NDI - Debates

NDI E-news: Nigeria, Tunisia, The Roma | April 2011

fgalleto — Tue, 03 May 2011 20:23:44 +0000

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April 2011

Nigerian Elections Hold the Promise of Setting New Integrity Standard, NDI Mission Finds

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Election official with National Assembly ballot at Lugbe polling station outside Abuja.

Nigeria's recent presidential and National Assembly elections "represent a step forward from seriously flawed elections of the past" and "hold the promise of setting a new standard for integrity in Nigeria's electoral process," NDI said in a preliminary statement after the presidential poll.

The Institute fielded international observer delegations for both the April 9 National Assembly elections
and the April 16 presidential poll. The first observation mission was co-led by Joe Clark, former Canadian prime minister; Mahame Ousmane, former president of Niger; Antonio Manuel Mascarenhas Monteiro, former president of Cape Verde;
Jon S. Corzine, former U.S. senator and governor of New Jersey;
Marietje Schaake, member of the European Parliament from the Netherlands; Natasha Stott Despoja, former senator from Australia; and Kenneth Wollack, president of NDI. Clark and Ousmane stayed on as co-leaders of the presidential observation mission and were joined by Robin Carnahan, secretary of state of Missouri; and Christopher Fomunyoh, NDI senior associate and regional director for Central and West Africa.

The delegations found that, despite problems, the elections gave Nigerians a real chance to vote, and they commended the millions of Nigerians who braved long lines and hot weather to participate.

A voter marks her presidential ballot in Abuja.

NDI also partnered with a coalition of four Nigerian civil society organizations in Project 2011 Swift Count, which fielded more than 8,000 observers to conduct a parallel vote tabulation (PVT) for the presidential and gubernatorial elections, held on April 26. A PVT is a sophisticated election observation tool used to assess the integrity of the vote and count, and verify official vote totals. Observers relayed their findings by SMS messages, which were then compiled and analyzed at Project Swift Count's headquarters in Abuja.

Project Swift Count issued an interim statement
after the presidential poll confirming the results announced by Nigeria's Independent National Electoral Commission. With the northern part of the country protesting the re-election victory of President Goodluck Jonathan, Project Swift Count
called upon all candidates and their supporters to "respect the will of the Nigerian people and to accept the results in good faith." They also asked that all political leaders "immediately and clearly make statements denouncing all acts of post-election violence."

NDI also partnered with the National Elections Incidents Center (NEIC), a coalition of three civil society groups doing citizen observation of the presidential election. The NEIC catalogued and mapped incidents and irregularities in the voting on election day. The center concluded that "the accreditation and voting process was smooth and peaceful" at the polling stations they observed.

NDI's mission in Nigeria builds on a pre-election assessment
conducted by the Institute in October. NDI has been working in Nigeria since 1999 and has fielded international observation missions to previous elections there in 1999,
2003
and 2007.

NDI Commemorates International Day of Roma with Film Featuring Music by Academy Award Winner Hans Zimmer

NDI celebrated the culture and achievements of the 10 million Roma, commonly called Gypsies, with a short public awareness film released on International Day of the Roma. The film, Who are the Roma?, is scored with original music by Hans Zimmer. Read more»

Watch the film»

'Future Women Mayors' Academy Kicks Off in Mexico

The Academy for Future Women Mayors kicked off last month in the Mexican state of Michoacán to combat the low rate of women seeking and winning office at the municipal level across the country. The academy helps provide women activists with the motivation, skills and networks to position themselves to win mayoral races. Read more»

In Guinea, Political Parties Strive to Improve its Next Elections

In Guinea, more than 40 political parties agreed to a set of principles aimed at making upcoming legislative elections — only the second competitive elections in the nation's history — less violent, more inclusive, more efficient and ultimately more democratic. Read more»

Albanian Women Finish Political Leadership School with Chance to Test New Skills in May Elections

Local elections on May 8 in Albania are an opportunity to put more women in public office in a country with one of the lowest percentages of elected women in Europe. That was the message delivered by Jozefina Topalli, Albania's speaker of parliament, to women who had just completed a 10-month program on campaign management, messaging and advocacy organized by NDI. Read more»

Contribute Now to Help Build Democratic Societies

When you contribute to NDI, our board of directors will generously match your gift dollar-for-dollar, up to $1 million. Contribute»

NDI Staff Member Seeks to Bring Women into Elections, Politics in Liberia

Mardia Greaves-Bloh visited the U.S. from Liberia for three months as NDI's latest Andi Parhamovich fellow. While in Washington, D.C., Bloh researched how civil society groups build coalitions and how to ensure that women's needs are considered and accomodated throughout the election process. She will use what she learned back in Liberia for presidential and legislative elections this year. Read more»

Assessing Public Attitudes in Tunisia, Georgia, Burundi

NDI recently conducted focus group research in Tunisia with young people, the demographic that led the revolutionary movement that overthrew President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in January. The research finds that young people are concerned about being sidelined in the transition process and have a lingering distrust of political parties. NDI is sharing these findings with Tunisian leaders in the transitional government, political parties and civil society to develop policies that are responsive to and inclusive of youth. Read more»

A recent poll conducted for NDI shows that economic and social issues are the major sources of concern for Georgians. Unemployment tops the list of those concerns, followed by rising prices. Respondents also felt that politicians were not doing enough to fix these problems. Read more»

