NDI - Peru

Latin American Party Leaders in Lima Identify Reform Agenda

jfrant — Fri, 27 May 2016 17:14:59 +0000

In spite of significant democratic advances, citizens across Latin America are dissatisfied with the performance of democratic institutions and elected officials. Corruption, insecurity, inequality, and lack of economic opportunity and avenues to participate in public life have fueled protests across the region.

Political parties are an example of institutions that many citizens consider “out of touch.” However, parties remain the few institutions that offer citizens meaningful choices in governance, avenues for political participation and opportunities to shape their country’s future. They therefore remain fundamental to the healthy functioning of democratic systems. In many countries in Latin America parties are facing serious crises of confidence, representation and legitimacy that further distance them from citizens. In a recent Latinobarómetro survey, only four out of every 10 Latin Americans felt any affinity towards a political party. Without functioning political parties, the role of civil society to advocate for their priorities becomes far more difficult, if not impossible.

Faced with these challenges, 25 political leaders from Latin America met in Lima, Peru, on March 2 at NDI’s invitation to discuss the difficulties facing political parties globally and successful approaches taken in the region to foster political and electoral reforms and build more effective, transparent and representative political organizations for citizens in the region. Over two days of discussions with academics and experts in party organizations, party leaders from nine countries across the region, representing different ideologies and experiences, both parties with decades of experience and recently organized political movements, discussed how to confront this reality by strengthening confidence in democracy and rebuilding ties between citizens and political organizations. To encourage participants to set aside political constraints and have honest conversations, discussions were held off-the-record.

The need to strengthen party ideology, as well as ensuring consistency between parties’ principles and values and their actions, took up a large part of the conversation. Participants noted that many citizens see parties as only focused on elections, and less concerned about governance and how to improve people’s lives. As a Mexican political leader observed, parties need to use “lasting visions, solid principles, identity, a good brand, coalitions and alliances for the purpose of good government, not just electoral triumphs.”

The leaders also shared their strategies on how to more effectively connect with constituents. “Ideas are what allow for sustainability, strategic value and connecting with constituents,” said a political leader from Argentina. A party without ideas cannot put together political proposals in a coherent manner and therefore cannot respond to society’s needs and regain its trust.

Participants agreed that parties must change to keep up with their own societies. The internal structures of parties should be strengthened in a way that allows for the active participation of all party members, with the understanding that society has been evolving and that historically marginalized groups like youth and women should have more and better representation at all levels within political parties. Participants remarked that contemporary society is less hierarchical, which requires citizens to actively participate, be better informed and be included in the decision-making process.

Noting that politics has a tendency to focus on individual personalities, a party leader from Chile said, “Any institutional design should push for structures that prioritize the collective over the individual.”

Political parties can make use of new information and communications technology to bring citizens closer to the political system and political organizations. These technologies can also complement traditional community organizing approaches that parties still use as the primary way to facilitate in-person contact with constituents.

Another topic of discussion was the importance of political party financing, transparency, and integrity, as well as the need to overcome the negative incentives to engage in clientelism and eliminate the relationship between politics and lawlessness. A Central American political leader said, “We should not underestimate the risk of corruption because it is an issue that deeply hurts the viability of political parties.”

The findings from this meeting in Lima will allow NDI, through its regional program Red Innovación, to update existing party strengthening materials and develop new ones that can address the most pressing challenges faced by political parties. Red Innovación already offers a platform for party activists to share experiences and take virtual courses on several issues identified by the party leaders as priority areas, such as increasing transparency and using new technologies for closer communication with citizens.

Through the Red Innovación network and peer-to-peer discussions of party leaders like the Lima Forum, NDI will continue to share experiences and help political parties to implement best practices in areas such as improving constituent relations, creating participatory platforms, strengthening party think-tanks, accountability and transparency and promoting the use of new technologies in politics, among others. In addition, NDI is expanding this discussion globally through its Party Renewal Initiative, which explores different types of reform needed to help parties adapt to the societal and technological changes of the 21st century.

