NDI - Political Parties

Mexican Men and Women Work Together to Elect More Women to Office

fgalleto — Thu, 06 May 2010 21:03:29 +0000

"Why women, why now?" was the question posed to over 300 participants, both male and female, participating in a week-long series of training sessions across Mexico aimed at giving women candidates the skills and tools they need to get elected to office.

The answers — that democracy works best when women have an equal voice in the process and that upcoming local elections are a great opportunity to elect more women — were emphasized throughout the events as the women learned about message development, targeting women and young voters, and recruiting and keeping campaign volunteers.

Though gender quotas have led to an increase in the number of women running for and elected to office in Mexico in recent years, women hold only 5 percent of municipal and state elected positions. They frequently receive ballot placement that lessens their chances of winning, and they receive less public financing and fewer opportunities for training.

In collaboration with the Fox Center and Mexico's three major political parties — the National Action Party (PAN), the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) and the Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD) — NDI is working to help women gain campaign skills that are already familiar to their male counterparts.

The training kicked off at the Fox Center in San Francisco del Rincón on April 15 with a speech by former President Vicente Fox. Fox offered words of encouragement to the participants, saying that women in Mexico today have risen to the challenge of being more active in politics, the economy and social organizations.

"I believe Mexico has been changing rapidly on this issue. The 2000 election changed many things that had been limited or prohibited before, particularly for women," said Fox, whose victory in that election broke the country's tradition of one-party rule. "I believe that nowadays women have taken the challenge. Women are active in politics, in the economy, civil organizations, but they need programs like this to keep opening doors."

Trainers emphasized strategic aspects of running a campaign, such as message development, targeting messages to specific demographics, scheduling and time management. They also addressed some of the "soft" skills, often familiar to male candidates, such as projecting confidence through voice and presence, negotiating and debating with opponents, and tips for surviving a campaign.

"After these workshops you're aware that you are not alone. You belong to a broad network of women around the world struggling to hold decision-making positions in politics," Cathy Allen, CEO of the Seattle-based Connections Group, told the participants.

The trainers who came from outside Mexico included Allen and Roula Attar of NDI's Jordan office. They joined Julian Quibell, Keila Gonzalez and Rocio Alvarez from NDI's office in Mexico.

This year, 15 states in Mexico will hold elections for governors, local legislators and mayors. Many attendees were women who are either already running for office or strongly considering it.

Pictured above: Vicente Fox meets participants

Published May 7, 2010

Yemen: The Tribal Islamists

fgalleto — Tue, 08 May 2012 23:12:37 +0000

Source:

The Islamists Are Coming

Article Link:

Published Date:

05/06/2012

A new book, The Islamists Are Coming, is the first to survey the rise of Islamist groups in the wake of the Arab Spring. There are more than 50 Islamist parties across the region with millions of followers. Though they are often lumped together, the parties have diverse political ideologies, goals and constituencies. With chapters covering Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, Algeria, Syria, the Palestinian territories, Morocco, Jordan, Lebanon, Yemen and Turkey, the book takes an in-depth look at the diversity of parties emerging across the region.

Les Campbell, NDI senior associate and regional director for Middle East and North Africa programs, authored the books' chapter on Yemen. "Yemen: The Tribal Islamists" follows the history of Islah, the country's Islamist party, and surveys some of its policy positions. In Yemen, where tribe is still the core around which politics is organized, Islah has been a blend of tribal forces and Islamic influences since its founding in 1990. The party has been more pragmatic and less dogmatic in its approach than other Islamist parties in the region, maintaining a focus on individual liberty, freedom of choice and democracy, as well as reforms based on Islam.

The wide array of constituencies within the party, including tribal leaders from rural areas, Salafi sheikhs and the Muslim Brotherhood, have resulted in internal tensions within the party, and with the party aligning itself with the ruling party and the opposition over the course of its history. It is now a key player in Yemen's transition and negotiated with President Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down. "The party sometimes appears to be a modernizing force but at other times looks more like a conservative tribal coalition determined to protect the status quo," writes Campbell. How this contradiction is solved will determine the future of the party and its role in the transition.