Focus groups in Burundi, a country historically fraught with ethnic conflict between Hutus and Tutsis, show that citizens today are focused less on ethnic differences than on their regional, political and economic differences. They also continue to embrace the democratic process, despite politically motivated violence and an opposition party boycott of the 2010 elections. Read more»

Our Perspectives: Debates, Yemen, the Roma and Haiti

Don't miss these pieces by NDI staff:

Matt Dippell, debates program advisor, explains how a free press contributes to a culture of debate. Read more»

Les Campbell, director of Middle East and North Africa programs, talks to NPR's Morning Edition about the future for Yemen's President Saleh. Listen»

Catherine Messina Pajic, deputy director of Central and Eastern Europe programs, describes the plight of the Roma and ways you can help. Read more»

Jim Swigert, director of Latin American and Carribbean programs, looks at the challenges facing Haiti's new president in this speech he delivered at the U.S. Institute for Peace. Read more»

Electoral Fairs Bring Politics Out of the Box in Peru

rrunyan — Tue, 03 May 2011 14:01:25 +0000

Mandatory voting in Peru leads to high turnouts, but the numbers belie a disenchantment with political parties among the electorate, which often feels isolated from campaigns, particularly in rural areas.

So in the weeks leading up to April 10 presidential and congressional elections, Transparencia (Transparency), a leading civic group working to consolidate democracy in Peru, organized a series of candidate debates accompanied by electoral fairs that provided an opportunity for citizens outside the capital of Lima to interact personally with candidates and campaign staffs.

Transparencia organized five fairs in different areas of the country, all within a day of the congressional debate in the respective region. Attendees could speak directly with candidates and learn about their electoral platforms or views on specific policy issues.

The fairs were conducted in large public spaces and featured booths hosted by political parties, regional political movements, civic groups and election officials. By including civil society organizations and electoral institutions, citizens could learn both about the voting process while also comparing the positions of candidates.

The political parties presented information on their key issues and candidates. For candidates, the fairs were a chance to present their platforms to voters in a more informal setting than through debates or campaign speeches. At the end of the fairs, candidates made closing statements on their platforms.

More than 5,000 Peruvians visited the fairs, which were held in Ayacucho and Cusco in the south and Cajamarca, Lambayeque and San Martín in the north. Transparencia is an NDI partner and the Institute helped with organizing both the fairs and debates. NDI also organized workshops for congressional candidates on political communication and on-camera techniques to help them communicate more effectively with voters at the fairs and debates.

Transparencia and NDI also organized electoral fairs during the 2006 election cycle. A goal this year was to make them appealing and accessible to a greater number of citizens, and one tactic employed was to bring arts and culture into the fairs.

A local theater group performs an election skit at the electoral fair in Cajamarca.

The Lambayeque electoral fair, for example, featured a local theater company performing short skits related to the elections. The skits attracted crowds and led to exchanges between candidates and audience members. Additionally, the fairs enabled citizens to post questions for candidates to answer during their public remarks. Candidates were sometimes forced to address tough questions that were not pre-screened.

Peru is now preparing for a second round of presidential elections on June 5 since no candidate achieved the necessary majority of votes to win outright. The candidates are Ollanta Humala, a former army officer, and Keiko Fujimori, the daughter of former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori.

NDI is continuing to work in partnership with Transparencia and the National Board of Elections (Jurado Nacional de Elecciones, JNE) for second round presidential debates. Additionally, NDI is supporting the launch of a citizen monitoring website with local partner Proetica (ProEthics) to monitor the platform and campaign promises of congressional candidates in three pilot regions: Cusco, Lambayeque and San Martín.

Related:

Pictured above: A representative of the National Office of Electoral Processes (Oficina Nacional de Procesos Electorales, ONPE), shows a citizen a sample ballot and how it should be filled out.

Published May 3, 2011

Softening the Ground for Presidential Debates | March 14, 2011

fgalleto — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 17:58:00 +0000

The Nigerian Daily | Link to story »

"The stage appears set for the 2011 presidential and vice presidential debates billed for March 28, 29 and 30, 2011 at ECOWAS Commission Auditorium, Abuja. The Nigerian Elections Debate Group (NEDG) in collaboration with the National Democratic Institute (NDI) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is facilitating the program. Already, all the 19 presidential candidates approved by INEC have been invited to participate in the debate.

"And as part of efforts to mobilize Nigerians to vote as well as ensure the success of the forthcoming presidential debates, the NEDG held a one-day workshop last Thursday in Abuja."

Link to story »

NDI E-news: Egypt, Kosovo, Sudan | Dec. 2010

fgalleto — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 20:01:11 +0000

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December 2010

Local Partners Work to Bring Accountability to Elections

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Egyptian candidate debate organized by Partners in Change.

Millions of citizens around the world, sometimes at great personal risk, work to safeguard elections in their countries by monitoring, reporting on and helping citizens participate in all aspects of the elections process. NDI regularly supports and works with many of these individuals and organizations as they seek to deter and expose fraud, ensure voters' rights and shine a light on sometimes secretive government procedures. Here are some examples:

In Egypt, which recently held elections for its lower house of parliament, the Institute worked with the Egyptian Association for the Support of Democracy (EASD) to train and deploy 5,000 observers who documented fraud, violence and election law violations. Using text messaging technology, EASD monitors reported real time information from polling stations that was posted to
the organization's website, drawing a local and international audience of more than 30,000 people. Another NDI partner in Egypt, Partners in Change, sponsored debates and street theater performances as part of get-out-the-vote efforts in the run-up to the elections. The events educated voters on the importance of voting and provided forums for voters to hear from individual candidates about their platforms.

