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NDI E-news: Democracies in Transition, African Elections | March 2011

fgalleto — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 22:25:16 +0000

March 2011

Emerging Democracies Learn from Transition Experiences of Other Countries

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Sergio Bitar, who helped found the Party for Democracy during Chile's democratic transition, recently returned from Cairo.

Democratic transitions take time and patience. Each country is different, seeking to adapt the principles common to all democracies to its unique character and circumstances.

But there are also lessons to be learned from the experiences of other nations that have made the shift from autocracy to democracy — a process that has just begun in Tunisia and Egypt, where citizens are deciding on new constitutions, leaders, political parties and other elements of their new societies.

In Tunisia, NDI recently brought experts from Bulgaria, Hungary and Portugal to meet with Tunisian political party leaders to share experiences from their countries' democratic transitions. Similarly, in Egypt, transition leaders and experts from Chile, Indonesia, Poland, Romania and Serbia are meeting with civil society and party leaders. They were able to discuss a range of issues including relations with the military, reconciliation processes, coalition building, and electoral and constitutional reform.

Krastyo Petkov, involved in the democratic transition in Bulgaria, with NDI Senior Program Officer Gabriella Borovsky in Tunis.

Against this backdrop, 50 experts from Europe and North America met in Brussels this month as part of an ongoing transatlantic dialogue on democracy support, co-chaired by by Jerzy Buzek, president of the European Parliament; Madeleine K. Albright, former U.S. secretary of state and chairman of NDI; Javier Solana, former EU high representative for the common foreign and security policy; and Vin Weber, former U.S. representative and board member of the National Endowment for Democracy. In a statement, the participants expressed their support for democratic reform movements and called on the transatlantic community to emphasize democracy assistance within the transatlantic relationship.

NDI also hosted a roundtable for rising democratic powers, including representatives from Brazil, India, Indonesia, Mexico and South Africa, on democracy support. These countries have valuable experience in democratic and economic development, but they are often not present in discussions on democracy support because they tend to be neither major donors nor recipients of development assistance.

As part of the two-day roundtable, Indonesia's ambassador to the U.S., Dino Patti Djalal, spoke about his country's transition to democracy and compared it to events unfolding in the Middle East and North Africa. "My advice to many of the countries undergoing democratic transitions is, don't let fear drive you," he said in a talk at NDI.

Youth Academy Empowers Tomorrow's Political Leaders in Rwanda

People under the age of 25 comprise two-thirds of Rwanda's population, but they are largely excluded from political life. NDI's recently expanded Youth Political Leadership Academy helps young leaders acquire practical political skills needed to have a say in their country's future. Read more»

Film Urges Nigerians to "Activate the Power of their Thumb"

As Nigeria prepares for presidential, legislative and gubernatorial elections, a new short film, "My Vote Fit Change Naija," urges Nigerians to vote as a peaceful means to achieve change in their country. Produced by Youngstar Foundation and NDI, the film links voting to potential improvements in jobs, roads, electricity and health care, and stars a number of famous actors from the Nigerian film industry. Read more»

Election Monitors Note Minor Problems as Niger Peacefully Elects New President

Peaceful elections in Niger this month received praise from nonpartisan citizen election observers, despite a number of administrative problems surrounding the voting. NDI's partner, the Nigerien Association for the Defense of Human Rights, trained 2,025 observers who were stationed in all of Niger's eight regions on election day. Read more»

West African Election Observers Promote Credible Elections

In West Africa, some elections have led to successful transfers of power, while others have been marked by 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 improve the credibility of elections in the region. Read more»

NDI Reports: Spring 2011

The new issue of NDI's newsletter, NDI Reports, explores how the mapping of election data can identify trends or anomalies in election results, examines recent advances and setbacks in women's political participation, and reports on a new global network for citizen election monitors.