Published on May 27, 2016

Sandra Pepera

skincaid — Tue, 14 Apr 2015 18:41:17 +0000

Sandra Pepera is a career diplomat and international development professional. Before joining NDI as its director for Gender, Women and Democracy in 2014, she spent thirteen years as a senior officer at the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID), including leading programs in the Caribbean, Rwanda-Burundi and Sudan. Prior to joining DFID, Sandra spent time in British domestic politics; lecturing in political science and international relations at the University of Ghana; and as a political analyst in the Political Affairs Division at the Commonwealth Secretariat. She has a portfolio of skills and experience which include strategy development, political and risk analysis, diplomacy, general management and corporate governance.

Much of Sandra’s career has been spent working in or on transitional economies, focusing on the building of resilient and inclusive institutions. She led work on women and politics at the University of Ghana and in outreach public policy during the period of intense and unstable political transition in the early 1990s. This included participating in a program that supported the ANC Women’s League during South Africa’s transition from apartheid to majority democratic rule in 1993.

Sandra is a member of the Cambridge Sustainability Leaders Network, the Royal Commonwealth Society, the Global Board Ready Women initiative, and the International Advisory Board of the Commonwealth Journal for International Affairs (the Round Table). She holds the Financial Times Diploma for Non-Executive Directors, and serves as a trustee for the pension fund of an intergovernmental organization.

Empowering Women for Stronger Political Parties: A Good Practices Guide to Promote Women's Political Participation (Now available in Burmese)

fstovall — Fri, 21 Mar 2014 14:31:07 +0000

Author:

Julie Ballington

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute United Nations Development Programme

Published Date:

10/31/2011

Resource Type:

Manual|Handbook

Language:

Arabic, Burmese, English, French, Russian, Spanish, Urdu

English

Arabic

French

Spanish

Russian

Urdu

Attachment	Size
Read the manual (English)	2.49 MB
Read the manual with case studies (English)	3.45 MB
Read the manual (Arabic)	1.9 MB
Download the poster (Arabic)	1.18 MB
Read the manual (Burmese)	4.59 MB
Read the manual (French)	2.57 MB
Download the poster (French)	670.54 KB
Read the manual (Russian)	2.82 MB
Download the poster (Russian)	256.16 KB
Read the manual (Spanish)	2.59 MB
Download the poster (Spanish)	680.95 KB
Read the manual (Urdu)	3.74 MB
Read the manual with case studies (Albanian)	10.91 MB

Equal Access: How to Include Persons with Disabilities in Elections and Political Processes

dleonard — Thu, 06 Mar 2014 14:59:44 +0000

Author:

National Democratic Institute, International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES)

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

03/06/2014

Resource Type:

Manual|Handbook

Language:

Arabic, English, French, Indonesian, Russian, Spanish, Uzbek

English

Arabic

Spanish

Russian

Attachment	Size
Download the manual in Arabic	2.54 MB
Download the manual in English	3.24 MB
Download the manual in French	2.36 MB
Download the manual in Indonesian	16.34 MB
Download the manual in Russian	2.37 MB
Download the manual in Spanish	16.87 MB
Download the manual in Uzbek	3.85 MB

Increasing Women’s Political Participation Through Effective Training Programs: A Guide to Best Practices and Lessons Learned

fstovall — Tue, 12 Nov 2013 20:08:23 +0000

Author:

National Democratic Institute

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

10/23/2013

Resource Type:

Training Manual

Language:

Arabic, English, French, Russian, Spanish

English

Arabic

French

Spanish

Russian

Attachment	Size
Download the manual (English)	994.16 KB
Download the manual (français)	1.02 MB
Download the manual (РУС)	1.31 MB
Download the manual (español)	1.08 MB
Download the manual (بالعربية)	787.23 KB