Read the chapter»

NDI's Les Campbell on Yemen's Tribal Islamists

fgalleto — Sun, 06 May 2012 18:56:57 +0000

A new book, The Islamists Are Coming: Who They Really Are, is the first to survey the rise of Islamist groups in the wake of the Arab Spring. There are more than 50 Islamist parties across the region with millions of followers. Though they are often lumped together, the parties have diverse political ideologies, goals and constituencies. With chapters covering Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, Algeria, Syria, the Palestinian territories, Morocco, Jordan, Lebanon, Yemen and Turkey, the book takes an in-depth look at the diversity of parties emerging across the region. The book was edited by journalist and foreign policy analyst Robin Wright and published by the United States Institute for Peace Press.

Read the chapter»

Published May 6, 2012

Kenya: Citizens to Be Educated On Political Parties Act | April 14, 2012

fgalleto — Tue, 01 May 2012 17:47:16 +0000

AllAfrica | Link to story »

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) will hold forums on the registration and operation of political parties in a 10-day public sensitization initiative starting on Monday.

The sensitization program is co-sponsored by IEBC and the National Democratic Institute (NDI).

Link to story »

Guide Pratique Des Delegues De Partis Politiques Ou De Candidats Dans Le Bureau De Vote

fgalleto — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 21:18:19 +0000

Author:

National Democratic Institute

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

01/01/2010

Resource Type:

Manual|Handbook

Language:

French

Attachment	Size
Read the manual	950.47 KB

Political Parties in Sierra Leone Pledge Open, Safe, Inclusive Elections

fgalleto — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 16:14:05 +0000

All of Sierra Leone’s eight registered political parties have signed an “Open and Safe Elections Pledge” to promote an electoral atmosphere free of violence and intimidation and to encourage women to participate in the election process. The country is slated to have presidential, parliamentary and local elections on Nov. 17.

The pledge is in part a response to interparty violence, which had begun to cast a shadow on the Nov. 17 polls. Last September, youth from the ruling All People’s Congress (APC) threw stones at the presidential candidate of a major opposition party, the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP). SLPP youth responded by torching APC party offices. The violence spread to include an assault on a local APC chairwoman, and young supporters of both parties attacked each other during a January by-election. Tensions between the parties remain high.

Sulaiman Bai Sesay, secretary general of the United Democratic Movement (UDM), signs the pledge. UDM is one of eight signatories to the pledge.

The fear that violence will escalate during the campaign season has kept some citizens, particularly women, from running for office. But parties hope to change that with the pledge, which was developed by a coalition of civil society organizations with input from the political parties and support from NDI.

Alhaji Mohamed Warisay, the national coordinator of Democracy Sierra Leone, one of the groups in the coalition that drafted the pledge, applauded the political party representatives for signing the pledge and urged them to include women, youth and persons with disabilities in candidate lists and as full partners in the political process.

Candidates are usually chosen by party leaders, and women are often passed over. Though they make up 52 percent of the population, women serve in less than 20 percent of elected posts. They have a hard time competing in politics because of poor access to campaign funding, traditional thinking that women should not hold public office, and harassment and intimidation by male opponents. Young people and the disabled face similar barriers. By signing the pledge, the parties agree to “empower our party’s women, youth and disabled candidates for parliament and local council with campaign, transportation and financial assistance.”

Patrick Taylor, president of the Sierra Leone Union on Disability Issues, lauded the pledge, which commits parties to pass within a year a policy promoting the political participation of people with disabilities. He urged the parties to create a disability wing to work toward the full participation of people with disabilities in parties and politics.

The pledge has provided a code of conduct that civil society groups can use as they monitor how political parties have performed regarding women, youth and the disabled during the campaign period. The coalition members will meet with party leaders periodically to assess adherence to the pledge and recommend ways to improve compliance.

To spread awareness of the pledge among the general public, coalition members have been discussing it on national radio, and they presented each party with a laminated copy of the pledge to hang in their offices.

Related:

Published April 12, 2012

Sierra Leone Open and Safe Elections Pledge

fgalleto — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 16:11:26 +0000

Author:

50/50 Group et. al.

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

04/12/2012

Resource Type:

Code of conduct

Language:

English

Attachment	Size
Read the pledge	75.13 KB

In Kosovo, Women Reach Beyond ‘Soft’ Issues in the Media

fgalleto — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 15:00:33 +0000

When the Kosovar government released its ambassadorial nominations last fall, there was a glaring omission — no women were on the list. A group of women members of parliament (MPs) protested at a news conference, which led the government to increase the number of women nominees to one-third.

