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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."

Indonesia’s Transition Provides Key Lessons for Democracy Supporters

rrunyan — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 21:15:42 +0000

Against a backdrop of unfolding events in Egypt, Indonesia’s ambassador to the U.S., Dino Patti Djalal, recalled his country’s transition to democracy and the skepticism it engendered along the way. Djalal, who has worked in the Indonesian government for more than 20 years, remembered those who doubted whether his country had a democratic future as it began the transition in 2001. People would say, “It’s never going to work. Democracy is not right for Indonesia,” he told an audience at NDI. “When you hear that enough, you tend to be affected by it,” he said. “You fear the uncertainty.”

In just over a decade, Indonesia has emerged from its authoritarian legacy, witnessed the withdrawal of the military from politics, demonstrated its resilience in the face of natural disasters, developed a vibrant multiparty democracy with peaceful alternation in power, and addressed separatist conflicts, all the while prospering economically. Today, the world’s largest Muslim majority country is also the world’s third largest democracy.

“My advice to many of the countries undergoing democratic transitions is, don’t let the fear drive you,” Djalal said. “Don’t let people scare you into holding onto the past and from moving onto a different political future.”

The event at NDI coincided with a two-day roundtable hosted by the Institute that brought U.S. and transatlantic democracy experts together with counterparts from emerging powers that are democracies, including Indonesia, Argentina, Brazil, India, Mexico and South Africa.

“Don’t let people scare you into holding onto the past and from moving onto a different political future.”

- Dino Patti Djalal

Indonesia has assumed an active role in supporting democratic dialogue in Asia. As part of this effort, the government launched the Bali Democracy Forum in 2008 to promote regional cooperation and strengthen democratic institutions. The Indonesian Foreign Ministry recently created the Institute for Peace and Democracy, an independent, nonprofit organization based at Udayana University in Bali, to execute ideas, initiatives and programs that are proposed by the annual Bali Democracy Forum. Ketut Putra Erawan, executive director of the Institute for Peace and Democracy, joined Djalal in delivering remarks at the event.

Indonesia still faces a number of challenges, Djalal said, including the increasing role of money in politics that has produced growing cynicism and elitism. Still, “I strongly believe that democracy in Indonesia is irreversible,” he said.

Pictured Above: Indonesia’s ambassador to the U.S., Dino Patti Djalal, speaks at an event at NDI while Paul Rowland, NDI’s senior resident director in Indonesia, moderates.

Watch Ambassador Djalal’s remarks at NDI (Part 1 / Part 2)

Published February 28, 2011

NDI Hosts Democracy Support Roundtable with Emerging Powers

rrunyan — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 21:09:33 +0000

A group of politicians, civil society leaders and academics from the transatlantic community and emerging powers – including Argentina, Brazil, India, Indonesia, Mexico and South Africa – convened recently in Washington to discuss the potential for greater cooperation on democracy support.

The Washington roundtable gave participants the opportunity to share perspectives and experiences on how emerging powers support democratic development beyond their borders. It also explored the challenges to greater engagement by emerging powers in democracy support and ways that the traditional donor community could better support these efforts.

The number of people living collectively in the democracies of Brazil, India and Indonesia is double the number living in the United States and European Union combined. However, even though many emerging powers have the most relevant democratic and economic development models, they are often not present in policy discussions on democracy support because they tend to be neither major donors nor recipients of development assistance. The roundtable was intended to examine opportunities for deepening partnerships between the transatlantic community and emerging democratic powers on democracy support.

Indonesia’s Transition Provides Key Lessons for Democracy Supporters

People would say, “It’s never going to work. Democracy is not right for Indonesia,” he told an audience at NDI. “When you hear that enough, you tend to be affected by it,” he said. “You fear the uncertainty.”

The Washington roundtable, hosted by NDI, gave participants the opportunity to share perspectives and experiences on how emerging powers support democratic development beyond their borders. It also explored the challenges to greater engagement by emerging powers in democracy support and ways that the traditional donor community could better support these efforts. The discussion also explored mechanisms, including multilateral and nongovernmental channels, for deepening cooperation between the transatlantic community and emerging democratic powers on democracy support.