Recent
parliamentary elections in Kosovo were generally peaceful, but some irregularities will need to be investigated more fully, according to a
preliminary statement from the European Network of Election Monitoring Organizations (ENEMO), an international election observation group. ENEMO fielded 12 long-term observers and 188 election day observers from 23 countries, including 37 American observers organized by NDI, who monitored 861 polling stations.

SuNDE observers attend a training session on the voter registration process.

The voter registration process has just ended in Sudan, which is preparing for a referendum that will determine whether the southern part of the country secedes from the north. The Sudanese Network for Democratic Elections (SuNDE) and the Sudanese Group for Democracy and Elections (SuGDE), both nonpartisan coalitions of civil society groups and NDI partners, are monitoring all steps of the referendum, including the registration process. Seven hundred SuNDE and SuGDE observers monitored registration centers in both the north and south and in five of the eight international registration centers. The groups
released a joint statement saying registration "was conducted free from violations
that could significantly impact the integrity of the process, despite some shortcomings."

Before Peru's Dec. 5 run-off elections for department presidents (similar to state governors), NDI's civic partner, Transparencia, organized, recorded and broadcast debates
among the top candidates on radio and television. The debates aimed to help citizens become more informed about the candidates’ election platforms and compare their leadership styles. Now, in the wake of the elections, NDI is collaborating with Cuidadanos al Dia, a government watchdog group, to create a website where citizens can track how well the newly-elected officials live up to their campaign promises.

Nicaragua Leadership Program Supports Emerging Leaders

In Nicaragua, where opionion research shows young people increasingly dissatisfied with political parties and institutions, a consortium of academic institutions has created a new program to help engage the next generation in the political process. Young men and women from 49 civic organizations and 10 of the country's major political parties and movements are earning a Certificate on Leadership and Political Management focusing on democratic values and leadership. By providing this type of training, which will be expanded in the coming years, the certificate aims to empower the part of the population with the greatest potential for political involvement. NDI helped organize the consortium. Read more»

Montenegrin Ministries Changing the Way they Approach Policy Making

Scott Persons, NDI's resident director in Montenegro, discusses the Institute's work with government ministries to improve their internal and external communications. The program has resulted in more community input on how to solve problems facing the country and more efficient operations within the ministries. Read more»

Electoral Reform Needed to Build Public Confidence in Afghan Electoral Process and Political Institutions

As Afghanistan's Independent Election Commission released the final results for the Sept. 18 parliamentary elections, NDI called for a formal and comprehensive review of the country's electoral system that would lead to reforms. Noting systemic flaws and tensions resulting from credible allegations of fraud and other irregularities, the Institute said that without electoral reform, public confidence in Afghan elections and governance will continue to erode. Read more»

Election Commission Chair Pledges Best Effort to Improve Elections in Nigeria in 2011

A legacy of electoral fraud, political violence and stalled democratic development has marred the past decade of civilian rule in Nigeria, which is planning for elections in 2011. Speaking at NDI, Attahiru Jega, the new chairman of Nigeria's Independent National Electoral Commission, said that improving the electoral process is vital to the country's democratic development and noted the growing consensus on the need for credible elections. NDI President Kenneth Wollack noted that with Jega's appointment "hope has replaced pessimism" regarding upcoming polls. Read more»

Women Win, Lead in Jordan and Southern Africa

Jordanian women candidates enjoyed record levels of success in the country's Nov. 9 parliamentary elections. For the first time, a woman candidate from Amman won her seat outside of the country's quota system; six of Jordan's 12 governorates elected the first women from their regions; and, for the first time, a Bedouin woman was elected. Jordan's new election law doubled the number of seats reserved for women from six to 12. The increase, coupled with the additional woman candidate who won outside the quota, will bring to 10.8 percent the number of women in parliament. Read more»

In southern Africa, women's political participation in Zambia and Lesotho lags behind other countries in the region. Women from both countries have participated in an NDI leadership academy where they learn campaign, advocacy and public speaking skills, and practice techniques to build coalitions and raise funds. Participants will use these skills in upcoming local and national elections. Read more»

2011 World Press Freedom Day to be Held in U.S. for the First Time

NDI has joined a number of democracy, human rights and free press organizations in the preparations for World Press Freedom Day, which will be held in Washington, D.C., May 1-3, 2011. The events will focus on media freedom in the digital age. More than 20 organizations working to advance free expression worldwide are collaborating with the U.S. Department of State and UNESCO to plan the program, 21st Century Media: New Frontiers, New Barriers. Read more»

NDI E-news: Burma, Jordan, Haiti | Nov. 2010

fgalleto — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 20:57:59 +0000

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November 2010

Burma Groups Expose Intimidation, Fraud in Nov. 7 Elections

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Burmese citizens protest the 2010 elections.