Statement of the National Democratic Institute/Carter Center Pre-Election Delegation to Peru

fstovall — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 19:50:35 +0000

Author:

National Democratic Institute

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

01/26/2001

Resource Type:

Statement

Language:

English, Spanish

English

Spanish

Attachment	Size
Read the statement (English)	205.62 KB
Read the statement (Spanish)	141.96 KB

International Visitors Share Experiences on Organizing Debates

fstovall — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 14:16:59 +0000

With the 2nd U.S. presidential debate as a backdrop, 25 visitors from 12 countries came to Hofstra University in New York in mid-October to exchange information about putting on debates in their own countries and witness first-hand the intricacies of organizing the Oct. 16 matchup between President Barack Obama and Governor Mitt Romney.

Janet Brown, executive director, Commission on Presidential Debates; Trevor Fearon, advisor, Jamaica Debates Commission

The visitors’ countries – Argentina, Colombia, Egypt, Ghana, Haiti, Jamaica, Kenya, Nigeria, Peru, Serbia, Trinidad and Tobago, and Tunisia – are in different stages of debate development. But all share the belief that debates benefit new democracies in many ways, including helping voters make an informed choice at the ballot box, reducing the potential for violence in countries coming out of civil war, encouraging candidates to focus on public policy issues rather than personality and holding elected officials accountable to their campaign promises after elections.

The visit was sponsored by the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) and NDI in collaboration with Hofstra. The CPD, in partnership with NDI, has since 1994 assisted debate sponsors around the world to take advantage of their collective expertise and help each other organize debates for the first time or make improvements where debates have taken place before. The assistance is based on the two organizations’ experience with more than 200 debates in 30 countries.

Many of the visitors were representatives of the International Debates Network, an organization created in 2009 with CPD and NDI assistance that now has 17 member countries.

While at Hofstra, the visitors got a backstage look at the production and organization of a “town hall” style debate. They visited the set and sat on chairs that would be occupied on debate day by 80 uncommitted voters chosen by an independent public opinion survey to ask questions of the presidential candidates. Executive producer Martin Slutsky laid out the debate’s production details including the moderator’s role in facilitating discussion, camera positions and timing lights for the candidates.

Earlier, CPD staff discussed debate formats, ticketing procedures, arrangements for the 3,500 U.S. and international media covering the debate, how debate rules are set, debate-related Internet voter education activities, and a host of operational and logistical details that go into debate preparation. They also talked with CPD leaders and staff, public safety officials and Hofstra representatives, who discussed what goes into hosting a debate and the more than 100 courses and activities designed to engage students, faculty and the community in the debates.

On debate night, the visitors were all in the Hofstra arena to watch the candidates face off. In a pre-debate program, CPD Executive Director Janet Brown recognized their presence as a “network that goes very far in time and mileage of people who are helping each other start debates in their own countries…”

An important part of the meeting was the information the visitors shared among themselves. Some of the countries represented, such as Ghana, Nigeria, Colombia and Jamaica, have considerable experience in debate organization, which they were able to share with the group and especially with colleagues from Argentina, Egypt and Tunisia, which are just beginning to move in that direction.

NDI and the CPD have carried out debate programs in Africa, Asia, Central and Eastern Europe, Eurasia, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Middle East; hosted the forum that led to the establishment of the International Debates Network; initiated a web-based debate resource center and commenced a comparative guide to organizing debates. NDI and the CPD have received support for debates programs from the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, the U.S. Agency for International Development, the U.K. Department for International Development and the National Endowment for Democracy.

Supporting the Global Movement for Candidate Debates

The printed program provided to the audience present for each of the three 2012 U.S. presidential debates and the vice presidential match up included a reference to the international work that the Commission on Presidential Debates and NDI do together. Here is a brief excerpt:

“Presidential debates in the United States are watched in real time by audiences worldwide. Increasingly, other countries – particularly emerging democracies – believe that starting their own debate traditions will strengthen their electoral processes…

“The CPD, in partnership with the National Democratic Institute (NDI), helps debate sponsors around the world pool their expertise and assist each other, both in organizing debates for the first time and improving debates where they have taken place before…”

Haitian Presidential Debates

The program also includes a brief case study of the work the CPD, NDI and the Jamaican Debates Commission did together to help with the organization of debates for Haiti’s last presidential election.

