NDI - Guinea

Declaration des Jeunes des Parties Politiques et de la Societe Civile de la Commune de Dixinn-Conakry

fgalleto — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 20:11:29 +0000

Published Date:

10/22/2011

Resource Type:

Declaration

Language:

French

Attachment	Size
Read the declaration (French)	2.29 MB

Young Guineans Promote Peaceful Elections

fgalleto — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 20:01:52 +0000

Young leaders from Guinean political parties and civil society have pledged to promote peaceful elections and encourage adherence to the country’s code of conduct for legislative elections scheduled for later this year. The public declaration grew out of an Oct. 22 meeting in the capital, Conakry, attended by young leaders representing 29 political parties and grassroots organizations.

A young leader signs the declaration in Conakry.

Engaging young people is particularly significant in Guinea, where research has shown that they are more likely than other segments of the population to violate the Guinean code of conduct and resort to violence when expressing political discontent.

After more than 50 years of authoritarian rule, Guinea held its first competitive presidential election last June. Because no candidate received a majority, a runoff was held between Alpha Condé and Cellou Dalein Diallo. At times, the campaign period became tense and episodes of election-related violence broke out. However, after Conde's victory at the polls, Diallo moved quickly to calm tensions by accepting the results and urging his supporters to do the same.

The threat of election-related violence persists. Parties will face off again in upcoming legislative elections, set for Dec. 29. In July, Condé survived an assassination attempt, followed by nationwide demonstrations by the opposition in September about the organization of legislative polls. Political tensions remain high. Raising awareness of the code of conduct -- which condemns violence and intimidation by party members -- among Guinean youth and publicizing pledges to adhere to it are expected to help curb violence during the current campaign period.

To help emphasize the provisions of the code, NDI is organizing a series of forums for youth leaders in all five communes of the capital and in each of the country’s seven regional capitals. The October meeting that produced the public declaration was one of these sessions.

“You, the youth, heirs of the Guinea of tomorrow, must mobilize and be invested in all phases of the electoral process as both voters and candidates,” said Anna Diallo, democracy and governance advisor in Guinea for the U.S. Agency for International Development, at the opening forum. She was joined by officials from the Ministry for Youth and Youth Employment, the Code of Conduct Monitoring Committee and the Council of Elders along with more than 60 youth leaders from 15 political parties and 14 civil society organizations.

At the meeting, participants stressed the importance of registering electoral complaints through legal means, such as formally registering complaints, rather than addressing them through violence. The Code of Conduct Monitoring Committee (CCMC) was created to hear complaints about parties’ actions during and after the campaign and to address them fairly. Attendees were encouraged to report code violations to the local- and national-level branches of the CCMC.They also discussed productive ways for young people to get involved in the electoral process, such as running for office or working with civil society organizations to educate voters and get out the vote.

Attendees decided to publish the declaration condemning violence as a way to share the results of the discussion with their peers who were unable to attend.

Despite their different political affiliations and backgrounds, everyone agreed that political parties’ frequent use of ethnic and regional appeals contributed to a pervasive mistrust among Guineans and was detrimental to the political process and the country. Attendees acknowledged their own responsibility to advocate for nonviolence in their organizations and communities. These commitments, along with those expected from the forums still to be conducted, will be collected and distributed through the media and civil society organizations before the December vote.

Related:

Published Nov. 16, 2011

Raphael Ouattara

vrao — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 14:42:22 +0000

Raphael Ouattara is NDI's resident senior program director in Mali and Guinea, where he manages Institute programs related to elections, legislative oversight, women's participation, political party strengthening, extractive industries transparency and citizen election observation. NDI also calls on Mr. Ouattara to lead or participate in assessment missions, such as in Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo and Mali, and to provide technical and strategic support to NDI offices in Burkina Faso, Democratic Republic of Congo, Guinea Bissau, Niger, Senegal and Togo.

Previously, Mr. Ouattara worked as a senior elections consultant for NDI in Haiti from August 1999 to February 2000. From 2000 to 2002, he served as the vice chairman of the first electoral commission in his native Côte d'Ivoire. From 1997 to 2002, Mr. Ouattara was the president of the Côte d'Ivoire branch of the International Association for Democracy in Africa, an NGO promoting democratic values, and is well-known for its conflict management and civic education work in Côte d’Ivoire. He is also one of the founders of the National Elections Observatory in Côte d’Ivoire.

