NDI - Senegal

West African Leaders Develop Principles for Effective Democratic Executive Branch Transfers of Power

jfrant — Mon, 19 Dec 2016 18:18:42 +0000

Cabo Verde media covered the conference for both radio and television.

Leaders from across West Africa met in Cabo Verde last month to discuss regional guidelines for democratic handovers of power after democratic elections. The November 21-22 gathering represented a significant and timely effort to begin developing international norms and standards around executive branch transitions.

NDI partnered with the Cabo Verde government to host more than 15 current and former government officials from eleven countries, including former Presidents Amos Sawyer of Liberia, Catherine Samba-Panza of Central African Republic and Pedro Pires of Cabo Verde. Representatives from Benin, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Ghana, Mali, Nigeria and Senegal also participated in the two day conference, along with several international experts on executive transitions. Meetings focused on how to build upon good practices in political transitions throughout the region.

“The focus of this conference is so germane to the situations in African countries, particularly to Liberia -- one country that stands in anticipation of its first peaceful transition of power from an outgoing active administration to a newly elected and incoming one next year,” said Anthony Kesselly, who serves in the Office of the Vice President of Liberia.

While there are international standards for assessing the quality of the election process, from the campaign period until election day, an international framework for evaluating or improving the transition process does not exist. Political transitions are difficult, especially if the roles and responsibilities of the incoming and outgoing administrations are unclear. Uncertainty presents a host of potential triggers for conflict and dispute, diverting very limited human resources from the task of governing, during a period when expectations for citizens may be particularly high.

“We have to move away from the norm of ‘Who wins, wins everything and who loses, loses everything,’” said Pedro Pires, former President of Cabo Verde.

The participants brought a wealth of experience to the table for what is the first step in a longer process of developing internationally recognized standards around democratic transitions of the executive branch. They presented on specific topics of expertise, covering the mechanics and processes involved in areas such as: the legal and regulatory framework, governing executive branch handovers of power; approaches to engaging other branches of government on policy priorities such as economic stability and national security; inclusion and diversity in a new administration; and strategic communications, particularly for the first 100 days in office.

Pictured from left: Animata Malle-Sanogo, former president of the ECOWAS Court of Justice; Amos Sawyer, former President of Liberia; Pedro Pires, former President and Prime Minister of Cabo Verde; Catherine Samba-Panza, former President of the Central African Republic; and Jose Maria Pereira Neves, former Prime Minister of Cabo Verde.

The conference came at a time when there is particular interest in the ongoing executive branch transition in the US. NDI support for executive branch transitions is an important and growing element of Institute programing of NDI support for executive branch transitions --- both through the development of adequate legal and procedural frameworks for executive transitions and specific "transition team" assistance to potential incoming administrations.

“We live at a time where citizen demands of their government are extremely high. Newly elected presidents or prime ministers can’t afford to take months or even weeks to get up to speed and begin to govern. The negative impact of a slow, protracted transition -- or worse, serious missteps during an administration’s early days in office -- on lost economic development is something that most countries simply can’t afford,” said Scott Hubli, NDI’s director of governance programs.

The Principles on Democratic Executive Branch Transitions, which was agreed to by participants at the gathering in Cabo Verde, provides a crucial framework for transitions in the region and for future work by NDI and experts around the world to support the development of norms and standards for future incoming and outgoing administrations.

“The framework of principles, established by representatives of countries in the region, is an important step in providing a roadmap for governments to minimize the potential for disputes and to ensure respect for the voters’ preferences,” said Jodi White former Chief of Staff to Canadian Prime Minister Kim Campbell and President of the Public Policy Forum, who participated in the Cabo Verde conference.

NDI will convene an international symposium in Washington, D.C., to add additional perspectives and approaches on this topic beyond just the West African context. The Institute will bring experts from across the world who have experience with executive branch transfers of power and will seek to engage with executive transition initiatives of the following 2016 U.S. presidential election.

“A smooth and successful transition following an election, is of singular importance to the health of any democracy and to the public’s trust in its institutions,” White said.

Published on Deceber 19, 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.

NDI’s Pat Merloe Testifies Before Congress on U.S. Election Support in Africa

blesswing — Wed, 18 Mar 2015 18:32:58 +0000

NDI Director of Electoral Programs Pat Merloe testified at a hearing, “U.S. Election Support in Africa” on March 18 before the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights and International Organizations.

“Support for democratic elections in Africa should build longer-term democratic political dynamics that result in responsive, accountable governance,” Merloe said. “International election observation can play an important role in achieving peaceful, credible elections in Africa.”

Watch the hearing »

Read Pat Merloe’s full statement here »

Read more:

NDI's Christopher Fomunyoh Testifies Before Congress on "Nigeria on the Brink?"