The roundtable, held Feb. 6 to 8, was made possible through the generous support of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, with additional support from the Mexican and Indonesian embassies. The discussions will inform a working paper that will provide recommendations to a transatlantic dialogue on democracy support. The two-year dialogue first met in Washington last June. The second conference will be held at the European Parliament in Brussels, March 13-15.

The dialogue is co-chaired by Madeleine K. Albright, former U.S. secretary of state; Jerzy Buzek, president of the European Parliament; Javier Solana, former EU high representative for the common foreign security policy; and former U.S. Representative Vin Weber. NDI is hosting the dialogue with support from the European Commission, the National Endowment for Democracy, the German Marshall Fund, the European Partnership for Democracy and the Office for the Promotion of Parliamentary Democracy of the European Parliament.

Pictured Above: NDI Chairman Madeleine K. Albright speaks at the opening of the roundtable.

Published February 28, 2011

NDI E-news: Sudan, Nepal, Liberia | April 2010

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 21:17:18 +0000

April 2010

Citizens Become Involved in Sudan Political Process

Members of SuGDE prepare to submit

accreditation forms for 2,500
election day observers.

Large numbers of Sudanese citizens took part in generally peaceful but deeply flawed elections this month, the nation's first polls in 24 years.

NDI supported the work of two civic networks, the Sudanese Group for Democracy and Elections (SuGDE) and the Sudanese Network for Democratic Elections (SuNDE), that joined forces to create the only coordinated Sudan-wide domestic nonpartisan election monitoring effort. With SuGDE covering the north and SuNDE the south, they received more than 13,500 reports from over 4,300 trained and accredited election observers who were deployed to over 2,000 polling stations across all of Sudan’s 25 states. Read more»

The observers found many failings in the election process and the five days of voting. "...the elections did not fulfill the Interim Constitution’s and Comprehensive Peace Agreement's aspirations for democratic transition and did not adequately meet the requirements of the National Elections Commission rules and regulations," the groups said in a joint statement. Particular problems included poor election administration, incidents of violence, harassment and intimidation, and lack of understanding of their roles by some parties, candidates and supporters.

The elections were an important milestone for Sudan and were required by the country's Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), signed in 2005, that ended the country's civil war. NDI has worked extensively in Sudan since 2002 with the goal of helping Sudanese citizens develop the tools needed to build a more democratic society.

In the runup to the election, the Institute worked closely with SuGDE, a coalition of eight nonpartisan civil society groups, and SuNDE, a coalition of over 75 community groups. Both networks were created for election observation and SuNDE was also engaged in voter education. Read more about the two groups' preparations for the elections»

SuNDE conducted a two-week voter education campaign in October, holding 375 events in 37 counties in all 10 states of southern Sudan. Events ranged from election briefings for key community leaders to presentations at town markets and community events. Topics included the importance of participating in the elections, what offices were up for election and voter registration procedures. Read more»

A major part of NDI's work in Sudan has been focus group research on problems Sudanese people face in their communities, their understanding of the political process and their vision of the future. Imagining the Election explores what citizens in southern Sudan and the Three Areas knew of and expected from the 2010 elections. Losing Hope looks at citizen perceptions about progress toward peace since the signing of the CPA. Read more»

NDI also produces and broadcasts an ongoing radio program, Let's Talk, an engaging radio drama that explores issues of good governance, civic participation and women's political participation.
Sudanese listen to the broadcasts on 265,000 wind-up, solar-powered radios distributed by the Institute, and take part in listening groups throughout Southern Sudan that bring people together to talk about the lessons in the programs. NDI collaborated with Betsy Levy Paluck, a Princeton University researcher, to conduct a field experiment that demonstrated that the Sudan program’s
design could increase listeners’ interest in politics and improve their civic participation. Learn about the results»

Get Your Tickets!