Mr. Ouattara is a psychologist by training, having earned his doctorate from the University of Paris Sorbonne after which he taught methodology and statistical approaches in the social sciences at the University of Abidjan from 1984 to 2002. He also holds a degree in political science from the University of Paris I.

NDI Condemns Assassination Attempt on Guinean President

fgalleto — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 16:17:52 +0000

NDI has condemned the assassination attempt against President Alpha Condé of the Republic of Guinea at his residence in Conakry during the early hours of July 19.

"Violence and political assassinations have no place in democratic societies,” said Chris Fomunyoh, NDI senior associate and regional director for Central and West Africa. “As Guinea engages in democratization efforts, its nascent institutions need to be strengthened through continued dialogue among representatives of all sectors of society."

NDI has condemned the assassination attempt against President Alpha Condé of the Republic of Guinea at his residence in Conakry during the early hours of July 19.

He noted that close to 70 percent of Guineans participated in last November’s presidential election, a poll that was deemed transparent and fair by a majority of national and international observers, which was a first in the country’s history. The losing candidate in the presidential run-off, Cellou Dalein Diallo, accepted the result and congratulated President Condé on his victory.

Fomunyoh said that last year’s election was a powerful example of a desire for democratic change in a region that has suffered under authoritarian rule, stolen elections and election-related violence.

“This major achievement should be cherished and nurtured with the organization of legislative elections announced by the government to take place before the end of the year,” Fomunyoh said.

NDI is partnering with Guinean democrats from across the political spectrum to support preparations for those elections. The Institute is assisting political parties to improve their ability to compete in the election process and to review and revise the country’s political party code of conduct. NDI is also helping the Consortium for Domestic Election Observation in Guinea (Consortium pour l’Observation Domestique des Elections en Guinee – CODE) to prepare a nationwide observation of the upcoming polls. Finally, NDI continues to support efforts to increase opportunities for women in politics.

Related:

Published July 21, 2011

NDI Condemns Assassination Attempt on Guinean President

fgalleto — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 16:04:48 +0000

Author:

National Democratic Institute

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

07/21/2011

Resource Type:

Press Release

Language:

English, French

English

French

Attachment	Size
Read the release (English)	86.44 KB
Read the release (French)	86.11 KB

EN GUINÉE, LES PARTIS POLITIQUES S’EFFORCENT D’APPORTER DES AMÉLIORATIONS POUR LES PROCHAINES ÉLECTIONS

Wed, 11 May 2011 20:02:38 +0000

Tandis que la Guinée se prépare pour les élections législatives prévues pour la fin de l’année (ces élections multipartites ne sont que les secondes du genre dans l’histoire du pays), les partis politiques déploient beaucoup d’énergie pour inscrire un plus grand nombre d’électeurs sur les listes électorales, choisir plus démocratiquement leurs candidats et renforcer la sensibilisation des partis et des électeurs des zones rurales. Ces principes figurent parmi les recommandations formulées par plus d’une quarantaine de partis politiques à l’issue de consultations longues d’un mois sur l’expérience vécue l’année dernière lors de la première campagne.

Après plus de 50 ans de régime autoritaire, la Guinée a tenu ses premières élections dans la seconde moitié de l’année 2010. Celles-ci ont été marquées par le fait que pour la première fois, les partis politiques ont pu ouvertement faire campagne dans un climat de compétitivité, mais la campagne a été entachée de certaines violences. Pour ajouter encore aux tensions politiques, des problèmes administratifs ont retardé le deuxième tour des élections de quatre mois par rapport à la date prévue par le droit constitutionnel.