Elections in Burma, the first in 20 years, along with the release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi after years of house arrest, have brought increased attention to the situation in the autocratic Asian country. "Our thoughts and prayers are with Aung San Suu Kyi and her people," NDI Chairman Madeleine K. Albright said in a statement marking Suu Kyi's release.
"We will do everything in our power to be supportive as she continues the struggle to bring true democracy to Burma."

To highlight abuses associated with the elections,
the Burma Partnership, a coalition of media and human rights groups inside the country and civil society organizations across the border in Thailand, created the Burma Election Tracker website. It documents visually and in prose abuses suffered by Burmese citizens before, during and after election day. NDI provided technical assistance to the partnership in developing the site.

Burma Election Tracker visually displays election incidents by type and location.

Prior to the vote, the elections were widely seen as being structured to minimize opposition and ensure a victory by the ruling military junta. NDI analyzed the legal and human rights framework of Burma's new constitution and election law and concluded that the election process would be a setback for Burma's democratic development. The first-person accounts published on the election tracker support that conclusion, with incidents ranging from
violence and intimidation to fraud to abuse of government power. Due to the difficulty of getting reports out of the country, the site is able to compile only a fraction of incidents from the election.

"The reports that we gathered," the tracker said, "demonstrate that these elections were deeply flawed, and were fundamentally illegitimate, unfree, unfair and undemocratic."

NDI has helped local partners create similar websites to track information about elections, their run-up and aftermath.
In Afghanistan, NDI created an online mapping tool for the analysis of election results from 2004, 2005 and 2009 with layers of ethnographic, demographic, topographic and security data. Preliminary results from 2010 will be added soon. And in Bahrain,
monitors mapped incidents, polling locations, and ethnic and religious populations to draw broader conclusions about parliamentary elections in October.

Election Watch: Jordan, Ukraine, Côte d'Ivoire

In November, NDI fielded an
international delegation of 61 short- and long-term election observers that monitored all aspects of the electoral process in Jordan, from the campaign to balloting on election day to the counting of ballots. In a preliminary statement
issued after the Nov. 9 polls, the delegation said that while the vote was a clear improvement over the nation's 2007 elections, a number of structural shortcomings and other problems should be addressed for future polls. Read more»

After October local elections in Ukraine, NDI commented on
the deterioration of electoral freedoms since the country's presidential election earlier in the year. The Institute said it shared the concerns of Opora, Ukraine's largest domestic election monitoring organization and an NDI partner, which highlighted an atmosphere of mistrust. Read more»

In Côte d'Ivoire, people voted in October presidential elections, the first in 10 years, following a civil war. In an effort to mitigate election-related tensions, NDI worked with political parties seeking to reaffirm a campaign code of conduct
they'd signed in 2008, contributing to a peaceful election day. A runoff will be held Nov. 28. Read more»

New NDI Publications

Don't miss the latest NDI publications and contributions:

NDI President Kenneth Wollack and Governance Director K. Scott Hubli write in the Journal of Democracy about "Getting Convergence Right" on the relationship between democracy and development programs. Read more»

Writing in the Harvard International Review, Wollack discusses the history and evolution of democracy assistance and how such assistance fits into overall U.S. foreign policy goals. Read more»

Shari Bryan, NDI vice president, writes about "The Youth Bulge in Africa" in a paper presented to the National Intelligence Council. Read more»

NDI focus group research with more than 800 Southern Sudanese showed significant support for a referendum in which they will decide whether to choose unity with the North or to secede, and a strong desire for the vote to be held on schedule, in January. The report, Southern Sudan at the Crossroads, was released in September. Read more»

After passage of a series of constitutional reforms designed to expand democratic practices in Hong Kong, citizens are cautiously optimistic about the future. The Calm After the Storm compiles research and conclusions of popular opinion in Hong Kong following the reform vote last summer. Read more»

NDI Aids Haitian Groups Working on Presidential Debates, Cholera Containment

With 19 candidates running for president of Haiti, differentiating them by platform and issue can be difficult. To help Haitians make informed decisions in preparation for the Nov. 28 vote, NDI helped produce a series of six candidate debates, aired on 32 television and radio stations, that focused on substantive issues about the future of the country. Read more»

In an effort to contain Haiti's cholera outbreak, grassroots organizations known as Initiative Committees are working to educate citizens about the importance of hygiene and safe drinking water. Developed more than a decade ago with NDI support, the committees are using their networks to help with relief and rebuilding efforts in the aftermath of last January's earthquake. Read more»

Coalition to Monitor Vote for Better Elections in Nigeria

Nigeria is at an electoral crossroads. Next year's vote for president could herald a democratic turnaround or lead to further electoral fraud and possible violence. To monitor the process and verify results, a coalition of four prominent civil society groups have come together to form Project 2011 Swift Count, hoping that their independent effort will deter fraud and help restore public trust in the election. Read more»

Albanian Women Claim a Voice in Politics through Advocacy on Health Care

A multipartisan network of politically active Albanian women is advocating for better health care services for women, as well as spreading information about early detection and treatment for breast and cervical cancers. The educational campaign has reached nearly 5,000 women, and has led to free cervical cancer screening tests for women in one Albanian city. The women are also lobbying local and regional officials for more resources for women's health care. Read more»

Women Speak Out Against Discrimination in Burkina Faso

A coalition of representatives of women's and human rights organizations in Burkina Faso recently traveled to Geneva, Switzerland, to present a report on the status of women's rights in the West African country to the U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women. The coalition highlighted some of the major challenges facing Burkinabe women, including lower rates of school attendance for girls, unequal access to health care, and high rates of domestic violence. Read more»

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NDI E-news: Election Prep in Bosnia, Egypt, Afghanistan | Oct. 2010

fgalleto — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 20:52:34 +0000

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October 2010

Preparing for Election Day - Debating, Educating Assessing

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Candidates greet the moderators before debating in Bosnia.

