NDI - Political Parties

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

fstovall — 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

Press Statement: Kenya-Sierra Leone Party Youth Peer-to-Peer Exchange Visit

dleonard — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 17:08:00 +0000

Author:

Kenya Inter-Party Youth Forum (IPYF) and Sierra Leone All Political Party Youth Association (APPYA)

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

11/01/2012

Resource Type:

Press Statement

Language:

English

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Candidate Schools Help Women in West Africa Compete and Win

fstovall — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 19:40:00 +0000

As countries across West Africa transition to democracy following years of autocratic rulers, civil unrest, and sometimes civil war, women are frequently left out of the process. Though they make up more than half of the population, women are often excluded from politics by rigid social norms, opaque party structures and other societal hurdles.

Yet democracies with more women in power have been shown to yield more equitable societies, have less corruption, and make more advancements in education, infrastructure and health standards.

Aminata Kassé (left), NDI resident director in Burkina Faso, presents a certificate of training completion to a Burkinabe women running for office.

Yet democracies with more women in power have been shown to yield more equitable societies, have less corruption, and make more advancements in education, infrastructure and health standards.

One way to address the shortfall of women in leadership positions is through one-on-one training to help them gain the skills they need to compete effectively. And the women benefit from networking that offers them support across party lines as they face common challenges and hurdles.

In two West African countries that recently held elections, Burkina Faso and Sierra Leone, more women than ever before ran for election. To help them get on the ballot and compete successfully, NDI organized a series of candidate training schools in both countries for women running for national and local offices.

In Burkina Faso, the country’s 2009 quota law was applied for the first time in Dec. 2 National Assembly and municipal council elections. The law encourages political parties to include at least one woman for every two men on party candidate lists. But many women lacked the necessary training and support within their parties to position themselves high enough on the lists to actually be elected.

NDI’s candidate schools focused on identifying challenges and opportunities for women candidates, building support within parties and communities for favorable placement on candidate lists, creating winning messages, recruiting volunteers and supporters, managing a campaign and identifying potential supporters.

“During the first training we’ve learned a lot,” said Sita Ouattara, a parliamentary candidate for Burkina Faso’s ruling CDP party in Bobo Dioulasso. “We were provided with the right tools and we've learned how to position ourselves as candidates on our parties' lists. At the last training session, you told us that women of the same party should first and foremost find synergy. This was done. We now work together, and we have created a small team in charge of discussing matters with provincial leaders to promote our potential candidates so that our party can win in our province. The party gave consideration to some of our concerns, and today we are on the list and we're happy about that.”

Once women clear the hurdle of getting nominated on a party list, they often have little support within their party for what comes next, and there are few role models to turn to. To help with this problem, NDI organized a second campaign school aimed at training nearly 400 Burkinabe women who made it onto party lists. They learned to research issues and constituents, identify voters, communicate key messages and get voters to the polls on election day. They also practiced public speaking and door-to-door persuasion. Though final election results are still being announced for the National Assembly and are yet to be announced for the local councils, half of those elected to parliament participated in one or both of the campaign schools, and all are alumni from NDI’s capacity-building programs on women’s political participation.

The Institute also published a training manual, A Practical Guide for Women Legislative Candidates, that went to each participant. A compilation of NDI’s best campaign practices and strategies based on its 30 years of working with women candidates around the world, the manual also reflected the specific challenges facing Burkinabe women. A second manual was designed for women running at the municipal level. Following the candidate schools, NDI distributed copies of both manuals to all political parties competing in the elections.

In Sierra Leone, women get their pictures taken for campaign literature. Photo by Katie Croake, NDI resident program manager.

In Sierra Leone, where voters went to the polls Nov. 17 to vote in general elections, women faced opaque and highly competitive internal party nomination processes that included few -- if any -- women in decision making roles. NDI candidate training schools helped them navigate those limitations and present strong cases for their inclusion on party lists.