But when the national television station reported on the press conference, it played traditional wedding music over what the women were saying, making it look more like a party and distracting from the serious message the women MPs were trying to get across.

The Women’s Caucus hosted the event ‘Women's Portrayal in the Media.’

This is just one example of how Kosovar women are often portrayed by the media. To address the problem, the Kosovo Women’s Caucus partnered with NDI to bring together journalists and politicians to discuss the depiction of women – especially women politicians — in the media.

“We all know the power the media has,” said Alma Lama, board member of the Women’s Caucus. “Media is the message and the messenger. It has a big impact on politics, the national debate, and above all the lives and mindset of the people who consume it.”

Those in attendance, including editors, reporters, media directors, EU representatives and MPs, discussed some of the challenges women face with media coverage, such as being seen as experts only on “women's issues.”

“A woman is able to speak on energy, the economy, justice, foreign policy, agriculture, transportation or health,” said Teuta Sahatqija, chair of the caucus. But in the current environment, women are “only invited [on television] when talking about soft issues.”

At the end of the meeting, the caucus and journalists agreed that the media would take steps to cover women and men more equally in all coverage — not just women in power, but also average women citizens. Participants asked the media representatives to work to maintain a gender balance both on screen and off by nurturing and promoting women journalists in equal numbers to men. Participants also called on members of civil society organizations to consider including media monitoring as part of their activities to hold the media accountable for unfair or unequal treatment of women and men in the press.

MPs didn’t blame only the media, however, and called on their political parties to suggest women for interviews on ‘hard’ issues. “If I only blame the media that I was not in the debate, I am wrong,” said Safete Hadergjonaj, chair of the budget committee in the Kosovo Assembly and member of the Democratic Party of Kosovo. “I have to blame my party that has not given me the opportunity to be part of televised debates on the budget or the economy.”

The meeting was covered widely by the media, including in Kosovo’s biggest daily newspaper and in a number of television and Internet news stories.

NDI's Kosovo Assembly Strengthening Program is funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Related:

Published March 20, 2012

For the First Time, Libyan Parties Meet to Discuss Elections

fgalleto — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 19:48:00 +0000

Representatives from 33 of Libya’s new political parties gathered in Tripoli March 1 to learn about the new law that will govern Libya’s first election in nearly 50 years. The late June vote for a constituent assembly will be the first time any of these parties will wage competitive campaigns, and how well they learn the rules of the game will help determine their success as they vie to shape the future of the country.

Dr. Lamin Belhadj, a member of the NTC Election Committee gives an interview with a local TV station.

The emergence of political parties is a new phenomenon in Libya. They were outlawed during Muammar Gaddafi’s 42-year rule and anyone who participated in a party was declared a traitor. Since Gaddafi’s ouster last October, dozens of parties have formed and will compete in elections.

Meeting in the hotel that once served as the center of Gaddafi’s propaganda machine, the NDI-organized event was the first opportunity for parties to interact with transition officials responsible for managing upcoming elections. The outcome of the voting will determine the membership of the 200-person National Public Conference (NPC), the body that will be charged with drafting a constitution and designing the institutions of Libya’s new democracy.

Lamin Belhadj, a member of the National Transitional Council Election Committee, discussed how the election law was drafted, its provisions and how they affect political parties. Three members of the High National Election Commission spoke about the body’s role and the need to begin a dialogue with political organizations. Members of both institutions took questions and comments from the audience.

The ensuing discussion addressed a number of issues including:

The need for transparency in the development of the election process;
The timeline for elections, including when parties and candidates will need to register;
The challenges of voter registration with no recent census or national identification system;
Special measures to ensure the participation of women;
Security considerations for candidates, party officials and voters;
Accreditation for domestic and international observers; and
Campaign regulations involving media access and finance.

Many agreed that the most important challenge will be raising awareness among average citizens about the election and the role of the NPC, which is unprecedented in the country’s history.

The event was also the first time so many parties were able to come together. “We had the opportunity to interact with a party we had not known before and found that we have a lot in common,” said the campaign manager for one party. “We’re now discussing ways that we may be able to work together.”

