NDI - Ghana

Domestic Election Observation in Ghana: The Story of CODEO | March 21, 2012

fgalleto — Tue, 01 May 2012 16:22:19 +0000

The Daily Guide Ghana | Link to story »

Ghana is touted as the beacon of democracy in a region plagued with political instability, conflict and divisions. But as the December 2012 elections approach, the question on the lips of many political watchers, and indeed many Ghanaians is whether Ghana will be sixth times lucky in avoiding the chaos that has come to characterize elections in Africa.

Will Ghana continue to be a shining example of fair, transparent and credible multi-party elections, and an oasis of peace in a troubled sub-region or slide into anarchy and political retrogression?

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

Global Domestic Election Monitoring Network Seeks to Share Experience

rrunyan — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 15:57:35 +0000

Millions of people around the world who have organized to monitor elections in their own countries often must brave difficult conditions and personal risk in a quest for responsive and transparent governance. While they share many goals and practices, they have not had a way, on their own, to connect with one another and benefit from the knowledge of their counterparts.

Enter the Global Network of Domestic Election Monitors, or GNDEM, born in 2009 and now connecting 140 member organizations from more than 60 countries. NDI spearheaded the effort to create GNDEM and currently manages the GNDEM.org website.

Sierra Leone domestic monitors watch vote count during 2007 elections.

Launched last summer, the site provides easy access to more than 1,000 documents grouped into 39 priority topics identified by members. The topics range from how to maintain credibility and impartiality during observations to media strategies and the nuts and bolts of how to monitor various processes before, during and after elections.

The site also includes the Declaration of Global Principles for Nonpartisan Election Observation and Monitoring by Citizen Organizations, which was written and agreed upon by GNDEM member organizations. The effort to create and maintain global standards for domestic monitoring is similar to standards developed for international election observation adopted in 2005 and endorsed by 36 nongovernmental and intergovernmental organizations.

“Citizen observation has become a movement. It’s not just a concept anymore.”

- Darko Aleksov, secretary general of the European Network of Election Monitoring Organizations

The Global Principles set standards for citizen observers. They are a tool for advocating for more rights for observers and for observers to be able to exercise those rights, said Darko Aleksov, secretary general of the European Network of Election Monitoring Organizations (ENEMO), which includes 22 monitoring groups from 16 countries in the former Soviet Union and Central and Eastern Europe.

“Citizen observation has become a movement. It’s not just a concept anymore,” Aleksov said. “Around eight million people in the world so far have been recruited, trained and deployed to be domestic observers on a voluntary basis. This [Global Principles] document is a product of what we have learned.”

Networks of monitoring groups from different regions in the world – including ENEMO, also a GNDEM member – have existed for some time to share experiences. But GNDEM is the first effort to bring these regional networks and individual groups together to share knowledge on a global scale.

“NDI has helped foster regional networks and connections among groups over its 25 years of assisting citizen election monitors in more than 75 countries,” said Pat Merloe, NDI’s director of electoral programs, and part of the idea behind GNDEM is to encourage greater direct peer-to-peer exchanges.

“Traditionally, NDI has been in the best position to share global developments in citizen election monitoring,” Merloe said. “For example, if monitoring election violence becomes important in a given country, we know that efforts in Sri Lanka, Guatemala and Zimbabwe provide useful models. We bring that knowledge to bear, often bringing activists together to share experiences or otherwise helping people make connections.”

Domestic monitors audit a voter list in Indonesia in 2008.

These types of linkages are now beginning to happen through GNDEM. The Election Monitoring and Democracy Studies Center in Azerbaijan and the Egyptian Association for the Support of Democracy, for example, have sought the network’s help in distributing reports and press releases, while a coalition of groups in Liberia has asked for feedback on its preparations for general elections next October. Organizations like the DEMGroup in Uganda and the Bahrainian Transparency Association have featured their online mapping tools with the GNDEM community, sharing how they have incorporated new technologies into their monitoring methodologies.