“Today I got my party’s nomination,” said Yeallie Koroma, a ruling party candidate for local council in Sierra Leone. “Now my greatest challenge is organizing a better campaign to convince voters to vote for me.”

Another benefit of women’s campaign schools is bringing women of different parties and backgrounds into one room where they can learn from each other and appreciate the benefits of working across party lines. “We women need to support each other regardless of party to get ahead,” said a local council candidate in Sierra Leone, where more than 300 women from 10 parties attended school. The bonds formed during the sessions can carry over once the women gain office, creating multipartisan networks of women legislators willing to work together for improvements in education, health, gender equality and other issues.

Seventy-five women ultimately made it onto parliamentary candidate lists, and 337 women were nominated for local council in Sierra Leone. Fifteen won in parliament (or 13 percent of the total), of which 10 participated in NDI training schools. Eighty-seven won in local councils (or 19 percent of all councilors), of which 74 had attended the schools.

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Published Dec. 20, 2012

80% of Georgians Appprove of Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili | Dec. 17, 2012

fstovall — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 22:15:25 +0000

Georgia Online | Link to story »

According to a public opinion poll conducted by the National Democratic Institute, majority of Georgian express their sympathy to the Patriarch, Ilia II, with 93 percent of questioned. Leeade in political sympathy, with 80% became Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili and only 29% are in favor of President Mikheil Saakashvili.

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Réconciliation Nationale / Charles Konan Banny : Les Ivoiriens ont Raison d’être Impatients | Dec. 5, 2012

fstovall — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 21:39:55 +0000

Abidjan.net | Link to story »

Les observateurs avertis de la scène politique et certains acteurs politiques l’ont maintes fois relevé, le processus de réconciliation nationale n’évolue pas à un rythme convenable qui permette de faire bouger les lignes et projeter la Côte d’Ivoire vers la sortie de crise.

Le président de la Commission Dialogue, Vérité et Réconciliation (Cdvr), Charles Konan Banny, s’est fait à son tour l’écho de ce constat, hier, au Forum sur la participation des femmes à la réconciliation nationale, organisé par le National democratic institute for internationals affaires (Ndi), à l’hôtel Tiama d’Abidjan-Plateau.

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Georgia's Richest Man Runs for Country's Top Job | Sept. 26, 2012

fstovall — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 19:09:40 +0000

Associated Press | Link to story »

Georgia's richest man, billionaire and philanthropist Bidzina Ivanishvili seems to have it all — a head-spinning fortune, the respect of his country and gleaming, art-filled palaces across the globe, including one where zebras and pink flamingoes roam...

An August opinion survey by U.S.-based National Democratic Institute suggested that Saakashvili's United National Movement leads the polls with 37 percent support, while Georgian Dream has 12 percent. But Ivanishvili claims he has momentum on his side, with support surging since the release of the prison rape video.

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Ivanishvili, Usupashvili and Georgian Dream Coalition Receive Their Highest Ever Approval Ratings in NDI Polls

fstovall — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 16:25:16 +0000

Author:

National Democratic Institute

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

12/17/2012

Resource Type:

Press Release

Language:

English

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 17, 2012

Contact: Teona Kupunia, Tbilisi
+995577 719134, teona@ndi.ge;
Kathy Gest, Washington,
+202-966-5215, kgest@ndi.org

IVANISHVILI, USUPASHVILI AND GEORGIAN DREAM COALITION RECEIVE THEIR HIGHEST EVER APPROVAL RATINGS IN NDI POLLS

TBILISI – Following Georgia’s first democratic transfer of power, a landmark event in the nation’s history, Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili received an 80 percent favorable rating and Speaker of Parliament Davit Usupashvili received a 63 percent favorable rating, according to the findings of a public opinion survey released here today by the National Democratic Institute (NDI).

Sixty-three percent of respondents identified the Georgian Dream coalition as the party closest to them. President Mikheil Saakashvili received a favorable rating of 29 percent, and the United National Movement was identified by 10 percent of those surveyed as the party closest to them.