Related:

Published March 19, 2012

City Hall Still a Reach for Women in Mexico | March 7, 2012

fgalleto — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 19:05:18 +0000

New York Times | Link to story »

The small-town party bosses told her to forget it. Her husband, too, scoffed at the idea as preposterous. And deep down, María Teresa Domínguez had her own doubts.

Could she run for mayor of Cuernavaca, the capital of Morelos State and a haven for Mexico City weekenders? Was there any chance she, a woman in a city whose institutions have long been dominated by men, could win? Hadn’t her mother always told her that she belonged at home?

Link to story »

Constitutional Assembly Election Plans Explained and Debated in Tripoli | March 5, 2012

fgalleto — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 18:51:08 +0000

Libya Herald | Link to story »

The National Democratic Institute (NDI) held a workshop for political parties on 1 March at Tripoli’s Rixos Hotel, at which the specific date for the elections to the constituent assembly was announced. It is Wednesday 20 June.

According to the organisers, 32 parties were invited, including members of Libya’s Election Committee and Abdallah Naker’s newly-launched Al-Qimma (“The Pinnacle”) party.

Link to story »

Sierra Leone: National Democratic Institute Calls for Women, Disabled Participation | Feb. 24, 2012

fgalleto — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 17:38:31 +0000

AllAfrica | Link to story »

The National Democratic Institute (NDI) yesterday urged political parties to involve women, youth and persons with disability in the forthcoming presidential, parliamentary and local council elections slated for November 17 this year.

The political parties that signed to the memorandum titled 'open and safe elections pledge' include the Peace and Liberation Party (PLP), the Citizens' Democratic Party (CDP), United Democratic Movement (UDM), the ruling All People's Congress (APC), the main opposition Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP), National Democratic Alliance (NDA), People's Movement for Democratic Change (PMDC) and the Revolutionary United Front Party (RUFP).

Link to story »

New Guide Helps Break Glass Ceiling for Women in Political Parties

fgalleto — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 19:06:25 +0000

“Parties that take women’s political participation seriously benefit from stronger electoral positions, access to new groups of voters and stronger relations with their constituents,” NDI President Kenneth Wollack said at the Feb. 29 launch of a new guidebook for political parties.

The guide, Empowering Women for Stronger Political Parties: A Good Practices Guide to Promote Women’s Political Participation, was written and produced by the U.N. Development Programme (UNDP) and NDI.

The guide includes a poster that details ways parties can include women during every part of the election cycle.

Available in Arabic, English, French, Russian and Spanish, the guide offers direction and specific actions that may be taken to promote a stronger women’s presence in political parties. Wollack was joined by Helen Clark, former prime minister of New Zealand and UNDP administrator, and Rebecca Kadaga, speaker of the Ugandan parliament, at the event in New York.

Political parties are the primary and most direct vehicle through which women can access elected office and political leadership, according to the guide. In most countries, parties are responsible for candidate recruitment and selection and decide on which issues are placed on the policy agenda. Helping political parties encourage, nurture and incorporate women’s involvement is key to increasing women’s roles and influence in the political process.

The guide provides general principles for parties to empower women, as well as case studies from 20 countries, showing their approach to increasing women’s participation in political parties.

When parties include women as full partners in the political process, “some results are dramatic, some are subtle and some are achieved progressively, but the overall outcome for political parties is a net gain in every case,” Wollack said.

Related:

Published March 5, 2012

Campaign Manual Launched | Jan. 24, 2012

fgalleto — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 16:16:43 +0000

The Star | Link to story »

A manual to guide politicians on effective campaign strategy has been launched. The book, Leadership and Campaign Academy, was developed the the National Democratic Institute to provide insights on how to assess ones strengths and weaknesses.

The book highlights specific provisions of the new constitution and other relevant legislation that touch on the conduct of political campaigns and political parties. It also provides guidelines into effective communication that is geared towards endearing the electorate to the candidates.

Link to story »

Leadership & Campaign Academy Candidates' Manual

ntekeei — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 19:36:19 +0000

Author:

National Democratic Institute

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

01/31/2012

Resource Type:

Manual

Language:

English

Attachment	Size
Read the manual (Part I)	1.93 MB
Read the manual (Part II)	1.57 MB