“As the country was continuing to recover and rebuild from the devastating 2010 earthquake that claimed more than 200,000 lives and left more than a million homeless, the Public Affairs Intervention Group (GIAP) of Haiti organized seven presidential debates for 19 candidates that were broadcast nationally on more than 30 radio and television stations. The CPD, NDI and Jamaican Debates Commission assisted GIAP over a period of several months as the group planned and held the debates. GIAP’s final March 2011 debate for the run-off election between Mirlande Manigat and now president Michel Martelly reached an estimated 71 percent of Haitians. GIAP also facilitated a joint appearance by both candidates at the conclusion of the debate where they encouraged Haitians to vote, sending a message of tolerance to their respective supporters to refrain from the street violence that has historically plagued Haitian elections.”

Related:

Published Oct. 22, 2012

Declaration of Global Principles for Nonpartisan Election Observation and Monitoring by Citizen Organizations and Code of Conduct for Nonpartisan Citizen Election Observers and Monitors

fstovall — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 19:06:44 +0000

Publisher:

United Nations

Published Date:

04/03/2012

Resource Type:

Declaration

Language:

Arabic, Bangla, English, French, Mongolian, Romanian Russian, Spanish

English

Arabic

French

Spanish

Romanian

Russian

Attachment	Size
Read the declaration (Arabic)	267.58 KB
Read the declaration (English)	897.79 KB
Read the declaration (Bangla)	8.27 MB
Read the declaration (Burmese)	302.33 KB
Read the declaration (French)	327.02 KB
Read the declaration (Indonesian)	16.61 MB
Read the declaration (Mongolian)	345.97 KB
Read the declaration (Romanian)	275.41 KB
Read the declaration (Russian)	286.22 KB
Read the declaration (Spanish)	326.57 KB
Read the declaration (Urdu)	370.99 KB

131 Voices: Accountability and Transparency in the Peruvian Parliament

mglauberman — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 14:57:55 +0000

Though Peru has shown robust economic growth and relative resilience in the face of a global economic slowdown, many Peruvians continue to face a widening socioeconomic divide, poverty and exclusion from political life. Surveys conducted by the polling firm Ipsos Apoyo show that Peruvians harbor growing mistrust and pessimism about their leaders. Last November, for example, the approval rating for the Peruvian Congress hovered at 24 percent. Results from a 2011 survey indicated that 30 percent of Peruvians believed that their quality of life was stagnant despite economic growth and democratic advances.

Congresswoman Luz Salgado, an original 131 Voices participant, learns how to navigate her personal page on the site.

A new website on the Peruvian Congress, 131 Voices (131 Voces), seeks to address this sense of dissatisfaction by opening voting records and pending legislation to public scrutiny and feedback. The goal is to keep Peruvian lawmakers accountable on policy decisions and make government more accountable. With a name reflecting the 130 members of parliament and the voice of the Peruvian people, 131 Voices was created by Citivox, a web company that also created Curul501, a tool that monitors Mexico’s parliament, in partnership with Democratic Reflection (Reflexión Democrática), a Peruvian civil society organization, and NDI.

Organized by issues, ranging from consumer protection to human rights, 131 Voices is designed to make Peru’s government more transparent by encouraging parliament to use the site as an interactive, personalized tool to stimulate dialogue and open lines of communication with constituents.

Citivox and Democratic Reflection designed a unique page for each member where users can read about the member’s work history and political affiliation, and monitor news about new or pending legislation.