LES PARTIS S’ACCORDENT À ÉTENDRE LE CODE DE BONNE CONDUITE

Lors de la réunion du 31 mars, les partis se sont mis d’accord pour étendre leur code de bonne conduite et élargir le système qui leur permet de veiller à l’adhésion dudit code. En 2008, 41 partis politiques ont signé le premier code de bonne conduite des partis politiques, qui fixe les normes de comportement des partis politiques, comme par exemple le renoncement à la violence, l’emploi de mécanismes légaux de dépôt de plaintes et l’acception des résultats officiels des élections. Désormais, 83 des 143 partis politiques du pays ont adhéré à ce code.
Lors du cycle électoral de 2010, le NDI et ses partenaires ont mené des campagnes d’éducation civique pour promouvoir le code : ils ont envoyé des caravanes dans tout le pays pour diffuser le message et se sont associés à des organisations de jeunesse et des chefs de village pour renforcer ses normes. Pendant une séance d’analyse de bilan après la campagne, les partis étaient tous d’accord sur le fait que les campagnes d’éducation civique et le code avaient fortement contribué à réduire les tensions et à l’acceptation des résultats électoraux par les partis politiques dans un climat pacifique.

Une disposition du code porte création de la commission de surveillance du code de bonne conduite qui est en partie financée par les partis et veille à ce que les règles établies soient appliquées avec constance et équité. S’appuyant sur le feedback des partis, le NDI prévoit d’étendre au niveau local et sous-préfectoral la commission qui est actuellement présente dans 33 préfectures guinéennes, afin que les bureaux des antennes de partis puissent veiller à l’application du code dans les zones les plus susceptibles de tomber dans la violence, à temps pour la campagne législative devant démarrer à la fin de l’année.
Pour renforcer le code, les partis ont accepté d’appliquer des sanctions plus efficaces, allant d’un avis public de non-adhésion au lancement d’une action en justice, selon la nature particulière de l’infraction au code par le parti. Ils ont aussi accepté de faire mieux connaitre le code parmi les guinéens ordinaires grâce à des campagnes de plaidoyer et à la traduction des documents dans les langues locales.

Depuis la fin de la campagne et de concert avec les partis politiques, le NDI travaille sur la compilation des enseignements tirés de l’élection présidentielle de 2010. A Conakry (la capitale) et dans les 7 capitales administratives de la Guinée, l’Institut a discuté avec la direction des partis et les représentants régionaux pour savoir ce qu’ils espéraient faire différemment lors de la prochaine campagne, en s’efforçant de trouver des principes susceptibles d’être acceptés de tous les partis qui rendraient la gestion des élections plus efficace et créeraient un climat pacifique lors des futures élections législatives.
Par exemple, les partis ont indiqué que la communication entre la capitale et les provinces était difficile. La documentation de campagne, l’information se rapportant aux messages ou aux programmes des partis, ou encore les formateurs professionnels et les organisateurs, ne sont pas toujours parvenus jusqu’aux zones les plus rurales du pays. Souvent, l’information concernant la législation électorale, notamment les clauses constitutionnelles et les lois régissant le financement des campagnes, n’étaient pas suffisamment communiquées aux antennes des partis situées en dehors de la capitale.

La surveillance des élections par les partis a aussi souffert de ce manque de communication. Dans certains cas, les partis ont eu du mal à trouver des formateurs et des financements pour envoyer des scrutateurs électoraux dans les zones rurales. En conséquence, certains bureaux de vote n’étaient pas surveillés et certains partis n’étaient pas présents dans les bureaux de vote de certaines régions.

Le processus d’évaluation de la campagne dirigé par le NDI a culminé entre le 31 mars et le 2 avril, lorsqu’une quarantaine de partis se sont rencontrés pour discuter de leurs conclusions et de leurs recommandations. Pour ce qui est des élections législatives, les partis sont parvenus aux accords suivants:

Améliorer l’inscription des électeurs sur les listes électorales et démarrer les initiatives de mobilisation des électeurs pour aller voter.
Sélectionner les candidats de façon plus démocratique et respecter les quotas féminins sur les listes de candidats présentés par les partis. Bien que légalement les listes de candidats doivent comprendre 30% de femmes, cette pratique est rarement respectée et les partis ne sont aucunement pénalisés lorsqu’ils ne respectent pas la loi sur les quotas,
Améliorer la communication entre le siège du parti situé dans la capitale et leurs antennes dans le reste du pays, et
Mobiliser suffisamment de fonds pour veiller à ce que l’information soit disséminée et que les formations aient bien lieu dans les zones les plus rurales du pays.