It's not too late to get your tickets for NDI's 25th anniversary dinner celebration on May 10. NDI will honor Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai of Zimbabwe, above, with the W. Averell Harriman Democracy Award. The Network of Chocó Women of Colombia will receive the Madeleine K. Albright Grant.

Purchase a table or tickets»

Young Women Leaders Collaborate at North African Regional Conference

With women becoming increasingly prominent in North African politics, NDI brought together women leaders from across the region to discuss the importance of strengthening the role of women in political life. The group met in Casablanca, Morocco, to collaborate on strategies for shaping and strengthening women's political and civic engagement.

Liberian Legislature Building Budget Analysis Capability

The Liberian legislature, seeking to strengthen its oversight of the executive branch, is working to improve its budget analysis skills. The country’s democratic transition — following nearly two decades of conflict and civil war — is dependent on good governance, and a strong legislature is one key component. NDI is working with legislators to help them improve policymaking in a number of areas, including the national budget, anti-corruption efforts and human rights.

"Truth-O-Meter" Encourages Accountability in Serbia

Since the ouster of the Milosevic regime nearly 10 years ago, Serbians are standing up for the notion that government is there for the public good, not private gain. But until recently, there was still no public way to hold government officials and public servants accountable. Recently, a Serbian NGO, LiNet, launched the Truth-O-Meter, a website that analyzes politicians' statements based on truthfulness, consistency and whether they fulfill campaign promises or policy pledges. The effort was spearheaded by Vuka Crnjanski, who has worked with NDI as a political party and civil society trainer.

World Movement for Democracy Explores Political Parties, Technology

The unprecedented opportunities for citizen activism presented by new communications technologies, such as cell phones and social networks, was the subject of an NDI panel at the recent World Movement for Democracy (WMD) assembly in Jakarta, Indonesia. The WMD was initiated by the National Endowment for Democracy and exists to "strengthen democracy where it is weak, to reform and invigorate democracy even where it is longstanding, and to bolster pro-democracy groups in countries that have not yet entered into a process of democratic transition."

The Jakarta meeting, April 11 – 14, brought together over 600 participants from more than 100 countries. NDI also hosted a panel at the assembly on the role of party internationals in fostering democratic parties.

NDI Nepal Staff Member Looks for Lessons in DC to Benefit Women at Home

Ten years ago, Sushmita Subba Manandhar began working as an office assistant for NDI in her native Nepal. As she assisted with logistics at NDI events, she also listened to the discussions among ministers, politicians and activists, and the topics piqued her interest. Now, Manandhar is visiting Washington, D.C., as an Andi Parhamovitch fellow to study how women in the U.S. Congress get their voices heard and will take back what she learns to the Inter Party Women's Alliance in Nepal.

The fellowship honors Andi Parhamovich, an NDI employee who was killed in 2007 in Baghdad. The fellowship is awarded each year to a young woman who is deeply involved in building and consolidating democracy in her own country. It is designed to enhance the skills of young women so they can better organize for full political participation in their societies. Recipients come to NDI in Washington, D.C., for training and research.

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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.

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

As the political situation in Serbia has stabilized, attention has shifted to operation of its parliament and the lawmakers' responsibilities to constituents. Rebecca Shoot, a resident program officer in NDI's Belgrade office, discusses the Institute's work helping parliamentarians engage with the electorate.

NDI Brings Together Parliamentary Monitoring Groups in Jakarta

The efforts of civil society organizations to monitor and assess the work of legislatures was the subject of a recent meeting of representatives of parliamentary monitoring organizations (PMO) at the Sixth Assembly of the World Movement for Democracy in Jakarta, Indonesia.

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.

Watch the winning videos»

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»

Maturing and Developing Democracies Share Experiences on Parliamentary Research Services

fgalleto — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 18:41:07 +0000

"Democracy," said U.S. Rep. David Price, "cannot be imposed from without but must grow from within, organically and at its own pace."