Read the newsletter or browse the archives»

First Parhamovich Fellow Bringing More Young Women into Politics

Two years after her visit to the U.S., Ferdos Majeed, the Institute's first Parhamovich fellow, helped to launch the Young Women's Leadership School in Iraq. Read more»

Tijuana Civic Groups Use Opinion Research to Strengthen Police Reform Proposal

A recent study conducted by NDI's partner, the Citizen Coalition for Public Security, shows that while residents of Tijuana believe security improvements have been made, the perception of municipal police is still largely negative. The coalition is using the data to work with local elected officials on making improvements in public security. Read more»

Policymakers Share Strategies to Help Roma Minorities

A summit meeting held recently in Romania brought together officials from eight countries in Central and Eastern Europe who are responsible for policies to assist Roma minorities. Though there are an estimated 10 million Roma in Europe, they remain largely excluded from the political system due to discrimination, segregation and poverty. Read more»

NDI Celebrates 100th Annual International Women's Day

Hon. Nora Shimming-Chase (right) speaks with a participant at NDI's International Women's Day event in South Africa.

The 100th anniversary of International Women's Day, an annual observance of the achievements of women around the world, was celebrated this year with a recognition of past triumphs and calls to action for promoting women's equality. NDI marked the occasion with events in Colombia, Kosovo, South Africa and Washington, D.C.

At any given time, nearly 75 percent of NDI country programs have a dedicated component addressing women's political participation, a recognition of the words of NDI Chairman Madeleine K. Albright that "the political participation of women results in tangible gains for democracy, including greater responsiveness to citizen needs, increased cooperation across party and ethnic lines, and more sustainable peace."

Tunisian Political Parties Learn from Transition Experiences of other Democracies

fgalleto — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 20:50:53 +0000

As Tunisia emerges from decades of autocratic rule, long restricted political parties are grappling with a sudden freedom to organize. Under President Zine El-Abadine Ben Ali, who Tunisians toppled in January, many opposition parties were outlawed and political debate was severely constrained. Since his departure, more than 40 new parties have been authorized by the transitional government, with about 20 more awaiting registration.

As Tunisia emerges from decades of autocratic rule, long restricted political parties are grappling with a sudden freedom to organize.

Under President Zine El-Abadine Ben Ali, who Tunisians toppled in January, many opposition parties were outlawed and political debate was severely constrained. Since his departure, more than 40 new parties have been authorized by the transitional government, with about 20 more awaiting registration.

These new parties are struggling with an influx of members and their newfound ability to work openly for the first time. Eager, like all Tunisians, to take part in their new democracy, the parties are seeking practical advice on how to recruit and accommodate members, create a platform, engage in productive debate and move their country toward a more stable democracy.

While Tunisia’s circumstances are unique, lessons and models from other countries that have made the transition from authoritarianism to democracy offer some useful insights. Matyas Eorsi, Alberto Costa and Krastyo Petkov — experts from Hungary, Portugal and Bulgaria, respectively — journeyed to Tunisia recently to meet with leaders and members of emerging, established and formerly exiled Tunisian political parties. All three were involved in their countries’ transition experiences and in determining critical elements of the democratic political systems they developed. NDI organized the experts’ visits.

Eorsi, who visited Tunisia last month, has been active in politics for the last 20 years. He was a founder of Hungary’s opposition Alliance of Free Democrats, in the 1980s and played a key role in organizing Hungary’s transitional referendum on key constitutional questions.

"In a democracy, everyone is debating, no one agrees and it’s messy," he said during a meeting with Tunisian party leaders. "But at least it provides feedback and options, and you have the chance to correct bad decisions to better ones."

Petkov and Costa visited Tunisia in March. Costa, a student movement leader in the revolution that toppled Portugal’s Antonio de Oliveira Salazar in 1968, said, "the moment of the revolution is exciting, but it is what comes after that is the most important."

“The moment of the revolution is exciting, but it is what comes after that is the most important.”

- Alberto Costa

A former six-term member of parliament from the Portuguese Socialist Party and former Minister of Justice and Interior, he noted, "there will, of course, be problems in a new democracy, but they can only be solved by publicity and compromise among all relevant actors."