Experts to Discuss Critical African Elections at NDI

Published on March 18, 2015

Attachment	Size
See the 2015-2016 calendar for African elections	60.27 KB
See a map of 2015-2016 African elections	129.47 KB

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

Obama's Africa Reset

dleonard — Mon, 15 Jul 2013 16:25:35 +0000

Source:

Voice of America

Article Link:

Published Date:

07/12/2013

Christopher Fomunyoh, NDI regional director for Central and West Africa, discusses the significance of President Obama’s recent trip to Senegal, Tanzania and South Africa on Voice of America's "Encounter" program. Fomunyoh was joined by Ambassador David Shinn, former U.S. Ambassador to Ethiopia and Burkina Faso.

“I think the trip was successful both in the substance and in the symbolism of the places that he visited,” said Fomunyoh.

Listen to the full podcast here.

West Africa Election Observers Network (WAEON) Field Guide Series

dleonard — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 17:26:20 +0000

Author:

National Democratic Institute

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

06/12/2013

Resource Type:

Manual|Handbook

Language:

English, French

Nonpartisan citizen observers play an important role during elections by raising public confidence in the election process, deterring electoral malfeasance, exposing irregularities, and providing citizens with important information concerning the integrity of elections. In 2011, with support from the National Democratic Institute (NDI) through a grant from the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), citizen observer groups from 11 West African countries formed the West Africa Election Observers Network (WAEON) to support nonpartisan election observation in the subregion and increase dialogue and cross-fertilization among observation organizations from different countries. As of March 2013, the following organizations are members of WAEON: Burkina Faso’s Mouvement Burkinabé des Droits de l’Homme et des Peuples (MBDHP), Ghana’s Coalition of Domestic Election Observers (CODEO), Guinea’s Consortium pour l’Observation Domestique des Elections en Guinée (CODE), the Ivorian Convention de la Société Civile Ivoirienne (CSCI), Liberia’s Institute for Research and Democratic Development (IREDD), Mali’s Appui au Processus Electoral au Mali (APEM), Nigeria’s Transition Monitoring Group (TMG), Niger’s Association Nigérienne pour la Défense des Droits de l’Homme (ANDDH), Senegal’s Rencontre Africaine pour la Défense des Droits de l’Homme (RADDHO), Sierra Leone’s National Election Watch (NEW), and Togo’s Concertation Nationale de la Société Civile (CNSC). WAEON aims to strengthen electoral processes and encourage citizen participation in democratic governance. The network is part of the Global Network of Domestic Election Monitors (www. gndem.org). Since its inception, WAEON has organized a series of training academies for its members on topics such as systematic election observation, communication techniques and strategies to prevent election-related violence, and sustaining electoral and political reforms in the post-election period.

The training academies inspired the network to develop a series of practical field guides as easy to use reference tools for citizen election observation groups. To date, three field guides have been published in English and French:

Systematic Methods for Advancing Election Observation
Outreach and External Communication
Materials for Professional Election Observation: Designing Forms, Manuals and Trainings

English

French

Attachment	Size
Systematic Methods for Advancing Election Observation (ENG)	2.86 MB
Méthodes Systématisées (FR)	1.7 MB
Outreach and Communication (ENG)	1.5 MB
Le travail de proximité et la communication externe (FR)	1.5 MB
Materials for Professional Election Observation (ENG)	2.28 MB
Matériel à la disposition des observateurs (FR)	2.01 MB

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

Examining the U.S. Policy Response to Entrenched African Leadership

fstovall — Tue, 08 May 2012 22:57:15 +0000

Source:

Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on African Affairs

Article Link:

Published Date:

04/18/2012

Entrenched and often autocratic one-man rule is causing a “democracy deficit” and impeding political development in many African countries, Christopher Fomunyoh, senior associate and regional director for Central and West Africa at NDI, said in congressional testimony April 18. But, speaking before the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on African Affairs, Fomunyoh said that significant political change has occurred in Africa in the last two decades through better elections and peaceful transfers of power. He was joined at the hearing, "U.S. policy response to entrenched African leadership," by Johnnie Carson, assistant secretary of state for African affairs; Earl Gast, assistant administrator for Africa at the U.S. Agency for International Development; and Mo Ibrahim, founder of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation.

“Denying leadership opportunities to a whole generation of African youth and emerging leaders deprives Africa and the rest of the world of the tremendous talent, exuberance and energy that the continent is capable of contributing to a better world in the 21st century," Fomunyoh said. While optimistic about the democratic process in many parts of sub-Saharan Africa, Fomunyoh warned that backsliding through constitutional change or restricting civil society must be closely guarded against. Using recent elections in Senegal and Cameroon as examples of both extremes, Fomunyoh explained how a vibrant civil society can protect electoral processes and hold leadership accountable. In Senegal, "thanks in large measure to effective grassroots mobilization by Senegalese civil society, the media, youth movements and political parties, the electoral process was safeguarded and the country experienced a credible transition of power," he said.