Price was speaking at a unique week-long event in Warsaw, Poland, last month that exemplified that theme. Representatives of maturing and developing democracies gathered for two purposes. The first was to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Frost-Solomon Task Force, which in 1990-96 provided assistance from the U.S. Congress to new parliaments in Central and Eastern Europe that were emerging from communist rule. The second was a Parliamentary Staff Institute to use the lessons learned through that experience to assist representatives of 11 parliaments from different parts of the world that are making their own transitions to democratic governance.

The particular focus of the institute was the development and strengthening of parliamentary research services. It was organized by the House Democracy Partnership (HDP), a successor organization to Frost-Solomon that is chaired by Price, in cooperation with NDI and the U.S. Agency for International Development.

"Where democratic governance has taken root," Price said, "where elected leaders are already working to reform and strengthen their institutions — then commissions such as ours can provide an added boost by sharing our own experiences, good and bad...because when we speak, we speak as peers, as fellow elected officials and professional staff members who are driven by many of the same motivations and ideals. We also have firsthand knowledge of the things that make our own legislature more effective, and can bring that knowledge to bear in targeted ways."

The commemoration events were hosted by the Senate and Sejm of Poland, one of the parliaments that benefitted from the Frost-Solomon program that is now helping other countries with democratic development. Also in attendance was former U.S. Rep. Martin Frost, D-TX, for whom the task force was named along with the late U.S. Rep. Gerald B. H. Solomon, R-NY. Additional participants were Dan Mulhollan, director of the Congressional Research Service (CRS), a group of veteran CRS employees who worked with the task force and representatives from 10 Frost-Solomon countries who all shared their expertise on developing research services.

Speakers underlined the importance of reliable, impartial, timely and accurate research for parliaments drafting legislation. And they shared tips on how to engage legislators and help them see the value of research, which was a concern of a number of representatives from the 11 developing parliaments who feel the importance of their work is not recognized.

"The key to democracy is effective legislation," which requires good information, said William Robinson, former deputy director of CRS. Paul Rundquist, formerly of CRS, emphasized the significance of visibility, flexibility, confidentiality and reliability as researchers prepare information for lawmakers and encourage them to see its value.

Renata Blagniene speaks at the commemoration at the Polish Senate.

Renata Blagniene, head of the General Information Division of the Lithuanian parliament, who was one of the original Frost-Solomon participants, said the vision provided by CRS in those early days "forced us to work hard and to achieve standards." She and her team learned how to be active, be visible and gain political support for their research.

Frost-Solomon provided assistance to parliaments in 10 emerging democracies — Albania, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia. Its programs were based on the principle that successful democratic transitions in the former communist countries depended on the establishment of effective democratic legislatures.

Those programs, administered by CRS, provided more than 1,200 computers, printers, faxes and other office equipment; more than 9,300 books and other materials for parliamentary libraries; and training programs for more than 2,200 staff and members. "[A] lasting positive impact on the democratic work of parliaments can be demonstrated in all of the countries," according to the task force's final report, published in 1998.

HDP comprises a bipartisan group of 20 members of the U.S. House who work to promote and support the development of democratic governments around the world. It is co-chaired by Price and U.S. Rep. David Drier, R-CA. Attending the staff institute were representatives from HDP partner legislatures in Afghanistan, Georgia, Haiti, Indonesia, Kenya, Kosovo, Liberia, Macedonia, Mongolia, Pakistan and Timor-Leste.

"While our work has evolved considerably since the first Frost-Solomon delegations 20 years ago," Price said, "one constant remains at its core: the importance of a legislative research service to an independent legislature. For policymaking is often a battle of ideas, and ideas must be supported by facts."

Related:

Pictured above: Former U.S. Rep. Martin Frost (left) and Rep. David Price (center) speak to Ibrahim Samadi, a participant in the parliamentary research service institute from Afghanistan.