Regional networking is also enhanced through GNDEM. The Center for Democracy and Development (CDD) in Ghana, for example, which monitors issues from economic reform to conflict mitigation and plays a leading role in nonpartisan election monitoring, has worked with help from NDI over the last year to launch the West Africa Election Observation Network (WAEON), representing citizen election monitors from 11 countries. CDD-Ghana recently hosted a study mission from the Central African Republic’s coalition of election monitors, which was preparing to observe that country’s 2011 general elections.

Another GNDEM member, the Lebanese Association for Democratic Elections (LADE), aims to improve the Lebanese electoral system and reinforce democratic electoral practices. It is working with other organizations in the Middle East and North Africa to launch a citizen election monitoring network to enhance the impact of election integrity efforts in that region. Like CDD-Ghana, LADE participated in developing the Declaration of Global Principles.

“International observation has long been effective in bringing global attention to a particular election,” Merloe noted, “but it cannot provide the deeper political understanding that citizen monitors bring, nor can it leave the lasting, substantial impact that so many citizen groups have created. After all, elections are about citizens’ rights to participate in public affairs and to establish accountable, representative governance.”

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

NDI Partners with Commonwealth Parliamentary Association to Strengthen Parliaments

fgalleto — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 20:42:06 +0000

NDI and the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) have signed an agreement 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.

A memorandum of understanding was signed in Nairobi Sept. 8 by the secretary-general of the CPA, William F. Shija, and the president of NDI, Kenneth Wollack.

A memorandum of understanding was signed in Nairobi Sept. 8 by the secretary-general of the CPA, William F. Shija, and the president of NDI, Kenneth Wollack. Shija attended the signing ceremony in advance of the 56th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference hosted by the Kenyan Parliament. Wollack was in Nairobi attending NDI's first board meeting held outside the United States. NDI Board member Tom Daschle, former U.S. Senate majority leader, also participated in the ceremony.

NDI and CPA will continue to work together to develop and promote the use of the CPA's "Benchmarks for Democratic Legislatures," a guide to good parliamentary practice developed in 2006 by a CPA Study Group that drew on a number of technical inputs, including an NDI discussion document. The CPA benchmarks are being used around the world to help parliaments self-assess their procedures and processes to identify areas where democratic governance can be improved.

Wollack and Daschle noted NDI's past successful cooperation with the CPA and looked forward to additional partnership at the global level and in Commonwealth parliaments where NDI has a parliamentary strengthening program. For his part, Shija welcomed the formal partnership as a vehicle for the 175 national and subnational legislatures of the Commonwealth to work with NDI to strengthen developing parliaments.

NDI and the CPA also collaborate with other international organizations on parliamentary strengthening, including the United Nations Development Programme and the World Bank Institute.

Related:

Pictured above: Kenneth Wollack (left) and William F. Shija at the signing ceremony in Nairobi

Published September 21, 2010

NDI E-news: Colombia, Haiti, Ukraine, Bahrain | Feb. 2010

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 21:20:53 +0000

February 2010

Chocó Women Win 2009 Madeleine K. Albright Grant

The Departmental Network of Chocó Women of Colombia (Red Departmental de Mujeres Chocoanas) has been chosen by NDI to receive the 2009 Madeleine K. Albright Grant for its work to create greater roles for women in the region's civil and political life.

The network is an umbrella group of 52 civic organizations from 18 towns in the primarily Afro-Colombian department of Chocó in the western part of the country. It will receive $25,000 for a political training school and to create a network of women political leaders in Chocó. Both will further the organization’s mission: to help Chocoan women achieve greater equality between the sexes and encourage women’s political participation. Read more»

NDI established the Madeleine K. Albright Grant in 2005 to support organizations that create greater roles for women in political and civic life. Winners are selected from a competitive pool of applicants seeking to promote women's political participation. Past recipients include the Women’s League of Burma, the Indonesian Women’s Political Caucus (KPPI), the Mostar Women’s Citizen Initiative of Bosnia-Herzegovina and the 50/50 Group of Sierra Leone.