Ces étapes visent à rendre les futures élections moins violentes, plus inclusives, plus efficaces et, en fin de compte, plus démocratiques.

Related:

Photo ci-dessus: Koleah Keita (l), chargé de l’enregistrement de l’atelier; Hady Leno, trésorier de la commission de surveillance du code de bonne conduite et Dr. Raphael Ouattara (r), directeur résident du NDI en Guinée présent à l’atelier de Conakry.

Publié le 26 avril 2011

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

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

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»

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

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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

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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»

Media Coverage of Guinea Political Party Meeting

fgalleto — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 22:45:47 +0000

Published Date:

03/31/2011

Resource Type:

Article

Language:

French

Attachment	Size
Un outil de preservation de la paix et de la qietude sociale	1.12 MB
Dialogue durable	1.4 MB

In Guinea, Political Parties Strive to Improve the Next Elections

fgalleto — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 21:39:31 +0000

As Guinea prepares for legislative elections at the end of this year — only the second competitive polls ever held in the country — political parties are working hard to expand voter registration, select candidates more democratically, and improve outreach to rural party members and constituents. These principles were among the recommendations put forward by more than 40 Guinean political parties following a month of consultations about their experiences from the country’s first campaign last year.

After more than 50 years of authoritarian rule, Guinea held its first elections in the second half of 2010. The polls marked the first time political parties had ever been able to campaign openly and in a competitive environment, but the campaigning period was marred by some violence. Further adding to the political tension, administrative issues caused runoff elections to be pushed back four months later than anticipated according to constitutional law.

Parties Agree to Expand Code of Conduct

Also at the March 31 meeting, parties agreed to expand their code of conduct and the system by which they monitor adherence to the code. In 2008, 41 political parties signed the country’s first political party code of conduct, establishing standards for political party behavior, such as renouncing violence, using legal means to address grievances, and accepting official election results. Now, 83 of the country’s 143 political parties have signed the code.

During the 2010 election cycle, NDI and its partners conducted civic awareness campaigns to promote the code, sending caravans across the country to broadcast the message, and partnering with youth organizations and village leadership to reinforce its standards. During a debriefing after the campaign, all parties agreed that the code and the civic awareness campaigns played an important role in easing tensions and helping political parties peacefully accept the results of the election.

One provision of the code establishes a code of conduct monitoring committee (CCMC), which is partly financed by the parties and ensures that the rules are consistently and fairly applied. Based on feedback from the parties, NDI plans to expand the CCMC from its current presence in Guinea’s 33 prefectures to the local, sub-prefectural level, so that party branch offices can monitor the code’s enforcement in areas most prone to violence in time for the legislative election campaign, which is slated to begin late this year.

To strengthen the code, parties agreed to apply more effective sanctions, ranging from public notice of non-adherence to the pursuit of legal action, depending on a party’s specific violation. They also agreed to increase awareness of the code among ordinary Guineans through advocacy campaigns and translating the document into local languages.

Since the end of that campaign, NDI has been working with political parties to compile their lessons learned throughout the historic presidential election process of 2010. In the capital of Conakry and across Guinea’s seven administrative capitals, the Institute discussed with party leadership and regional representatives what they hope to do differently in the upcoming campaign, searching for principles that all parties could agree to that would create more efficiently-run elections and more peaceful polls in Guinea’s upcoming legislative elections.

For example, parties reported that communication between the capital and the provinces was a challenge. Campaign materials, information about a party’s message or platform, or professional trainers and organizers didn’t always make it into more rural areas of the country. Often, information about the electoral legal framework, including constitutional provisions and campaign finance laws, was not sufficiently communicated to the party wings outside the capital.

Party pollwatching also suffered from this disconnect. In some instances, parties had a hard time finding trainers and funding to field poll watchers in rural areas, resulting in some polling stations not being monitored, and some parties not having a presence at polling sites in certain parts of the country.

The NDI-led campaign evaluation process culminated March 31- April 2, when 40 parties met to discuss their findings and recommendations. For the legislative elections, parties agreed to:

Develop better voter registration and get out the vote efforts;
Select candidates in a more democratic fashion and respect quotas for women on party candidate lists. Although legally women are supposed to make up 30 percent of a party’s candidate list, this rarely happens in practice and parties don’t suffer any repercussions for not following the quota law;
Improve communication between party headquarters in the capital and branches in the rest of the country; and
Raise enough money to ensure that information is disseminated and training occurs in the more rural areas of the country.