Published on July 7, 2010

NDI Brings Together Parliamentary Monitoring Groups in Jakarta

fgalleto — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 19:40:47 +0000

The efforts of civil society organizations to monitor and assess the work of legislatures often receive little attention, but this critical and growing area was the focal point of a recent meeting among representatives of parliamentary monitoring organizations (PMOs) and the international development community. The event, which took place at the Sixth Assembly of the World Movement for Democracy in Jakarta, Indonesia, also served as an introduction to the AGORA Portal for Parliamentary Development.

Organized by NDI, the conference began with a presentation of findings of a mapping project on PMOs that is part of a collaborative effort by the World Bank Institute (WBI) and NDI. The project consultant, Andrew G. Mandelbaum, said there are more than 185 PMOs monitoring 70 national parliaments, as well as sub-national legislatures and international legislative bodies. Due to the increasing use of e-democracy and e-participation tools, which may automate the data collection process or facilitate online interaction between legislators and constituents, as well as a broad recognition within civil society about the importance of parliaments for consolidating democracy, the number of PMOs continues to grow.

Clay Johnson, director of Sunlight Labs, discussed some of the foundation's contributions to this burgeoning field, including OpenCongress.org, a website that provides easy access to information about the legislative process in the United States, and CapitalWords.org, which analyzes word frequency in the U.S. Congress' Congressional Record. Aasiya Riaz, joint director of the Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDAT), discussed the experiences of her organization in assessing the performance and activity of the National Assembly. She focused on PILDAT's successful implementation of the Inter-Parliamentary Union's Self-Assessment Toolkit for Parliaments in conjunction with a broad array of Pakistani political figures, including a number of parliamentarians and parliamentary staff.

At the meeting, NDI's Director of Governance K. Scott Hubli presented AGORA, a website designed to encourage collaboration around the world, as a platform for facilitating a web-based network for PMOs. The website, which continues to evolve, is currently available in English and French and, in addition to its social networking features, contains a library of resources that registered users can access. NDI joins the United Nations Development Programme, the WBI and the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance as members of AGORA's implementing board.

Related:

Pictured above: Sixth Assembly of the World Movement for Democracy logo

Published June 3, 2010

NDI Panels Explore Roles of Technology, Party Internationals at World Movement for Democracy Assembly

fgalleto — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 19:08:08 +0000

Democratic activists worldwide are most successful when they share skills and learn from each other across ideologies and cultures. The World Movement for Democracy (WMD) provided such a global forum in Jakarta, Indonesia, where activists, practitioners, academics and policy makers generated ideas for promoting and strengthening democracy. The session, the WMD's sixth assembly, was held April 11 – 14 and brought together more than 600 participants from more than 100 countries under the theme,"Solidarity Across Cultures: Working Together for Democracy."

NDI has been an active participant in the Movement since the first assembly in New Delhi, India, in February 1999, organizing workshops at each meeting and working to ensure participation by key groups, such as political party representatives and parliamentarians.

At the Jakarta meeting, NDI organized a panel on the role of party internationals in fostering democratic parties. These groupings of political parties with similar ideologies find it increasingly important to work together to promote transparency and inclusion within their member parties. Alberto Ruíz-Thiery of Centrist Democrat International, Emil Kirjas of Liberal International and Luis Ayala of Socialist International said the party international networks allow like-minded parties to learn from one another and promote their ideology at the global level. Each international has its own membership application process as well as mechanisms for ensuring that member parties embody the principles of the grouping. Presenters acknowledged differences among the ideologies, but said there is much more that unites them, including their broad support for democracy and political parties that operate according to democratic principles.

Ivan Doherty, NDI senior associate and director of political party programs, who moderated the discussion, noted that "the development of transparent and accountable political parties worldwide transcends traditional partisan politics and the role the party international organizations play in this endeavor — individually and jointly — is a critical one."

Panelists recommended that democratic activists and political leaders engage each other more effectively through the Movement and the party internationals, and that more effective mechanisms should be developed to help party internationals monitor their members' compliance and respect for democratic principles.

Representatives from the International Federation of Liberal Youth (IFLRY) and the International Young Democrat Union (IYDU) proposed that youth groups explore ways to work across ideologies to increase political participation by young people, help bridge gaps between politicians and civil society, raise awareness about threats to freedom and promote non-violence.