The Madeleine K. Albright Grant is made possible through the generosity of the Melvin and Bren Simon Foundation.

Initiative Committees Working to Distribute Aid and Information in Haiti

The 7.0 magnitude earthquake that struck Haiti on Jan. 12 brought suffering and destruction to a country that was already facing major development challenges. The situation on the ground changes daily as Haitian and international relief efforts try to help the millions of citizens who now lack food, water, medical care and shelter.

In response, members of a Haitian network of community organizing groups, or Initiative Committees (ICs), are mobilizing to support national and international relief efforts. Developed over more than a decade with NDI support, the ICs are present in 179 municipalities across the country and involve 35,000 Haitians and 3,500 civic organizations, including 400 women's groups.

African Experts Lay Out Recommendations for Credible Elections

Election experts and practitioners from 25 African nations meeting in Ghana last November called for the ratification of the African Union's charter on elections and enforcement of its standards to achieve more peaceful and credible elections on the continent.

The gathering, organized by NDI and nine other organizations, issued a communiqué with recommendations for standards that could mitigate conflict and improve election processes.

Ghana was chosen as the site for the colloquium because of its successful 2008 elections, which were considered credible, despite heated political tensions and a razor-thin margin between the presidential candidates.

NDI Launches Website That Adds Transparency to Afghanistan Election Data

NDI has launched an innovative online mapping tool for analyzing election data from Afghanistan's flawed Aug. 20 presidential and provincial council elections. Designed to make the data more accessible and transparent, the site uses demographic, ethnographic, topographic and security information. The tool also identifies areas that had significant electoral irregularities.

Using a data browser that provides tools to manage a series of maps, filters and overlays, the site provides numerous ways to segment and visualize raw vote count data. Visitors can run customized queries with the results displayed as lists, charts and maps. The website uses all open source software and makes the data easily available for download in CSV format.

NDI Partner Groups Commend Ukrainian Elections, Offer Recommendations for Sunday's Runoff

After the Jan. 17 Ukrainian presidential election, two NDI partner groups that had observed the election issued statements hailing the vote as an improvement over the 2004 presidential poll but also citing shortcomings that they said should be addressed before the runoff on Feb. 7.

Both Opora and ENEMO highlighted procedural and organizational problems with the vote, including updates made to the voter lists on election day and uneven enforcement of provisions regarding mobile voting (voting from home). Both groups directed their recommendations to the Central Election Commission, which has jurisdiction over the issues.

Youth Leaders Declaration from Belgrade Summit Seeks Regional Cooperation and Peace

With the goals of increasing communication and fostering a network of politically active youth across Europe, NDI co-sponsored a three-day summit in Belgrade that brought together young people from Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia to address issues of war crimes, rule of law, discrimination and xenophobia.

On the final day of the summit, the group released "The Belgrade Declaration," which pledged to strengthen their ties with their governments, promote new political values and use new technologies to improve communication and understanding.

Bahrain Women’s Union Calls for Action on Domestic Violence Law

The Bahrain Women's Union (BWU) launched an advocacy campaign last month calling for a law against domestic violence. The campaign kicked off with a march to demonstrate public support for addressing the issue, followed by a roundtable for MPs to discuss the cultural roots of domestic violence and ways to legislate against it. The Kingdom currently has no laws or government policies to address domestic violence, despite the fact that it has seen a sharp increase in domestic violence reports over the last four years.

Before the launch of the campaign, NDI worked with the activists to refine their advocacy plan and strategy for reaching key decision makers and allies.