Thirteen of the parliamentarians have partnered with Democratic Reflection to use their pages to create a personalized, interactive profile that provides access to their Twitter feeds, information about their pending or proposed legislative initiatives, and a comment box where citizens can discuss proposals for new laws and provide other feedback.

One example of how the site connects leaders with constituents was the commentary generated by a proposal by Luis Iberico of the Alliance for Great Change party (Alianza por el Gran Cambio) for the “creation of a National Institute for Information and Transparency” that would seek to promote greater access to information and openness in government. Citizens expressed support for the objective of improved transparency, which was noted as a key to fighting corruption, but also suggested that the initiative should avoid creating a new, ineffective bureaucracy.

Read more:

Published Aug. 2, 2012

NDI E-news: North Africa, Liberia, Ecuador | May 2011

fstovall — Thu, 26 May 2011 20:27:35 +0000

May 2011

Across North Africa, Citizens Find Their Voice

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On one wall of Tahrir Square in Benghazi, Libya, people leave pictures of those who died during the reign of Muammar Gaddafi, including during the uprising that began in February. Photo by Maroun Sfeir.

With the major changes taking place across North Africa, NDI is expanding its activities in Egypt and Tunisia, where citizen uprisings led to the overthrow of authoritarian rulers and events are unfolding quickly as citizens work to organize new democratic systems.

In Libya, where citizens are fighting for freedom, NDI sent a team to Benghazi earlier this month to assess what Libyans will need for a democratic transition. Les Campbell, NDI director of Middle East and North Africa programs, writes about his experiences in this first-person account. "There is such a hunger for information ... The isolation of this part of Libya was profound and what is going on now is a genuine awakening."

NDI has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Transitional National Council (TNC), outlining ways the Institute can support Libya's transition by working with both the TNC and civil society.

Young people protest against regional discrimination in Le Kef, a city in northwestern Tunisia.

In Tunisia, NDI is beginning a second round of focus group research to learn how political parties are viewed and what issues citizens are most concerned about. As Tunisia prepares for its first democratic elections in more than 20 years, set for July 24, the Institute will share the findings with political parties to help them draft platforms and campaign strategies that address the needs of Tunisians.

In April, NDI brought Polish Solidarity leader and former defense minister Janusz Onyszkiewicz and retired Indonesian general Agus Widjojo to Cairo for a series of consultations with Egyptian political leaders and civic activists on political transitions. Discussions focused on how opposition groups can prepare for elections on an accelerated timetable, overcome internal divisions and navigate a transition to democracy that is being directed by the military with limited public input. Most Egyptian political parties are focused on September's parliamentary elections. NDI has been helping them develop campaign strategies and skills, and work on new campaign techniques, such as door-to-door campaigning, that have traditionally been resisted by Egyptian activists. NDI has also been working with parties to organize candidate debates and with civic groups to discuss electoral reform.

Meanwhile, NDI and the government of Bulgaria signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at sharing that nation's experience in democratic transitions with countries in the Middle East and North Africa. "As a country that has spent the past two decades undergoing a massive and often difficult transformation from dictatorship to democracy, Bulgaria has much to share with those who are now struggling to instill those same changes in their societies," said Nikolay Mladenov, Bulgaria's foreign minister, at a signing ceremony at NDI. Already, Bulgarian political leaders have visited with new political parties in Tunisia to share lessons learned.

Arabic language publications

NDI offers a number of manuals and handbooks designed to help civil society organizations, political parties and governments through democratic transitions. The Institute's most recent manual,
Political Process Monitoring: Activist Tools and Techniques, helps citizen groups monitor electoral campaign conduct as well as scrutinize government performance. The Institute also offers 75 Arabic language publications on topics such as advocacy, women's participation, democratic governance and using technology for more effective communications.