The NDI survey was designed to measure Georgian voters’ attitudes toward the Oct. 1 parliamentary elections and the performance of politicians and political parties.

These findings were part of a broader survey that found that voters care most about jobs and affordable healthcare.

Luis Navarro, NDI’s country director in Georgia, said, “The Georgian Dream Coalition and Prime Minister Ivanisvhili have received their highest ever approval ratings in NDI polls from Georgians following the October parliamentary elections. In addition, a majority of both Georgian Dream and UNM supporters see the country as going in the right direction."

In an effort to better understand the priorities and perspectives of respondents who answered "don't know," "refuse to answer" or “no party” to the question of which party is closest to you, NDI is releasing party crosstab information about Georgian respondent groups. A crosstab shows the relationship between two questions, such as “in which direction Georgia is going” compared with ““which party is closest to you.”

In the past, NDI has shared findings on parties’ and politicians’ ratings privately with political parties. It is releasing these results publicly today to avoid their misinterpretation through the leaking of partial findings

NDI’s survey work is funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) and carried out by the Caucasus Research Resource Center (CRRC).

-END-

NDI is an independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan organization working to support and strengthen democratic institutions worldwide through citizen participation, openness and accountability in government. More information is available at www.ndi.org.

English

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Forum Brings Kenyan Youth Together Across Party, Ethnic Lines

fstovall — Fri, 23 Nov 2012 21:06:10 +0000

With the motto “unity in diversity,” Kenya’s Inter-Party Youth Forum (IPYF) is bringing together young political party activists from across the political spectrum to collaborate on solutions to the most pressing issues facing the nation’s youth, including unemployment, substance abuse and disenfranchisement.

Young Kenyans sign the pledge.

With more than one-third of Kenyans under the age of 35, youth will play a large role in the next general election, the first since 2007 when post-election violence swept the country resulting in the deaths of more than 1,000 citizens and the displacement of 600,000. At a Nov. 19 IPYF national youth conference in Nairobi, 950 young people pledged to uphold peace and tolerance leading up to March 4 polls. The conference was organized by NDI with assistance from the United States Agency for International Development and the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

As a Youth, I PLEDGE...

On Nov. 19, 950 young people from across Kenya signed this pledge, promising to uphold peace and tolerance in the next election.

I am a youth and I am a Kenyan.

I choose to respect and protect my fellow Kenyans without discrimination based on ethnic group, religion or political affiliation.

I shall not participate in any acts of violence, before, during or after the general elections.

I shall respect the rule of law and uphold the constitution. I believe in the spirit of unity as express in the National Anthem.

I WILL maintain PEACE.

As a youth, I PLEDGE.

Despite their numbers, young people have historically been left out of the political process and have little say in decision-making. IPYF was formed in 2009 as a national platform to promote constructive political participation among youth across party lines; the forum held a national launch with the NDI board of directors in 2010. Since then, IPYF has engaged more than 1,500 young people in the political process through national and local outreach sessions to raise awareness about their rights and responsibilities under Kenya’s new constitution, ratified in 2010. Youth attending these sessions share some of their most pressing concerns, such as lack of national identification cards, which are required for voter registration, and high levels of unemployment.

After supporting the forum at the national level, NDI is helping IPYF expand across Kenya by establishing forums in each of the country’s 47 counties. The forums aim to strengthen political awareness and participation among youth ahead of the March elections focusing on three themes: Kenya’s new constitution, which includes special provisions for youth; advocacy for credible and transparent elections; and campaigning against negative ethnic politics.

“Our expectation is that... all the youths [will] speak in one voice, to have tolerance for one another irrespective of their party affiliation,” said one participant when the Nairobi county forum launched in Kibera, the largest slum in the capital.

During a launch event in Mombasa, Kenya’s second largest city, youth participants identified local militia groups controlling politics as a unique threat in the region. They also discussed widespread unemployment and substance abuse. The youth talked about how to address these problems, such as drafting a letter to local authorities to encourage them to enforce drug and alcohol laws.