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

Accra Communiqué of the Colloquium on African Elections

rrunyan — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 18:03:08 +0000

Author:

The Colloquium on African Elections

Publisher:

The Colloquium on African Elections

Published Date:

12/22/2009

Resource Type:

Press Release

Language:

English, French

English

French

Attachment	Size
Accra Communiqué of the Colloquium on African Elections-English	31.32 KB
Accra Communiqué of the Colloquium on African Elections-French	34.72 KB
Press Release on Accra Communiqué of the Colloquium on African Elections	20.56 KB

Experts Gather in Ghana to Develop Improved Standards for African Elections

fgalleto — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:38:47 +0000

Author:

National Democratic Institute

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

11/09/2009

Resource Type:

Press Release

Language:

English, French

Media Type:

PDF

2009

English

French

Attachment	Size
Read the release (English)	59.46 KB
Read the release (French)	59.14 KB

NDI E-news: Bangladesh, Ghana, iKnow Politics | Jan. 2009

fgalleto — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 16:11:19 +0000

January 2009

Elections in Bangladesh and Ghana Promote Stability and Democracy

Peaceful transitions of power marked parliamentary elections in Bangladesh and a presidential runoff in Ghana last month.

In Bangladesh, NDI fielded a 60-member international observer delegation for the Dec. 29 polls in which the victory of the Awami League brought two years of military-backed rule to a close. The delegation concluded that the vote was well-administered and conducted in an orderly fashion.

In Ghana – a pillar of African democracy – a highly competitive Dec. 7 presidential contest prompted a runoff on Dec. 28. Ghana’s Coalition of Domestic Election Observers (CODEO), an NDI partner organization, monitored both contests. Its independent vote tabulation, which confirmed the Electoral Commission’s announcement of a razor-thin victory for the opposition leader, built public confidence for the result.

Read more about the: Bangladesh elections »

| Ghana elections »

Women Find Strength, Information Through iKNOW Politics

Linking women across continents, languages and faiths is part of the success story of iKNOW Politics – an online portal through which women in politics network and share information, knowledge and expertise.

Approaching its second anniversary, the site has received over 31 million hits at a rate of nearly 138,000 per day, with membership topping 3,500. The site was launched by NDI in partnership with the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA), the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM).

Available in English, French and Spanish, with Arabic expected this summer, iKNOW’s online library has over 1,000 papers, case studies, training guides and other materials; access to 23 international news sources; a space for online dialogue; and more than 60 experts from 28 countries to answer questions.

NDI Co-Hosts Inauguration Day Luncheon for Diplomatic Corps at Blair House

To mark the inauguration of the 44th President of the United States, NDI and the Presidential Inaugural Committee hosted a luncheon Jan. 20 for more than 150 Washington-based ambassadors at Blair House, the guest quarters for visiting heads of state located across the street from the White House.

Political Empowerment Program Inspires Iraqi Women

The engagement of women in Iraq’s political process has been a major focus of NDI’s efforts since 2006. One of the Institute’s Iraq staff members, Ferdos Majeed, discusses a series of NDI training programs in Erbil that have encouraged women’s political participation.

Nigeria: Ghana to Lecture the Country on Credible Elections | September 28, 2009

fgalleto — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 20:18:11 +0000

allAfrica.com| Link to story »

Election officials from Ghana will head a one-day retreat in Kaduna for Nigerian legislators, as they review the 1999 Constitution and the Electoral Reform bill now before both chambers of the National Assembly.

NDI will offer technical assistance to the Senate during the retreat, with presentations by international experts as well as a variety of resource materials, including its recently published guide, "Promoting Legal Frameworks for Democratic Elections."

Link to story »

Obama to push Africa democracy on landmark visit | July 9, 2009

rrunyan — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 17:40:42 +0000

AFP | Link to story »

Posters of Barack Obama festooned the streets of the Ghana capital on Thursday ahead of the first visit to sub-Saharan Africa by the first black U.S. president. Obama will go from the Group of Eight summit in Italy on Friday to press his message that conflict-tainted Africa needs good governance and economic progress.

“Millions of Africans across the continent are waiting to hear from President Obama on his vision and priorities in terms of U.S. policy towards Africa,” said Christopher Fomunyoh of the Washington-based NDI.

Link to story »

NDI Partner Observes Presidential Runoff in Ghana

ggreene — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 21:02:06 +0000

Ghana’s Coalition of Domestic Election Observers (CODEO), an NDI partner that monitored the Dec. 28 presidential runoff election, declared the runoff ‘largely in accordance with the electoral laws’ based on data collected from 1,000 polling stations around the country. CODEO reported a number of “problems and lapses” with the balloting but said they did not fundamentally undermine the integrity of the process.