'Small Small' Improvements to Liberian Bill Tracking Improve Transparency

Reporting from Monrovia, Liberia, Program Manager Brittany Danisch explains how small improvements to the legislature's bill tracking system have had a big impact. Listen to the audio or read the transcript»

Sudanese Civic Group Gives Mostly Positive Marks to South Kordofan Polling Process

Elections held in the Sudanese state of Southern Kordofan were generally well conducted despite a number of deficiencies, according to the Sudanese Group for Democracy and Elections (SuGDE), an NDI partner. SuGDE deployed 90 citizen observers for the gubernatorial and state legislative elections. Read more»

Serbia Debates Electoral Reform as Precursor to EU Membership

Serbia's election system — particularly the manner in which citizens vote for representatives in parliament — is seen as one factor keeping the country from membership in the European Union. NDI brought 80 members of academia, government and civil society together to create recommendations on amending the electoral law. Read more»

Former Congresswoman Emphasizes the Value of Oversight to Russian Duma

Constance Morella, former U.S. representative from Maryland, recently appeared before the Russian Duma to testify on behalf of a bill that would increase congressional oversight in Russia — an important legislative branch check on executive authority. Morella was invited to testify by Just Russia, a party NDI has been working with on issues of democratic governance. Read more»

Democracy is...Tolerance

"Voices from the Middle East: Democracy is Tolerance" is a new video using material submitted online through Democracy is..., a public-private partnership in which NDI is a partner. The program asks young people around the world to complete the phrase "Democracy is..." through videos, tweets and photos submitted online. The video combines entries from across the region with common themes of equality, diversity and tolerance.
Watch»

Join the conversation»

Parliamentarians, Business Leaders Work Together in Mauritania to Improve Economy

In Mauritania, parliamentarians joined forces openly with representatives of the business community for the first time in the country's history this month. The two groups agreed to submit an official report to the Mauritanian National Assembly detailing issues and recommendations, and to establish a commission promoting ongoing collaboration between government and the private sector. Read more»

Cleaner Hospitals is Subject for Legislator Training in Ecuador

The poor hospital hygiene that may have been responsible for a recent string of infant deaths in Ecuador became a case study for a legislative training program organized by NDI. The program simulated ways to seek and incorporate citizen input into legislation that would improve regulation of hospital conditions. Read more»

Macedonian Code of Conduct Asks 'What Mark Will We Leave?'

Macedonian political parties signed a code of conduct ahead of snap parliamentary elections, calling on parties to respect the electoral law and foster a tolerant campaign atmosphere free of violent or intimidating rhetoric, fraud, bribery and proxy voting. The code is the eighth NDI has sponsored, and adherence to the codes has increased over the last eight elections. Read more»

Electoral Fairs Bring Politics Out of the Box in Peru

In the weeks leading up to last month's Peruvian elections, NDI partnered with Transparencia, a leading civic group, to organize a series of candidate debates and electoral fairs that gave citizens from outside the capital the opportunity to interact personally with candidates. Read more»

Marching Ahead: A Profile Book of Women Constituent Assembly Members

The April 2008 elections in Nepal marked a historic and unprecedented step forward for that nation's women, who won one-third of the seats in the Constituent Assembly, the body tasked with drafting the new Nepali constitution. A new book, Marching Ahead: A Profile Book on Women Constituent Assembly Members, profiles 24 of these women, sharing their stories as inspirations and role models for the next generation of women leaders. Read more»

Electoral Fairs Bring Politics Out of the Box in Peru

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Related:

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

Published May 3, 2011

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

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

December 2010

Local Partners Work to Bring Accountability to Elections

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Egyptian candidate debate organized by Partners in Change.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Nicaragua Leadership Program Supports Emerging Leaders

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

Montenegrin Ministries Changing the Way they Approach Policy Making

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

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

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

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

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

Women Win, Lead in Jordan and Southern Africa

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

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

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

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

Candidate Debates Focus on Issues, Solutions in Peru

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Watch television coverage of the debates

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

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

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

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

Published November 16, 2010

NDI E-news: Democracy Day, Middle East, Cambodia | Sept. 2009

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 21:25:17 +0000

September 15, 2009

Happy Democracy Day!