Though the voting part of an election usually takes just a day, months and sometimes years of preparation go into making it a success. There's the preparatory work by election commissions, organizing by political parties, choosing candidates, the campaign itself, training observers, educating and motivating the electorate to participate, and creating an atmosphere in which voters feel safe enough to go to the polls. In many countries where NDI works, the Institute and its partners are involved in one or more of these aspects of election day preparation. Here are some examples:

Leading up to the Oct. 3 general elections in Bosnia, NDI partnered with two major public television stations to present a series of candidate debates.
These events, along with a series of regional town-hall style meetings, were unique for focusing on issues, and the parties' stances on those issues, rather than personal or ethnic attacks and accusations.

As Egypt prepares for legislative elections in November, a new website, www.vote4egypt.com, conveys the importance of voting. It features promotional get out the vote videos, posters and message boards, where users can discuss topics such as how to get voter identification cards and where to vote on election day. The site is part of a larger civic participation effort by the nonpartisan Bridge Center for Dialogue and Development, an NDI partner organization.

A trainer gives a presentation about her political party in Kyrgyzstan.

Before Kyrgyzstan's Oct. 10 parliamentary elections, NDI worked with women candidates and party members seeking to learn new skills needed to be effective candidates, and for gaining leadership roles within their parties.

In preparation for Afghanistan's Sept. 18 parliamentary elections, NDI conducted orientation sessions for more than 1,700 candidates (68 percent of the total), organized training for political parties, ran campaign schools for more than 240 women candidates (62 percent of the total) and provided technical assistance to FEFA, the country's largest domestic election monitoring organization. It also trained more than 36,000 candidate agents across the country to report on election day activities.

In addition to its work with local partners, NDI takes part in pre-election assessments. Recently in Jordan,
Ukraine and Nigeria, the Institute has fielded high-level delegations that have met with election officials, ruling and opposition political figures, civil society groups, journalists and others to assess the electoral environment and recommend short- and long-term improvements in the electoral process.

In Haiti, Citizens Voice Ideas and Concerns about Rebuilding

Haiti's Action Plan for National Recovery and Development is a blueprint aimed at helping Haitians rebuild and overcome the challenges posed by last January's earthquake. To ensure that citizens and local government officials have an opportunity to contribute their own ideas, initiative committees across Haiti are holding meetings to solicit advice from citizens. Read more»

Despite Violence, Voters in Afghanistan Show Commitment to Democratic Process

Although violence marred the electoral process in many parts of the country, millions of Afghans turned out to vote in legislative elections Sept. 18, showing courage and resolve to move their nation toward a more democratic future. NDI's observers released a preliminary statement lauding Afghans for their commitment to democracy while drawing attention to a number of problems with the electoral process. Read more»

New Publications Encourage Women's Political Participation

In many countries, women who want to get involved in politics lack the role models and resources to help them pursue their goals. Two new publications seek to meet those needs and encourage more women to get involved in the political process.

Aimed at young women from the Middle East and North Africa region, Confidence, Capacity, Connections: A Young Woman's Guide to Leadership is a workbook that combines ideas, strategies and advice from experts on pursuing a political career. Read more»

In Bangladesh, Who's Who: Women Leaders at a Glance profiles 134 Bangladeshi women and is designed to provide inspiration and role models to other women aspiring to leadership roles. Read more»

Iraqi National Youth Caucus Works to Turn Youth Priority Issues into Policy Changes

As Iraqis work to create a new government, a group of young people is working to perfect the civic advocacy skills they need to influence how policy is made. Members of Iraq's National Youth Caucus (NYC) came together recently to discuss their strategies for ongoing advocacy campaigns for improving high school and college education and combating the high rate of youth unemployment. Read more»

Central American Leaders See Transparency as Key to Public Security

In El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, more than three quarters of the population thinks public safety is the greatest problem facing the region. Recently, leaders from government, political parties, business, academia and civil society came together to discuss the link between transparency and security in Central America. At the NDI-supported event, the 150 participants identified and agreed on concrete actions to fight corruption and increase transparency. Read more»

New Partnerships Strive for More Inclusive, Stronger Parliaments

NDI recently signed two memoranda of understanding (MoU) that seek to strengthen parliaments and make them more accountable and inclusive.

In Kenya, NDI and the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association signed an MoU to collaborate on efforts to enhance representative government around the world. The association is a group of national and subnational legislatures of the Commonwealth, representing some two billion citizens from all faiths and ethnicities from six continents. Read more»

The MoU signed by NDI and the Guatemalan Congress will allow the two to create initiatives to improve the representation of indigenous people and women in Guatemala's government and to reform laws governing elections and political parties. Read more»

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Candidate Debates Focus on Issues, Solutions in Peru

rrunyan — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 14:27:37 +0000

Voters in several areas of Peru will head to the polls on Dec. 5 to take part in run-off elections for department presidential candidates who did not achieve the required 30 percent of the vote during first-round elections Oct. 3. Ten departments – or states – will hold runoffs for the top two candidates.