These steps are intended to make future elections less violent, more inclusive, more efficient and ultimately more democratic.

Read this article in French.

Related:

Pictured above: Koleah Keita (l), workshop recorder; Hady Leno, treasurer of the Code of Conduct Monitoring Committee; and Dr. Raphael Ouattara (r), NDI resident senior country director in Guinea; at the workshop in Conakry.

Published April 26, 2011

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 E-news: African Elections, Serbia, Cambodia | June 2010

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 21:11:19 +0000

June 2010

Delegations Praise, Suggest Improvements for African Elections

Keith Jennings, NDI's Southern and East Africa regional director, and Ambassador Nora Schimming-Chase of Namibia present the delegation's findings in Tanzania.

Elections do not begin and end on election day. Successful polls require months of pre-election preparations by candidates, civil society, election commissions and domestic and international observer groups. Successful elections also require transparent counting procedures, a timely and fair adjudication of electoral complaints and a peaceful transfer of power.

In the pre-election periods in Tanzania and Guinea, NDI fielded delegations that assessed conditions and made recommendations to improve transparency, participation and fairness in upcoming elections.

In Tanzania, elections slated for October 2010 will be a milestone in the country's democratic development. The NDI delegation released a statement praising Tanzania's electoral process for its innovation and reform, but pointing out several aspects of the process that need to be strengthened. The delegation focused especially on a July 31 referendum that could enable Zanzibar to form a government of national unity. It also focused on the Election Expenses Act, which could exacerbate the resource imbalance between the government and opposition parties, and the voter registration process, which it said still requires significant improvements. Read more»

In Guinea, where the military junta is preparing to hand over power to a civilian government after the country's June 27 presidential election, members of the NDI delegation were optimistic that the election would be conducted peacefully. Their optimism was merited when the voting proceeded in what was initially seen as a largely peaceful and fair election. In a communiqué released prior to the vote, the delegation said, "The electoral campaign is being held without clashes and major incidents." Areas cited as needing improvement were the election commission's communications with the public as well as Guinea's security forces' role in the electoral process. Read more»

These two elections, in addition to upcoming polls in Rwanda, Kenya and Niger, underscore the value of the guidelines, recommendations and a sample of best practices included in a new report from last year's Ghana colloquium on African elections. The gathering was attended by more than 100 participants from 25 African nations. The report is available in both English and French.

Citizen Hotline Launched Ahead of Ugandan Elections

In an effort to curb electoral irregularities in Uganda, DEMGroup and the Citizens Coalition for Electoral Democracy (CCEDU), both domestic election monitoring organizations, are using technology.

They have put in place a citizen hotline that Ugandans can use to call or text in concerns about the integrity of the electoral process. The comments are being collected, organized and checked out by DEMGroup and CCEDU monitors and digitally mapped on a public website to add transparency to the voting process.

The project is being conducted in partnership with NDI.

In Serbia, Five Pillars for Strengthening Parliament

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The findings of a project to identify and map PMOs around the world were presented at the conference, as was an introduction to the AGORA Portal for Parliamentary Development, an online resource for sharing parliamentary best practices.

Watch the Winning Videos!

You voted for your favorites, now see who won! The Democracy Video Challenge has announced its six winning filmmakers— from Ethiopia, Indonesia, Spain, Iran, Nepal and Colombia — who earned the most votes for their three-minute videos completing the phrase "democracy is..." The six will now visit New York, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles, where they will meet with representatives from government, democracy and other nongovernmental organizations, and the film and television industries.

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Congress Looks to Women as Agents of Change

Women's meaningful participation in politics affects both the range of policy issues considered and the types of solutions that are proposed. In places such as Timor-Leste, Croatia, and South Africa, an increase in the number of female lawmakers has resulted in more legislation related to domestic violence, inheritance and security.

NDI President Kenneth Wollack testified about these gains at a House Foreign Affairs subcommittee hearing on "Women as Agents of Change: Advancing the Role of Women in Politics and Civil Society."