The presidential contest was highly competitive. The Dec. 28 poll was necessary because no candidate won a majority in balloting on Dec. 7. CODEO called on the two presidential candidates and their political parties to accept the results, and has asked for calm during the upcoming presidential transition.

Previous coverage:

“NDI Partner Confirms Presidential Runoff Is Required In Ghana”
Dec. 9, 2008 | Read article »

Pictured above: Voters cast their ballots in the Dec. 7 elections.

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Published on Dec. 29, 2008; Updated on Dec. 31, 2008

Ghana puts faith in humble text message | Dec. 8, 2008

National Democratic Institute — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 20:55:13 +0000

Financial Times | Link to article »

Adopting the soothing tones of an operator on an emergency hotline, Harriet Potakey, one of a score of controllers at Ghana’s election monitoring “command centre”, seeks to calm an excited caller.

Link to article »

Ghanaians vote for new president | Dec. 7, 2008

National Democratic Institute — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 20:36:22 +0000

AFP | Link to article »

Ghanaians went to the polls on Sunday to choose the man who will succeed President John Kufuor, in an election that observers hope will show a beacon of stability in an African continent rife with conflict.

Link to article »

NDI Partner Confirms Presidential Runoff Is Required In Ghana

ggreene — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 00:07:40 +0000

An independent parallel vote tabulation (PVT) conducted by the Coalition of Domestic Election Observers (CODEO), an NDI partner, has confirmed the determination by Ghana’s Election Commission that a presidential runoff election is required. CODEO fielded over 4,000 observers, including those who covered a random statistical sample of over 1,000 polling stations. That effort produced a reliable projection of voting results and reported that the voting and counting processes proceeded with few problems.

The Coalition of Domestic Election Observers (CODEO), an NDI partner, reported that its independent parallel vote tabulation (PVT) confirmed the Election Commission’s determination that a presidential runoff election is required in Ghana. The National Democratic Party (NPP) candidate received more than 49 percent of the vote but was shy of the majority required, while the National Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate received over 47 percent of the vote. The NDC is leading the NPP slightly in the parliamentary election results with a small number of seats going to others.

CODEO fielded over 4,000 observers, including those who covered a random statistical sample of over 1,000 polling stations, which produced a highly reliable projection of voting results and reported that the voting and counting processes proceeded with few problems. CODEO will continue its long-term election observation effort through the December 28 presidential runoff, including another PVT for the voting, counting and tabulation processes.

Read the statement | Visit the CODEO site »

Read news coverage:

“Ghana puts faith in humble text message”
Financial Times, Dec. 8, 2008 | Read article »
“Ghanians vote for new president”
Agence France-Presse, Dec. 7, 2008 | Read article »

Pictured above: CODEO workers monitor the results of the Dec. 7 elections.

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Published on Dec. 9, 2008

Ghana

jbowen — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 15:39:39 +0000

Ghana’s 1992 elections heralded the country’s return to multiparty democratic electoral politics after more than three decades of political instability, military interventions and authoritarian rule. Successive democratic elections in 1996, 2000, 2004 and 2008 have each been seen by domestic observers and the international community as successive improvements over the previous poll. Today, Ghana is widely viewed on the continent and beyond as a model of stability and democratic governance in Africa.

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Political Overview

The fiercely contested December 2008 presidential and parliamentary elections served as an important milestone for Ghana’s democratic process. For the second time since the return of multi-party democracy, the incumbent political party presidential candidate was narrowly defeated in a runoff election, held after none of the candidates obtained the “50 percent plus one” of the popular vote constitutionally required in order to claim a first-round victory. The party primaries and the subsequent election campaigning in the lead-up to the Dec. 7 first-round election, the Dec. 28 runoff and the Tain constituency re-vote on Jan. 2 were marked with often highly acrimonious rhetoric and some instances of politically motivated violence by activists from the two largest political parties, the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP).