Stories by Petkov about the Bulgarian case resonated with the Tunisians when he visited in March. They face a daunting task trying to unite new opposition parties to support a new constitution and an orderly transition. In Bulgaria, the opposition parties staged a series of dialogues around the country that ultimately led to the creation of guiding principles for a new constitution and a negotiated new party law. Tunisian party leaders wanted to learn about mistakes made during the Bulgarian transition, such as rushing into an election without giving opposition parties enough time to organize, thereby contributing to the victory of the former ruling party.

"Political and economic change needs to be started in parallel," warned Petkov, who was a president of Bulgaria’s Confederation of Independent Trade Unions and a former member of parliament. "In Bulgaria, too much attention was placed on the new constitution — which took more than two years to construct — and political leaders underestimated the immediate need to address social and economic legislation."

The experiences in Bulgaria, Hungary and Portugal also provoked discussion among the party leaders on the transition role of the military, criteria for political parties to participate in elections, which parties survived past the early days of the political transition and why, and the role of trade unions in political affairs.

In the coming month, NDI will organize dialogues and exchanges with experts from Slovenia, Spain, Romania and other countries with comparative experiences. For the last 10 years, NDI, working outside Tunisia, has maintained close working relations with Tunisian partners. Since the fall of Ben Ali, as it works to support the country’s transition, the Institute has maintained a consistent presence in Tunisia, where it has been meeting with political leaders from across the ideological spectrum, members of key commissions overseeing the political transition, activists in civil society and academia, and representatives of the international community.

Related:

Pictured above: Krastyo Petkov with NDI Senior Program Officer Gabriella Borovsky in Tunis

Published on March 29, 2011

The Hungarian Minority Self-Government System as a Means of Increasing Romani Political Participation

vrao — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 04:00:00 +0000

Author:

National Democratic Institute Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europ

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

10/01/2006

Resource Type:

Report

Language:

English

Attachment	Size
Read the report	165.41 KB

NDI Reports: A Review of the Activities of the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs

vrao — Mon, 21 Jul 2003 04:00:00 +0000

Author:

National Democratic Institute

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

12/01/2008

Resource Type:

Newsletter

Language:

English

Attachment	Size
Spring 2011: Digital Mapping, Women's Participation, Domestic Monitoring	1.2 MB
December 2008: Making Democracy Deliver	2.37 MB
Summer 2008: Kosovo, Pakistan, Sudan	571.9 KB
Summer 2007: Youth, Women, Technology	801.33 KB
Summer 2006: Bosnia, Liberia, West Bank and Gaza	462.92 KB
Fall 2005: Kosovo, Iraq, Kuwait	865.42 KB
Spring 2005: Ukraine, Iraq, Afghanistan	813.77 KB
Spring 2004: Win With Women, Elections in Eurasia	615.17 KB
Fall 2003: Celebrating 20 Years	808.11 KB
Spring 2003: Women's Leadership in Yemen, Nepal, Senegal	468.06 KB
Fall 2002: Democracy in the Middle East, Cuba	547.6 KB
Spring 2002: Asian Political Parties, Afghanistan	528.32 KB
Winter 2001: Sept. 11, Nicaragua, Belarus	507.47 KB
Summer 2001: Election Monitors in Central & Eastern Europe	683 KB
Spring 2001: Mexico, Peru, Serbia	732.14 KB
Winter 2000: Zimbabwe, Croatia, Thailand	2.52 MB
Winter 1999: Indonesia, Nigeria, Azerbaijan	3.23 MB
Fall 1999: Nigeria, Indonesia, Morocco	1.29 MB
Winter 1998: Kenya, Poland, Northern Ireland	2.26 MB
Summer 1998: Hong Kong, Ukraine, Ghana	2.01 MB
Winter 1997: Nicaragua, South Africa, Ghana	2.93 MB
Summer 1996: Russia, International Leaders Forum	2.98 MB
Spring 1996: West Bank Gaza, Bosnia, Burundi	2.4 MB
Winter 1995: West Bank Gaza, Ukraine, Malawi	3.28 MB
Fall 1995: South Africa, Russia, Yemen	2.22 MB
Summer 1995: Haiti, Peru, Malawi	2.68 MB
Spring 1994: South Africa, Mexico, Ethiopia	3.43 MB
Summer 1993: Russia, Namibia, Nicaragua	3.52 MB
Spring 1993: Cambodia, South Africa, Yemen	3.71 MB
Spring 1992: Romania, South Africa, Bolivia	1.99 MB
Winter 1991: Zambia, Poland, the Baltics	2.05 MB
Summer 1991: Zambia, Mexico, Bangladesh	1.26 MB
Spring 1991: Namibia, Russia, Senegal	1.36 MB
Winter 1990: Poland, Namibia, Bangladesh	1.33 MB
Fall 1990: Former Soviet Republics, Haiti, Bulgaria	2.07 MB
Summer 1990: Eastern Europe, Dominican Republic, Haiti	2.7 MB
Spring 1990: Hungary, Nicaragua, Panama	1.3 MB
Winter 1989: Pakistan, Argentina, Chile	1.59 MB
Fall 1988: Chile, Pakistan, Nicaragua	1.26 MB
Summer 1988: Costa Rica, Panama, Chile	1.61 MB
Spring 1988: Tunisia, Chile, Paraguay	1.28 MB
Winter 1987: Haiti, Chile, Nicaragua	1.84 MB
Fall 1987: Haiti, Uruguay, Nicaragua	1.43 MB
Spring 1987: Argentina, Philippines, Haiti	1.22 MB
Spring 1986: Philippines, Brazil, Northern Ireland	2.26 MB
Summer 1986: Chile, South Korea, Northern Ireland	2.92 MB
Winter 1986: Mondale Assumes Chairmanship, Argentina, Haiti	3.96 MB
Summer 1985: Senegal, Northern Ireland, South America	1.15 MB