Voters in several areas of Peru will head to the polls on Dec. 5 to take part in run-off elections for department presidential candidates who did not achieve the required 30 percent of the vote during first-round elections Oct. 3. Ten departments — or states — will hold runoffs for the top two candidates.

In preparation for the vote, NDI is working with its Peruvian civic partner, Transparencia (Transparency), to organize, record and broadcast debates between the top candidates on television and radio. The goal of the debates is to help citizens become more informed about the candidates’ election platforms and compare their leadership styles. NDI is also collaborating with local partner, Cuidadanos al Dia (CAD) to create a monitoring website where citizens can track how well the newly-elected officials live up to their campaign promises.

In advance of the Oct. 3 municipal and regional elections, NDI, the Peruvian National Elections Board (Jurado Nacional de Elecciones, JNE) and Transparencia, organized debates for 44 department presidential candidates in five of the country’s 25 departments. Department presidents are the highest authority at the department level and serve four-year terms.

The debates were shown numerous times during prime time on local television and in other formats including streaming Internet video. In the department of Lambayeque alone, the debate was broadcast 20 times on radio, television and the Internet. On average, some 47,000 people viewed or listened to the debates in each of the five regions.

Debates were structured around five main topics of particular importance in each region. Themes ranged from economic productivity and tourism to the environment, natural resources and quality of life for children and youth. The moderators, many of them journalists, allowed the candidates to choose a topic from their policy platform. This gave them the opportunity to focus on one topic, differentiating between candidates and providing citizens with information on the proposed policy solutions.

With few exceptions, all major candidates participated in the debates and sought to explain why their parties were the most able to address citizen concerns and promote economic development in their departments. As one media outlet reported, the debates helped citizens prepare to cast their ballots: “voters aren’t the same as before, now that they are informed.”

Watch television coverage of the debates

Prior to the debates, NDI organized a series of dialogues between candidates and civil society organizations so that candidates could get a better sense of the issues that are important to local communities and address them in their election platforms. In collaboration with the United Roundtables in the Fight against Poverty (Mesa de Concertación en la Lucha contra la Pobreza, MCLCP) in different regions, these discussions led to candidates signing commitments to pursue “consensus plans for regional development” should they be elected.

These plans highlight the developmental priorities of the region – from tourism to natural resources to education – and were created by regional governments with input from citizens and civil society organizations in each region. Civil society groups will also monitor the progress of elected officials regarding the priority issues as identified by the MCLCP in each department.

Transparencia and NDI will also collaborate on debates next spring for the presidential election scheduled for April 10, 2011.

Pictured above: Department presidential candidates in San Martín participate in a debate prior to October 2010 regional elections in Peru.

Published November 16, 2010

In Haiti, Presidential Debates Stay Focused on Issues

fgalleto — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 22:53:50 +0000

Haitians will go to the polls Nov. 28 to select a new president and parliament to lead the nation's reconstruction and recovery from the Jan. 12 earthquake that claimed 230,000 lives and left 1.5 million people displaced.

To help voters sort through the 19 presidential candidates, the Public Policy Intervention Group (Groupe d'Intervention en Affaires Publiques, GIAP), a group of Haitian journalists and broadcasters, sponsored a series of six debates, part of its Anvan'n Vote (Before We Vote) initiative. The debates started Oct. 13 and continued every Wednesday through Nov. 17. They were broadcast nationally on 32 television and radio stations, giving the candidates and their platforms considerable exposure. The broadcasts included sign language interpretation as well.

The debates were well received. As one journalist wrote about the third debate among candidates Jude Celestin, Eric Charles and Jean Henri Ceant, "It was also a very instructive debate, punctuated by sincere and poignant interactions. It was a feast for the mind and a good event for the exercise of democracy. Voters, rejoice!"

Patrick Denis of GIAP, Brian St. Juste of the Jamaican Debates Commission and Gabin Jean Pierre of NDI discuss debate production techniques.

Each debate featured three or four candidates who were asked questions by a panel of print and broadcast journalists as well as by an audience of citizens and representatives of civic organizations. All the debates included questions on general issues such as reconstruction, education, public safety and economic policy, as well as a selection of specific topics that varied with each debate ranging from women's issues to tourism. The format gave candidates one or two minutes to respond to the questions and offer rebuttals. Candidates also made opening and closing statements.

To support GIAP's efforts, debates practitioners from NDI and the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD), a longtime NDI partner organization that has sponsored and produced all general election presidential and vice presidential debates in the United States since 1987, traveled to Port-au-Prince to share ideas and experiences. These experts included CPD executive producer Marty Slutsky and producer Rory Davies. An expert from the Jamaica Debates Commission, Brian St. Juste, also took part in the consultations with GIAP to add a Caribbean perspective. Together, the three organizations shared a variety of approaches to holding debates in such areas as negotiating the debate arrangements with candidates, developing engaging and informative debate formats and producing a television broadcast, among other topics.

Related:

Pictured above: The first GIAP presidential debate on Oct. 13 featuring candidates Axan Abelard, Jacques Edouard Alexis and Jean Hector Anacacis at the Villate Restaurant.