As the elections draw closer, NDI continues to support IPYF to encourage peaceful political engagement among Kenyan youth through events such as the national youth conference and by launching more county forums across the country.

Related:

Published Nov. 23, 2012

Youth Party Members from Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia to Witness U.S. Elections Firsthand

fstovall — Fri, 02 Nov 2012 16:00:19 +0000

Author:

National Democratic Institute

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

11/01/2012

Resource Type:

Press Release

Language:

English

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Agenda de la Jeunesse

fstovall — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 17:36:19 +0000

Author:

National Democratic Institute

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

10/23/2012

Resource Type:

Agenda

Language:

French

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Iraq Survey Shows Growing Optimism

mglauberman — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 19:28:30 +0000

Concerns over unemployment, service delivery, corruption remain

The Iraqi public’s outlook improved significantly between October, 2011 and April, 2012, according to a survey conducted last spring. A plurality of Iraqis (48 percent) said they believed that Iraq was heading in the right direction—an 11 point jump from the October survey. The results also found, for the first time since the current research series began, that a majority of Iraqis (52 percent) rated the country’s economy as strong and a majority (53 percent) gave Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki a positive job approval rating. The survey was conducted April 5-20 across Iraq by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner (GQR) and NDI and builds on four previous polls conducted since 2010.

Concerns over unemployment, service delivery, corruption remain

The Iraqi public’s outlook improved significantly between October 2011 and April 2012, according to a survey conducted last spring. A plurality of Iraqis (48 percent) said they believed that Iraq was heading in the right direction—an 11 point jump from the October survey. The results also found, for the first time since the current research series began, that a majority of Iraqis (52 percent) rated the country’s economy as strong and a majority (53 percent) gave Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki a positive job approval rating. The survey was conducted April 5-20 across Iraq by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner (GQR) and NDI and builds on four previous polls conducted since 2010.

While the majority of participants surveyed expressed positive sentiments about Iraq’s recent developments, the survey identified several issues that could temper this increased optimism:

More than half of the participants surveyed (55 percent) named jobs and unemployment as one of the two most important issues for the government to address; basic services, such as electricity and water, placed second at 42 percent. While results indicated an overall positive shift in the country’s mood, large majorities of Iraqi citizens saw both job opportunities and electricity supply as getting worse.
Among Iraq’s largest ethnic or religious groups, Sunnis expressed the most negative sentiments. The survey found that 66 percent of Sunnis saw Iraq heading in the wrong direction, with only 26 percent expressing support for the way the country was headed. In another sign of Sunni pessimism, 58 percent of Sunnis viewed Iraq as a divided, rather than unified, country—compared to 35 percent of the overall population.
Growing tensions between Baghdad and Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region threaten to exacerbate divisions within the country. Amid strong economic growth, a majority of Iraqis living in Kurdistan (65 percent) saw the region heading in the right direction; only 26 percent, however, saw the country as a whole moving in the right direction. The survey indicated that just 30 percent of the residents of Kurdistan saw Iraq today as a real democracy, representing a dramatic 38-point drop since last year.
Across the board, Iraqis expressed openness to opposition parties playing an active role in providing alternatives to government policies. Eighty-nine percent of Iraqis said they would feel more favorable toward an opposition group that would “closely monitor the government’s actions and make public any missteps, bad policies, or corrupt practices.” And 88 percent would feel more favorably toward an opposition group if it “proposed alternative policies for creating jobs, providing basic services, and fighting corruption.”

NDI and GQR began polling the Iraqi public in November 2010 and have shared findings with political parties, government and civic groups to help them meet the needs of Iraq’s citizens. In briefings in Iraq, advisers from NDI met with party and government leaders to present the nationwide results. Iraqi leaders hope to use the findings to develop policies that better address citizen priorities, improve communications and messaging, and respond to citizen expectations for government reform.