Read his full statement»

Senegal's Democracy Passes Test, but Challenges Remain for Sall | March 27, 2012

fstovall — Tue, 01 May 2012 17:26:02 +0000

World Politics Review | Link to story »

Several hours after polls closed for Senegal’s presidential election Sunday, President Abdoulaye Wade, the 85-year-old incumbent whose decision to seek a third term in office led to waves of protest across the country, conceded defeat to Macky Sall, 50, and even called to congratulate Sall on his victory.

Many had feared that Wade, whose popularity has suffered since he took office in 2000 due to rising levels of unemployment, the soaring cost of living and increasingly visible corruption, would remain in office regardless of the election results.

Link to story »

Fomunyoh Testifies to Senate on Entrenched African Leadership

fstovall — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 19:25:47 +0000

Read his full statement»

Related:

Published April 20, 2012

Democratic Tradition at Stake in Senegal Election | Feb. 27, 2012

fstovall — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 18:11:08 +0000

Associated Press | Link to story »

When he sat down with his biographer to record the story of his life, President Abdoulaye Wade made sure the book would start with a description of the Waalo kingdom, from whose kings the Wade family is descended.

“For many years, we all wrote and spoke about Senegal as being different," said Chris Fomunyoh, a senior associate at the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs in Washington. “Now I think President Wade has deprived us of being able to use that phrase anymore. All of the ills that are undermining the continent are playing out in Senegal."

Link to story »

Read more like this:

Senegal President Booed at the Polls»

Senegal: Protests As Obasanjo Fails to Broker Truce | Feb. 26, 2012

fstovall — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 17:50:06 +0000

Boston Globe | Link to story »

As Senegal holds its presidential election Sunday, mediatory role of former President Olusegun Obasanjo in the political crisis plaguing the country suffered a setback last night as anti-President Abdoulaye Wade protesters turned down Obasanjo's proposed two-year in office for Wade and ordered the former Nigerian President to leave their country.

"For many years, we all wrote and spoke about Senegal as being different," said Chris Fomunyoh, a senior associate at the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs in Washington. "Now I think President Wade has deprived us of being able to use that phrase anymore. All of the ills that are undermining the continent are playing out in Senegal."

Link to story »

West Africa Election Observers Join Together to Promote Credible Elections

Mon, 28 Feb 2011 16:26:59 +0000

West African elections can run the democratic gamut. From the peaceful presidential polls held in Ghana in 2008 to the ongoing election-related standoff in Cote d’Ivoire, elections in the region have seen everything from successful transfers of power to ethnic tensions to widespread fraud. Citizen election observation groups from 11 countries have formed the West Africa Election Observers Network (WAEON) to help ensure accountability, increase honesty and accuracy, and instill confidence in legitimate election results in their countries.

Citizen election observation groups from 11 countries have formed the West Africa Election Observers Network (WAEON) to help ensure accountability, increase honesty and accuracy, and instill confidence in legitimate election results in their countries. WAEON’s goal is to enable observers from different countries in the sub-region to exchange ideas and recommendations for better approaches to observation. Comprised of independent, nonpartisan organizations, WAEON helps citizen observer groups in West Africa meet criteria set forth in the Declaration of Global Principles for Nonpartisan Election Observation and Monitoring by Citizen Organizations, an internationally recognized standard for election monitoring. NDI played a key role in the creation of WAEON by bringing together observer group representatives in a series of workshops on election best practices. Participants decided to form the network to help improve election monitoring in their countries.

In announcing its creation on Feb. 21, WAEON promised to “provide technical and moral support to its member organizations in order to encourage nonpartisan citizen election observation, champion electoral reforms and advocacy, and promote credible elections as a means of deepening electoral democracy in the sub region.”

The network will create a forum for information sharing among neighboring countries. Although international monitors have observed elections in the region since the 1970s, domestic groups have only recently taken on this task. The Jan. 31 elections in Niger and upcoming polls in Nigeria and Liberia provide observation opportunities for WAEON member groups. Network members also will have the chance to hear from counterparts in other countries, such as Ghana, that have conducted more advanced observation efforts based on statistical principles. Other WAEON goals are to increase the quality of observation across the region and improve the credibility of elections.

On Feb. 21 and 22, NDI sponsored a workshop with WAEON members on voter registration observation. Other activities include a series of exchange visits that give representatives from participating West African countries a chance to study how neighboring nations prepare for elections and tally votes. For example, WAEON members recently met with election administrators, government officials, and civil society representatives in Niger and Nigeria in the lead-up to their elections.

Related:

Pictured above: WAEON Treasurer Djeneba Kone Diarra of Mali and WAEON Chairperson Mashood Erubami of Nigeria at the launch of WAEON in Abuja, Nigeria, on Feb. 21, 2011.

Published on March 3, 2011