The high stakes of the election – which were raised further by expectations of future petroleum revenues that would be managed by the next administration – led to a tense pre-election environment. Despite that, the elections were judged to be free and fair by domestic and international election observers. The neutrality of the security services, the largely responsible coverage of the election by the local media, the steadfastness of the highly respected electoral commission in the face of often unrelenting pressure from both parties, and the critical role played by domestic election observer groups in monitoring the conduct of the vote and verifying the reported official results all helped to ensure an orderly and fair process.

The final presidential election results showed NPP candidate Nana Akufo-Addo obtaining 49.77 percent of the total vote, and his main challenger, Prof. John Atta Mills of the NDC, finishing with 50.23 percent of the vote. The December elections also brought historic changes to the Ghanian parliament, where for the first time since 1992 none of the represented parties held a majority. According to the final results the NPP secured 107 seats in the 228-member parliament, while the NDC claimed 114 seats.

On Jan. 7, 2009, Prof. John Atta Mills – who unsuccessfully ran for president in 2000 and 2004 – was inaugurated as Ghana’s new head of state.

Past Programs

In light of the important historical nature of Ghana’s December 2008 elections, NDI provided technical and financial assistance to the Center for Democratic Development–Ghana (CDD-Ghana), one of Ghana’s most experienced and well-respected civic organizations, to conduct a PVT of the Dec. 7 first round and Dec. 28 run-off presidential elections. NDI also provided additional technical assistance for the Jan. 2 re-vote in the Tain constituency. CDD-Ghana was the founding member of the Coalition of Domestic Election Observers (CODEO), and its office serves as the secretariat of the CODEO organization.

Additional support to CDD-Ghana/CODEO included technical support for the use of text messaging (SMS) to communicate and rapidly transmit PVT and other election-related data via cell phones.

NDI has worked to strengthen the democratic process in Ghana since the 1992 election, when the Institute partnered with the Carter Center to develop a plan for the potential future conduct of parallel vote tabulation (PVT), an advanced election monitoring technique used to enhance the credibility and transparency of elections by verifying the accuracy of the tabulation process. In 1996, NDI sent an international observer delegation and assisted local civic groups monitoring that year's presidential election.

From December 1997 to October 2000, NDI implemented a three-year program to strengthen the ability of Ghana’s parliament to play an effective role in the governance process and conduct constituent outreach activities. Workshops conducted for civic groups increased their understanding of the policy making process, as well as their advocacy and lobbying skills.

Funding

NDI’s program is funded by the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), the United States Agency for International Development, and a grant from the Annenberg Foundation.

Contact Information

For more information about these programs, use our contact form or contact:

Washington, D.C.
Gemima Neves, Senior Program Manager
(202) 728-6343

Subscribe to updates about Ghana

NDI - Ghana

Domestic Election Observation in Ghana: The Story of CODEO | March 21, 2012

West Africa Election Observers Join Together to Promote Credible Elections

Global Domestic Election Monitoring Network Seeks to Share Experience

NDI Partners with Commonwealth Parliamentary Association to Strengthen Parliaments

NDI E-news: Colombia, Haiti, Ukraine, Bahrain | Feb. 2010

February 2010

Accra Communiqué of the Colloquium on African Elections

Experts Gather in Ghana to Develop Improved Standards for African Elections

NDI E-news: Bangladesh, Ghana, iKnow Politics | Jan. 2009

January 2009

Elections in Bangladesh and Ghana Promote Stability and Democracy

Nigeria: Ghana to Lecture the Country on Credible Elections | September 28, 2009

Obama to push Africa democracy on landmark visit | July 9, 2009

NDI Partner Observes Presidential Runoff in Ghana

Ghana puts faith in humble text message | Dec. 8, 2008

Ghanaians vote for new president | Dec. 7, 2008

NDI Partner Confirms Presidential Runoff Is Required In Ghana

Ghana

Read More

Political Overview

Past Programs

Funding

Contact Information