Read the full report and view the presentation.

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Published Oct. 23, 2012

A Compilation of Political Party Statutes

fstovall — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 20:56:31 +0000

Author:

National Democratic Institute

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

01/01/2011

Resource Type:

Manual

Language:

English, Arabic

English

Arabic

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Political Parties and CSOs Use Lessons Learned to Prepare for Angola Elections

fstovall — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 20:05:59 +0000

Angolans will go to the polls on Aug. 31 for a historic election, the third in the country’s history and the first presidential election since a civil war ended in 2002.

Klein (right) discusses the role that nonpartisan election observers play in building public confidence in elections.

Angolans will go to the polls on Aug. 31 for a historic election, the third in the country’s history and the first presidential election since a civil war ended in 2002.

Despite this significance, most Angolans are not fully informed of their rights as voters and many are unaware of recent changes to election laws, such as expansion of term limits and changes in voting procedures. In addition, the elections will take place amid growing violence against opposition supporters and a wave of student-led activism against wealth disparities.

To support election preparations, NDI brought together approximately 60 representatives from political parties, civil society, academia and government for two days of meetings in the Angolan capital of Luanda in June to talk about how to make the upcoming elections credible and transparent.

The event was sponsored by the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy in Luanda and the U.S. Agency for International Development.

One focus was on the role of international and regional principles, such as the Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation signed at the United Nations and the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections in promoting free, fair and transparent elections.

The Honorable Nora Schimming-Chase, former member of the Namibian parliament and SADC’s Parliamentary Forum, and Brazão Mazula, former chair of the Mozambican Electoral Commission, compared examples of how these guidelines helped promote free and fair elections in other Southern African countries and highlighted lessons learned that could be applied to Angola, such as closer collaboration with civil society groups on voter education outreach.

In addition, Richard Klein, NDI’s senior advisor for electoral processes, discussed the role that nonpartisan election observers play in building public confidence in elections and mitigating the possibility of violence.

Inglês Pinto, outgoing chairman of the Angolan Bar Association, led a discussion on recent changes in Angola since its parliament approved a wide reform of the elections law last December. “A free and transparent electoral process in Angola is a vital instrument for the consolidation of peace, national reconciliation and the establishment of a democratic and law-abiding state,” Pinto said.

On the second day of the conference, participants reviewed recommendations from domestic and international election observation missions to Angola’s 2008 parliamentary elections. Although the election results were accepted by all contending parties, some observers said that political and logistical challenges inhibited voter turnout. Participants discussed the recommendations and how they have been addressed ahead of this year’s polls. Moderators of the discussion encouraged them to make a commitment to democratic elections, identifying ways that each of the participating groups could strengthen transparency and fairness in the electoral process.

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Published Aug. 30, 2012

NDI Releases Public Opinion Survey | July 10, 2012

fstovall — Mon, 30 Jul 2012 15:41:54 +0000

Civil.ge | Link to story»

Those who believe that Mikheil Saakashvili should not become PM after his presidential term expires have only a slight edge over those who have opposite view with substantial number of respondents undecided, according to a new public opinion survey released on July 10.

Asked if they would approve President Saakashvili becoming Prime Minister after his second and final term in office expires in late 2013, 36% responded negatively and 33% - positively with 27% said they did not know and 3% refused to answer, according to the poll fielded by the Caucasus Resource Research Centers (CRRC) for U.S. National Democratic Institute (NDI).

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Political Parties Agree on Code of Conduct for Elections | June 18, 2012

fstovall — Mon, 30 Jul 2012 14:48:46 +0000

Libya Herald | Link to story »

More than 35 political entities taking part in the upcoming July 7 elections agreed on the basic code of conduct in a conference in Tripoli on Sunday. The conference was hosted by United Nations in coordination with the National Democratic Institute (NDI).

The conference was attended by all the main parties including the National Front, the National Forces Alliance, the Nation Party, the Justice & Construction Party and the Ummah Party.

Link to story »