups in Cote d’Ivoire Work to Reduce Electoral Violence

Representatives from Ivorian election observation groups work together at the conference.

Côte d’Ivoire in August: Picking up the Pieces

International Forum to Examine Role of Citizen Election Observation in Reducing Electoral Violence

International Forum to Examine Role of Citizen Election Observation in Reducing Electoral Violence

In Côte d’Ivoire, Youth Leaders Come Together for Peace, Reconciliation

Political Parties in Cote d'Ivoire Agree to Historic Code of Conduct

Ivory Coast Violence Escalates as President-Elect's Fighters Capture Key Cities | March 31, 2011

In Ivory Coast, Fighters' Advances Could Signal Changing Tide | Mar. 30, 2011

West Africa Election Observers Join Together to Promote Credible Elections

NDI's Chris Fomunyoh Discusses the Political Stalemate in Cote d'Ivoire | Dec. 29, 2010