Published November 16, 2010. Updated Nov. 18, 2010.

Debates Get Parties Focused on Issues Facing Bosnia

fgalleto — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 14:56:56 +0000

Before voting in the general election on Oct. 3, citizens from around Bosnia tuned in to watch candidate debates that were novel in focusing on issues that voters said they care most about. The debates, along with a series of regional town hall-style meetings, provided Bosnian parties a platform from which to present concrete policy approaches to voters.

These events, which take cues from U.S. presidential debates, represent one of the sole examples of constructive and collegial political dialogue in an electoral campaign marked by typical post-war Bosnian politics, where ethnic divides dominate political rhetoric and parties in electoral campaigns engage voters solely through ethnically divisive invective.

Two major Bosnian public television stations — Bosnia and Herzegovina Radio Television (BHRT) and Radio Television Republika Srpska (RTRS) — partnered with NDI to produce and broadcast the three televised political debates. The topics for discussion at both the debates and regional forums were identified as those most deemed most important to citizens in NDI's public opinion research, which revealed a citizenry focused on the economy and its livelihood.

The debates, on the last three Thursdays in September, took place in Banja Luka on Sept. 16, featuring the parties most popular in the Republika Srpska; on Sept. 23 in Mostar, including parties ranked highest in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina; and Sept. 30 in Sarajevo, showcasing parties from both of Bosnia's political entities in a relatively rare joint policy discussion at the national level. The parties invited to participate had received the highest levels of support in NDI's public opinion research.

The two-hour Banja Luka debate was broadcast live throughout the country and then rebroadcast the next day on statewide television station BHTV. Watch highlights from the third debate on YouTube, or watch the debates in their entirety on the RTRS website.

In Banja Luka, five high-level party representatives discussed their policy platforms and explained their approaches to priority issues for citizens. Topics were determined through public opinion research, as well as through questions videotaped from citizens on the street. In one taped question, played on a screen in the studio, a young man asked about jobs for young people. Participants addressed the issue by explaining their parties' approaches to reducing youth unemployment. Most responses described anti-corruption projects that would support a hiring system based on meritocracy, rather than backroom deals and connections; while one party president presented a difference approach of building a skilled labor force through education.

The eight pre-election regional forums brought political party representatives together in a more intimate setting to debate economic issues and field questions from citizens in the audience. A Sept. 4 regional forum in Livno took place in a public space at a downtown shopping mall. About 100 citizens posed substantive questions about unemployment to a panel of seven party representatives from the local ruling and opposition parties.

A forum in Tuzla on Sept. 13 saw an even more frank exchange about youth unemployment between about 70 voters and a panel of local party leaders. The citizens challenged parties to put a stop to political favoritism in employment and promote a system of meritocracy. The inclusion of two young political candidates made the debate particularly relevant.

To carry out this project, NDI has drawn on its institutional partnership with the United States Commission on Presidential Debates and has also sought advice on debate format and approaches from a civil society organization advisory board including such groups as Women for Women, the Center for Civic Initiatives, and the Youth Communications Centre, among others. This approach has enabled a wide spectrum of voices and opinions from the Bosnian non-governmental sector to participate.

On election day, Bosnians will vote to elect representatives to their state parliaments, as well as regional parliaments representing the Republika Srpska (RS) and the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The polls will also decide the president of the RS and the federation's tripartite presidency — a rotating presidency that includes one representative from each of the country's three major ethnic groups.

NDI has worked in Bosnia and Herzegovina since 1996, supporting the long-term development of political parties, citizen participation in the political process, and professional and transparent legislative bodies. NDI's current programs, funded by the National Endowment for Democracy and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), advance issue-based politics through policy development and open debate among political parties and citizens. NDI's debates and forums project is funded through USAID.

Related:

Pictured above: Debate moderators greet a participant before the Sept. 30 national debate.

Published October 1, 2010. Updated October 6, 2010

NDI Launches Pre-Election TV Debates in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Fri, 24 Sep 2010 18:40:26 +0000

Author:

National Democratic Institute

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

09/14/2010

Resource Type:

Press Release

Language:

English

Media Type:

PDF

2010

English

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National Democratic Institute (NDI) Launches Elections 2010 TV Debates and Forums Program

fgalleto — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 14:22:03 +0000

Author:

National Democratic Institute

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

08/26/2010

Resource Type:

Press Release

Language:

English

Attachment	Size
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The Case for Debates: Civil Discourse in Less-Than-Civil Times

fgalleto — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 16:25:53 +0000

Author:

Trevor Fearon

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

08/31/2009

Resource Type:

Opinion

Language:

English

Media Type:

PDF

2009

English

Attachment	Size
Read the opinion piece	14.72 KB

Promoting Peaceful and Issue-Oriented Elections Through Candidate Debates

fgalleto — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 17:33:01 +0000

Despite diverse politics and cultures, countries in all corners of the world have begun to make debates among candidates for president, prime minister, parliament and local government a centerpiece of their elections. Behind this global trend is the belief that debates benefit new democracies in many ways, including helping voters make an informed choice at the ballot box, reducing the potential for violence in countries coming out of civil war, encouraging candidates to focus on public policy issues rather than personality and holding elected officials accountable to their campaign promises after elections. As an African presidential candidate commented, "The greatest thing about this debate is to see Liberian presidential candidates sitting here and talking to each other and trying to convince voters rather than being in the bush and shooting at each other."*

However, organizing successful candidate debates is not easy. Debates require overcoming daunting political, organizational and technical hurdles, including: forming a debates sponsoring organization, encouraging often reluctant candidates to take part, negotiating with media outlets to broadcast debates, choosing engaging and informative debate formats, raising funds, ensuring event security and producing live national television and radio broadcasts.