Another NDI workshop on technology innovations for accountable governance and women's participation focused on the use of new communications technologies, such as cell phones and social networks, that present unprecedented opportunities for citizen activism. Clay Johnson of the Sunlight Foundation, Oscar Salazar of ¡Cuidemos el Voto! and Tristanti Mitayani of iKNOW Politics in Asia shared their experiences using technology to increase access to information about the U.S. Congress, monitor elections in Mexico and connect women across the globe to share experiences and tools in political participation. Presenters engaged participants in a discussion on the impact technology can have in creating citizen-led social and political change and strengthened democratic development. Chris Spence, NDI's chief technology officer, moderated the workshop.

"Some of the innovations that were discussed today promise to greatly improve the ability of democrats around the world to better hold their governments accountable and expand citizen participation in politics," Spence said. "They include citizen reporting using crowdsourcing methods, new ways to organize and visualize large data sets from governments that make it accessible to citizens, employing mobile phones in new ways for organizing activists, and supporting women in politics through online organizing and social media."

The World Movement for Democracy was initiated by the Washington, DC-based National Endowment for Democracy and exists to "strengthen democracy where it is weak, to reform and invigorate democracy even where it is longstanding, and to bolster pro-democracy groups in countries that have not yet entered into a process of democratic transition."

Related:NDI hosts opening plenary session at 2008 World Movement For Democracy assembly»

Pictured above: Participants at the session about party internationals

Published on April 20, 2010

Website for Women in Politics Launched in Indonesia | April 16, 2010

fgalleto — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 21:08:59 +0000

Jakarta Post | Link to story »

"The International Knowledge Network of Women in Politics (iKNOW Politics) launched its website, iknowpolitics.org, in Indonesia on Thursday to provide a forum for women to learn about politics from other countries' experiences.

"Creators said the website aimed to increase the participation and effectiveness of women in political life by stimulating dialogue, creating knowledge and sharing experiences.

"The website, available in English, Arabic, Spanish and French, provides free content such as a library with 3,000 academic papers, news reports, discussion forums and consultation with women political experts."

Link to story »

NDI Mourns the Death of Former Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid

jennycohan — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 18:12:07 +0000

Author:

National Democratic Institute

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

12/31/2009

Resource Type:

Press Release

Language:

English

Attachment	Size
NDI Mourns Death of Abdurrahman Wahid	27.05 KB

Former Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid

jennycohan — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 17:35:21 +0000

Indonesia’s Early Count Gives President Yudhoyono Majority Vote | July 8, 2009

rrunyan — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 17:30:20 +0000

VOA News| Link to story »

Hundreds of Indonesian voters in this south Jakarta neighborhood waited until their names were called by an election official before casting their ballots for president. The process was orderly, even festive, as ballots were cast and fingers dipped in purple ink to prevent voter fraud.

Paul Rowland with NDI, a U.S. election training organization, says the free and peaceful election process in Indonesia has been impressive.

Link to story »

Indonesia’s April 2009 Elections: Opportunities and Challenges for Democracy in the Region

ggreene — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 22:23:09 +0000

Start: 04/01/2009 16:00

End: 04/01/2009 17:30

Timezone: Etc/GMT

Start: 04/01/2009 16:00

End: 04/01/2009 17:30

Timezone: Etc/GMT

Location:

The National Democratic Institute, Washington, D.C.

Paul Rowland, NDI’s senior resident director in Indonesia, focused on that country’s upcoming parliamentary and presidential elections during a briefing at the Institute on April 1.

Rowland began with an overview of the highly contested parliamentary elections that involve 38 political parties and thousands of candidates. The Indonesian electorate has developed a more sophisticated understanding of the electoral process within a short period of time, he noted, along with an increasing desire for better media oversight of the electoral process.

Election laws passed last year, he said, have created new opportunities and challenges for women candidates. Although women remain at a disadvantage in contests with male opponents, there is optimism in the country that women have made significant strides and could make noteworthy gains during the elections.