Read Wollack's testimony»

Constituents, Representatives Mix in Expanded Program in Cambodia

In Cambodia, members of the National Assembly have few chances to interact with constituents, and citizens rarely have an opportunity to express their views to their elected representatives in Phnom Penh. To address these challenges, NDI is expanding its constituency dialogue program as part of a five-year USAID-funded effort called Accountability in Governance and Politics. The dialogues are attended by 400 to 600 citizens and are similar to town hall meetings. Citizens can speak to and ask questions of their elected representatives.

Analysis: Signs of Optimism in the Balkans

Efforts in the Balkans to turn the page on a troubled past and look to democratic rule as a foundation for political stability are having an effect, according to Robert Benjamin, NDI's regional director for Central and Eastern Europe. In a recent talk, he discussed the outlook in the Western Balkans — Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia — and concluded that despite challenges the region is making real progress toward peace, stability and democracy.

"My optimistic message is that the region is stabilizing in ways we've never seen before," he said.

Read Benjamin's full remarks»

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.

Mission of Solidarity and Sharing of Best Practices with Actors of the Transition Process in Guinea

fgalleto — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 21:51:38 +0000

Author:

National Democratic Institute

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

05/30/2010

Resource Type:

Statement

Language:

English, French

Media Type:

PDF

2010

English

French

Attachment	Size
Communiqué (ENG)	24.24 KB
Communiqué (FRE)	92.75 KB

In Guinea, Peaceful Transition to Civilian Rule Anticipated after Presidential Election

fgalleto — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 21:38:48 +0000

In the West African country of Guinea, the ruling military junta is preparing to hand over power to a civilian government after the country's June 27 presidential election. The poll would be the first open and competitive presidential election since independence in 1958, and all parties engaged in the country's transition process appear committed to peace and dialogue, according to a communiqué released on May 30 in Conakry, the capital.

The statement was issued by a delegation led by former president of Cape Verde Antonio Mascarenhas Monteiro. It assessed the pre-election environment based on meetings with Prime Minister Jean-Marie Doré, the National Transition Council, members of the electoral commission, candidates, representatives of the military; women leaders and civil society activists.

Members of the delegation were optimistic that the election will be conducted peacefully. "The electoral campaign is being held without clashes and major incidents," the communiqué said. "Leaders of political parties take seriously their high level of responsibility by making sure that their activities adhere to legal standards, mutual respect and applying the code of conduct they have signed."

But the delegation also identified several areas for improvement. It said the election commission has not communicated sufficiently with the public about the voting process, and it has not provided parties and candidates with full access to information regarding the legal framework for the electoral process. In addition, Guinea's security forces do not appear to understand fully their role in maintaining peace during the electoral period, and do not have the logistical support or equipment necessary to carry out their responsibilities.

The delegation stressed the importance of communication, dialogue and information sharing among those involved in the electoral process, including the interim government, the National Assembly, the election commission, local officials, security forces, political parties, candidates and voters. "The mission encourages the transitional authorities to continue to assure and maintain the neutrality of the defense and security forces and their commitment to adhere to their mission," the communiqué said.

NDI organized the mission to Guinea from May 26-30 to demonstrate support for the transition process, reinforce the importance of dialogue in democratization efforts and share best practices. Other members of the delegation included Amidou Diabaté, member of the National Assembly and former minister of justice of Mali; Marie-Madeleine Kalala, former minister of human rights of the Democratic Republic of Congo; General Fernand Amoussou, former chief of staff of the army of Benin; Christopher Fomunyoh, NDI senior associate for Africa; and Raphael Ouattara, NDI's resident representative in Guinea.

Following a series of repressive rulers and military coups that have failed to improve standards of living in one of Africa's poorest countries, Guineans are hopeful that credible elections will provide impetus for democratic development. Guinea's current leader, General Sékouba Konaté, came to power after an assassination attempt against junta leader Moussa Dadis Camara by his aide-de-camp in on Dec. 3. Konaté announced plans for a speedy transition process and pledged not to stand as a candidate. He also banned all members of the transition government from running for president.