CNN anchor emeritus and former debate moderator Bernard Shaw shares his experience with Angelo Izama of Uganda at the International Debates Best Practices Workshop.

NDI and the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) have partnered to help debate sponsoring organizations overcome these challenges. Since 1987, the nonpartisan, non-profit CPD has sponsored and produced all presidential and vice presidential debates for the U.S. general elections. In addition to the 61 million Americans on average who watched the CPD-sponsored debates for the 2008 U.S. elections, millions more people tuned in overseas. NDI and the CPD have found that practical advice from seasoned debates sponsors can reduce the learning curve of new debate groups and avoid pitfalls that can cause debates to fall short or fail to take place at all. In this respect, NDI and the CPD are assisting first-time debate organizers as well as helping institutionalize debates in nations where they have already been held.

In providing support to debate sponsors, NDI and the CPD draw upon more than two decades of collective experience helping organize debates for mayors, legislators, governors, presidents and prime ministers in more than 30 countries. This support is premised on the belief that there is no single best way to organize debates. NDI and the CPD offer a menu of ideas and experiences from around the world so that debate sponsors can choose approaches that make the most sense in their country’s context. NDI and CPD assistance to debate sponsoring groups is tailored to specific needs and can range from sharing ideas long-distance via telephone and video conferences to in-country, hands-on organizational and television and radio production support.

To date, NDI and the CPD have: carried out debate programs in Africa, Asia, Central and Eastern Europe, Eurasia, Latin America and Caribbean and the Middle East; hosted a 12-country forum that established an international network of debate organizations to share experiences; initiated a practical web-based debate resource center and commenced a comparative guide to organizing debates. NDI and the CPD have received support for debates programs from the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, the U.S. Agency for International Development, the U.K. Department for International Development and the National Endowment for Democracy.

Subscribe to updates about debates

Pictured above: PBS NewsHour Senior Correspondent Judy Woodruff and Commission on Presidential Debates Executive Director Janet Brown discuss the role of debate moderators at the International Debates Best Practices Workshop.

* Joseph Korto of the Liberia Equal Right Party. allAfrica.com. September 19, 2005.

U.S. Commission Aids Countries Seeking Debates of Their Own

ggreene — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 19:43:39 +0000

The Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) has partnered with NDI to assist groups in dozens of countries that seek help from the Commission to establish their own debates.

In addition to sponsoring the U.S. presidential debates, the U.S. Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) has partnered with NDI to assist groups in dozens of countries seeking to establish debates of their own. In a publication distributed to attendees at the U.S. debates, the commission said that for many years it has teamed with NDI “to provide technical assistance to emerging democracies and others, using meetings in Washington, video conference calls abroad, or small teams of experts who travel on-site to help inaugurate debates.” The Commission cited joint efforts with NDI in Argentina, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Jamaica, Lebanon, Mexico, Mongolia, Nigeria, Peru and Poland.

“NDI and our partners overseas have benefitted measurably from the experience and expertise of the Commission,” said NDI President Kenneth Wollack. “We have found that candidate debates in new and emerging democracies have become an increasingly effective means of reducing tensions, promoting fair electoral competition and enhancing civic education efforts, helping voters make more informed choices at the ballot box.”

—

Published Nov. 24, 2008

Matt Dippell

ggreene — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 22:37:49 +0000

Matt Dippell is deputy director of the Latin America and Caribbean team at NDI. For more than a decade, he has organized democracy strengthening programs on civil-military relations, political parties, civic organizing and elections in more than 15 countries. In addition, Mr. Dippell serves as an advisor on candidate debate programs and is NDI's liaison for projects around the world with the Commission on Presidential Debates, the independent nonprofit organization that has sponsored and produced all U.S. general election presidential debates since 1987. Before joining NDI, Mr. Dippell served as director of research at the Shipbuilders' Council of America, a trade association. He also worked as legislative assistant for foreign affairs and health care for Rep. Sid Morrison in the U.S. House of Representatives. Mr. Dippell received a master's degree in international relations from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and his undergraduate degree from California State University, Long Beach. He also studied at the Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City, Mexico.

Selected speeches from Mr. Dippell:

Civic education strategies for political parties and civic groups, speech, April 12, 2004
Inter-American political parties forum: recommendations for follow-on activities, speech, March 22, 2002

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Candidate Debates Focus on Issues, Solutions in Peru

In Haiti, Presidential Debates Stay Focused on Issues

Debates Get Parties Focused on Issues Facing Bosnia

NDI Launches Pre-Election TV Debates in Bosnia and Herzegovina

National Democratic Institute (NDI) Launches Elections 2010 TV Debates and Forums Program

The Case for Debates: Civil Discourse in Less-Than-Civil Times

Promoting Peaceful and Issue-Oriented Elections Through Candidate Debates

U.S. Commission Aids Countries Seeking Debates of Their Own

Matt Dippell