Hungary: Final Statement, International Delegation to the 1990 Election

vrao — Tue, 15 Oct 2002 04:00:00 +0000

Author:

National Democratic Institute

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

03/26/1990

Resource Type:

Statement

Language:

English

Attachment	Size
Read the statement	199.73 KB

Report on Study Missions to the Hungarian and Georgian Parliaments, Organized for Members of the Palestinian Legislative Council

vrao — Fri, 09 Feb 2001 05:00:00 +0000

Author:

National Democratic Institute

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

11/30/1997

Resource Type:

Report

Language:

English, Arabic

Arabic

Attachment	Size
Read the report (English)	4.46 MB
Read the report (Arabic)	1.06 MB

Eastern & Central Europe: NDI Program Summary, 1993

vrao — Wed, 20 Dec 2000 05:00:00 +0000

Author:

National Democratic Institute

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

12/30/1993

Resource Type:

NDI Program Update

Language:

English

Attachment	Size
Read the update	1001.63 KB

The New Democratic Frontier: A Country by Country Report on Elections in Central and Eastern Europe

vrao — Wed, 20 Dec 2000 05:00:00 +0000

Author:

Larry Garber

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

12/30/1992

Resource Type:

Report

Language:

English

Attachment	Size
Read the article	758.14 KB

NDI Sponsors Observer Mission to Hungary Elections

Wed, 14 Mar 1990 05:00:00 +0000

Author:

National Democratic Institute

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

03/14/1990

Resource Type:

Press Release

Language:

English

Attachment	Size
Read the press release	47.26 KB

NDI - Hungary

NDI E-news: Democracies in Transition, African Elections | March 2011

STAY CONNECTED

CONTRIBUTE

READ MORE

Tunisian Political Parties Learn from Transition Experiences of other Democracies

The Hungarian Minority Self-Government System as a Means of Increasing Romani Political Participation

NDI Reports: A Review of the Activities of the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs

Hungary: Final Statement, International Delegation to the 1990 Election

Report on Study Missions to the Hungarian and Georgian Parliaments, Organized for Members of the Palestinian Legislative Council

Eastern & Central Europe: NDI Program Summary, 1993

The New Democratic Frontier: A Country by Country Report on Elections in Central and Eastern Europe

NDI Sponsors Observer Mission to Hungary Elections