The delegation said it hoped the upcoming elections will enable the people of Guinea to choose their leaders and signal the start of a new era in Guinean political development. "The mission expresses its wishes for a successful election and its solidarity with the generous and dignified people of Guinea and its leaders," the communiqué said.

Read the communiqué in English» | in French»

Related:

Pictured above: Antonio Mascarenhas Monteiro, former president of Cape Verde (left) and Christopher Fomunyoh, NDI senior associate for Africa (right).

Published on June 14, 2010

Women Candidates Prepare for Legislative Elections in Guinea

fgalleto — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 16:06:09 +0000

A poor and vulnerable segment of the population, women in Guinea who aspire to leadership roles face a steep climb. The literacy rate for women is only 18 percent, compared to 42 percent for men, and in the last civilian government, women occupied only 19 percent of the seats in the national assembly and 15 percent of positions at the ministerial level.

But with legislative elections scheduled for early next year, NDI is working to help a great number of these women overcome the odds to become elected leaders.

Following the death of Guinean President General Lansana Conté last December, a military junta took power in a coup d'état. Promising a return to civilian rule by 2010, presidential elections are expected to be held next January, followed by legislative elections in March.

In the lead up to those polls, NDI is working with women political and civic leaders to encourage their active participation in the transition and to prepare potential women candidates. NDI's partner, the National Guinean Coalition for the Rights and Citizenship of Women, has been at the forefront of those advocating for transparent elections and for the greater inclusion of women in transition decision-making bodies.

To support those efforts, NDI recently organized a politics retreat in early July in the capital city of Conakry that offered workshops for potential women candidates on message and platform development, campaign and get out the vote strategies, media and public speaking skills and fundraising. Youth and political party leaders also were invited to attend plenary sessions, where the theme of gender and politics was discussed within a setting that included both women and men.

"We wanted to create a political environment that empowered women political leaders while simultaneously sensitizing their male political colleagues on the importance and strategic advantage of increasing the role of women in the national political debate," said Raphael Ouattara, NDI's senior resident director in Guinea.

The Conakry event attracted over 250 participants and featured seven international experts from Canada, Mali, Niger, Republic of Congo and Senegal who led workshops and offered their comparative experience. Senior political leaders from Mali with direct experience in transitioning from military to civilian rule led a panel on coalition building and the roles of political parties in transition.

As participants expressed their appreciation for the event, the president of Guinea's National Electoral Commission declared, "The political retreat will have a decisive impact on the transition in Guinea."

Following the successful launch, Guinean trainers took the lead in replicating the workshops in the country's seven regional administrative capitals -- Kindia, Mamou, Faranah, Boké, and Nzérékoré -- where NDI conducted the training in French as well as regional languages. More than 400 women attended the workshops between July 13 and 17.

The NDI politics retreat attracted significant media coverage while also providing potential women candidates with the opportunity to be heard on the radio in audio town hall meetings. These included a spirited discussion on community radio in N'Zerekore, where the participants described the importance of the training.

"I learned during the retreat how, as women, to run my political career to attain my life goal, which is political power for the peaceful advancement of democracy," one participant said.

NDI's current programming in Guinea is funded by the United States Agency for International Development.

Pictured above: A participant in the Conakry retreat.

Published on September 17, 2009

Guinea: December 1998 Presidential Election Training Guide for Political Party Poll Monitors

ggreene — Wed, 06 May 2009 21:28:35 +0000

Author:

National Democratic Institute

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

12/01/1998

Resource Type:

Manual|Handbook

Language:

French

Media Type:

PDF

French

Attachment	Size
Read the manual (French)	364.42 KB

NDI - Guinea

Declaration des Jeunes des Parties Politiques et de la Societe Civile de la Commune de Dixinn-Conakry

Young Guineans Promote Peaceful Elections

A young leader signs the declaration in Conakry.

Raphael Ouattara

NDI Condemns Assassination Attempt on Guinean President

NDI Condemns Assassination Attempt on Guinean President

EN GUINÉE, LES PARTIS POLITIQUES S’EFFORCENT D’APPORTER DES AMÉLIORATIONS POUR LES PROCHAINES ÉLECTIONS

LES PARTIS S’ACCORDENT À ÉTENDRE LE CODE DE BONNE CONDUITE

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