Rowland has worked for NDI in Indonesia since 2003 and oversees an extensive portfolio of programs to strengthen legislature, develop political parties and broaden citizen participation.

Event Date and Time:
April 1, 2009, from 4:00 p.m.-5:30 p.m.

Guest:

Paul Rowland

Pictured above: Paul Rowland (left), the Institute’s senior resident director in Indonesia, gives remarks at a recent briefing.

<p>Paul Rowland, NDI’s senior resident director in Indonesia, focused on that country’s upcoming parliamentary and presidential elections during a briefing at the Institute on April 1.  </p>

Events

Story: Paul Rowland

New NDI Publication Evaluates Strategies for Women's Participation in Political Parties

jbowen — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 19:15:34 +0000

Advancement within political parties – which are the gateway to political leadership – remains both essential to women’s political success and the most difficult political door for women to enter. In an effort to better understand effective approaches to women’s political party programs and to measure the impact of such programs, a new NDI publication -- Assessing Women’s Political Party Programs: Best Practices and Recommendations -- identifies specific effective elements and approaches that encourage women’s participation and leadership in political parties.

Assessing Women’s Political Party Programs is a blueprint for effective women’s political party programs. While drawn from NDI programs, the information gathered in this assessment is intended for use by individuals and organizations to help facilitate women’s political leadership worldwide.

The publication features four geographically representative countries where NDI has longstanding, continuously operating programs that offer comprehensive perspectives on program impacts and experiences. More than eighty interviews were conducted in Morocco, Indonesia, Serbia and Nepal, providing narratives that capture the context in each country while revealing how women across regions face common challenges to political leadership and can share strategies to overcome those barriers.

Read Assessing Women’s Political Party Programs | Download the report »

–

Published on Dec. 10, 2008

Budget Oversight Discussed at NDI/World Bank Institute Seminar

ggreene — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 16:31:01 +0000

Parliamentarians and staff members from eight countries on three continents gained new insights into budget oversight in a three-day World Bank Institute (WBI)-NDI seminar that focused, among other things, on the role of parliamentary budget offices in overseeing spending and aiding transparency.

NDI’s director of governance programs, John Johnson, a speaker at the July seminar, discussed the international movement to establish parliamentary budget offices. Such agencies, he said, aid parliaments by reviewing and simplifying executive budget data so members of parliament can more easily use it to influence economic and development policies. The budget analysis also makes budget information more understandable for the public and increases accountability in spending.

To illustrate the benefits and challenges of setting up parliamentary budget offices, Johnson focused on the experience of Uganda in 2001. Initially blocked by the executive, the Uganda Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO) was finally pushed through after months of lobbying by supporters. Since its creation, the Uganda PBO has identified ways to maximize tax revenues, developed a simple system for parliamentary committees to monitor expenditures and performed other oversight functions. While a success story, the office’s experiences illustrate that new budget offices need support to overcome both initial and ongoing resistance, Johnson said.

Participants in the seminar were from Thailand, Indonesia, Afghanistan, Nigeria, the Dominican Republic, Ghana, Morocco, and Lebanon. They discussed the oversight systems in place in their countries, avenues for further reform, and the need to overcome legal and cultural barriers to parliamentary budget oversight A theme that arose repeatedly was the importance of nonpartisanship in budget oversight and the difficulty of maintaining it.

The seminar featured guest presentations by Rasheed Draman of Canada’s Parliamentary Center; Barry Anderson, former acting director of the Congressional Budget Office; and Douglas Criscitello, founder of the New York City Independent Budget Office. The speakers addressed aspects of budget oversight and the role of information in the budget process. Participants concluded the seminar by joining break-out groups to discuss steps toward developing budget offices for their own legislatures.

More information on the seminar, including copies of the presentations, may be found on the World Bank Institute web site.

—

Published on Sept. 18, 2008

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Budget Oversight Discussed at NDI/World Bank Institute Seminar