NDI wishes you a happy International Day of Democracy, an annual global celebration of human rights, the rule of law and other principles that unite democracies around the world. This day, Sept. 15, was designated by the United Nations to reaffirm the universality of democratic values and recognize the aspirations of people around the world to determine their own political, economic, social and cultural systems.

Supporting and strengthening democratic institutions is the main mission of NDI, which works in nearly 80 countries to advance citizen participation, safeguard elections and promote open and accountable government. Our primary focus is people — bringing together individuals and groups to share ideas, knowledge, experiences and expertise with the goal of improving the responsiveness and effectiveness of democratic governance. You can learn more about our work at www.ndi.org.

Afghans Pursue Democracy Despite Violence

NDI, which fielded more than 100 international and Afghan observers for Afghanistan's Aug. 20 presidential and provincial council elections, found that aspects of the election were in accordance with democratic principles. But the Institute also identified serious flaws in the process that needed to be addressed and offered 17 recommendations for improvements. The delegation's full preliminary statement can be found here.

Last week, as election authorities grappled with what they termed “clear and convincing evidence of fraud,” NDI expressed deep concern, noting that “it will be impossible to determine the will of the Afghan people” unless those issues are addressed.

The August delegation was led by former U.S. Senator Gary Hart; Karl Inderfurth, former U.S. assistant secretary of state for South Asian affairs; John Manley, former Canadian deputy prime minister and foreign minister; Nora Owen, former minister of justice in Ireland; Karin von Hippel, co-director of the Post-Conflict Reconstruction Project and senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies; Jamie Metzl, executive vice president of the Asia Society; Kenneth Wollack, president of NDI; and Peter Manikas, NDI's director of Asia programs.
Both Hart and Manley wrote op-ed pieces about their experiences. In addition, Metzl coauthored an op-ed with Christine Fair of Georgetown University, who also was an NDI election observer.

Inderfurth, von Hippel and other members of the election mission spoke about their impressions and answered questions about the vote at an event sponsored by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Read more about the event and watch the video»

NDI has been working in Afghanistan since early 2002 and has since conducted programs to promote the participation of Afghan civic groups and political parties in the country's political and electoral processes. A major component of NDI's work involves building the capacity of provincial councils, the only elected bodies below the national level.

Code of Conduct Takes Macedonia Toward Democracy and Europe

With its eye on membership in the European Union, Macedonia held peaceful local and presidential elections this spring without the violence that marred previous polls. The success of the election process was attributable, in part, to a Code of Conduct campaign that rallied political party leaders, candidates and voters alike to show that Macedonia can hold elections consistent with international standards. Chris Henshaw, NDI's resident director in Macedonia, discusses the Institute's history with Code of Conduct campaigns in Macedonia, dating to 2002, and their effect on the country's democratic transition.

Latest Iran Bulletin Explores Religion and Politics

Iran's religious institutions play a prominent role in the country's politics. Now, the disputed presidential election and its violent aftermath have led members of the Iranian religious establishment to question the moral, legal and religious foundations of the Islamic Republic. Prior to the election, Shi'a clerics mostly debated the relative balance of the Republic's Islamic and democratic aspects. Now debate has shifted to the fundamental nature, pillars and theoretical justifications for the regime itself.

NDI has been chronicling developments in Iran since February in its Iran Bulletin. Read the latest issue»

Save the Date!

NDI will celebrate its first quarter century with a special event on Nov. 3 at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, DC. More details will be available on the NDI website .

Training the Next Generation of Leaders...

...in the Middle East

Convening for the second year in Doha, Qatar, NDI's Young Women Leaders Academy brought together women aged 19 to 28 from across the Middle East who aspire to political careers. The women came from 12 countries to learn political skills and increase their knowledge about how to run a successful campaign and advocate effectively for a cause.

Meet some of the women who participated in the YWLA.

... in Latin America

NDI's Political Leadership Program, now in its 1oth year, brings together young leaders from Latin America to study international best practices. During the last decade, participants from 56 major political parties and movements from across the ideological spectrum have learned about political party renewal and reform. This year, national academies were held in Ecuador, Mexico and Peru for 69 emerging leaders who learned about the role of political parties, transparency and outreach, and planned individual projects for their parties.

Meet some of the attendees.

Visiting Cambodian MPs See Congress Up Close

Members of Cambodia's National Assembly, seeking to strengthen democracy in their country, visited both the U.S. Congress and the Maryland State Capitol as part of a recent study mission focused on issues of transparency, public access and the balance of power in government. The visit was sponsored jointly by NDI and the Institute for Representative Government.

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

Video Conference Offers Opportunity for Latin American Legislative Staff to Exchange Ideas

ggreene — Fri, 22 May 2009 16:39:07 +0000

Congressional staff members from Colombia, Guatemala and Peru had a valuable opportunity to exchange information during a recent video conference program on legislative strengthening put on by NDI and the World Bank Institute (WBI). The video conference series—the second in two years involving NDI and the WBI—brought the participants together to explore good practices in the areas of lawmaking, effective committees, and oversight and transparency.

With funding and support from WBI, the video conference series provided an opportunity for legislative staff to explore common challenges in modernizing their legislatures. Colombia, Guatemala and Peru are all trying to bring more stability to their legislative and committee staffs, which have struggled with high turnover. During the video conference, the staff members shared strategies for keeping staff longer so they could gain policy expertise in areas under the committee’s jurisdiction. Participants also discussed their challenges and successes in other areas, such as carrying out effective public hearings.

The video conferences also drew on emerging international standards for democratic legislatures, an effort on which NDI has worked closely with other organizations, including WBI, the United Nations Development Programme and the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association. In partnership with WBI, NDI is working with the three countries that participated in the video conference to compare their existing norms and practices against these international norms. In each of these countries, NDI is collecting information from members of Congress, congressional staff and members of civil society organizations about congressional practices. The survey instrument has been designed to identify gaps between formal powers and informal practices, as well as to analyze differences in perceptions about the legislature among legislators, staff and civil society.

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Published on June 24, 2009

NDI - Peru

Latin American Party Leaders in Lima Identify Reform Agenda

Sandra Pepera

Empowering Women for Stronger Political Parties: A Good Practices Guide to Promote Women's Political Participation (Now available in Burmese)

Equal Access: How to Include Persons with Disabilities in Elections and Political Processes

Increasing Women’s Political Participation Through Effective Training Programs: A Guide to Best Practices and Lessons Learned

Statement of the National Democratic Institute/Carter Center Pre-Election Delegation to Peru

International Visitors Share Experiences on Organizing Debates

Janet Brown, executive director, Commission on Presidential Debates; Trevor Fearon, advisor, Jamaica Debates Commission

Supporting the Global Movement for Candidate Debates

Haitian Presidential Debates

Declaration of Global Principles for Nonpartisan Election Observation and Monitoring by Citizen Organizations and Code of Conduct for Nonpartisan Citizen Election Observers and Monitors

131 Voices: Accountability and Transparency in the Peruvian Parliament

NDI E-news: North Africa, Liberia, Ecuador | May 2011

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Electoral Fairs Bring Politics Out of the Box in Peru

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

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Candidate Debates Focus on Issues, Solutions in Peru

NDI E-news: Democracy Day, Middle East, Cambodia | Sept. 2009

September 15, 2009

Afghans Pursue Democracy Despite Violence

Code of Conduct Takes Macedonia Toward Democracy and Europe

Latest Iran Bulletin Explores Religion and Politics

Save the Date!

Training the Next Generation of Leaders...

...in the Middle East

... in Latin America

Visiting Cambodian MPs See Congress Up Close

Video Conference Offers Opportunity for Latin American Legislative Staff to Exchange Ideas