NDI - Somalia

Democracy and Good Governance as an Antidote to Violent Extremism in Africa

erodriguez — Fri, 13 May 2016 20:02:41 +0000

Terrorist activity in sub-Saharan Africa over the past decade threatens to destabilize the continent and roll back some of the gains in broadening political space and participation since the global wave of democratization that began in the 1990s. Dr. Chris Fomunyoh, NDI’s Regional Director for Central and West Africa, made the case before Congress for why democracy and good governance should be a central component of any U.S. strategy on counterterrorism and stabilization in sub-Saharan Africa and around the world.

Dr. Chris Fomunyoh testifying before the House Foreign Affairs Committee: "More inclusive and responsive governance, especially at the local level, would help sustain long-term military gains against Boko Haram."

Dr. Chris Fomunyoh and his team had a busy week last week. NDI’s Regional Director for Central and West Africa had been invited by both the Senate and the House to testify about how the United States can better incorporate democracy strengthening activities in its counterterrorism assistance.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC), chaired by Senator Bob Corker, held a hearing titled “Terrorism and Instability in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Good Governance Imperative” on May 10 and the House Foreign Affairs Committee (HFAC), chaired by Congressman Ed Royce, held “The U.S. Role in Helping Nigeria Confront Boko Haram and Other Threats in Northern Nigeria” before its Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations on May 11. Subcommittee Chairman Chris Smith and ranking member Karen Bass presided over the House hearing.

In his opening remarks to the SFRC, Dr. Fomunyoh laid out the current situation in sub-Saharan Africa:

“Terrorist activity in sub-Saharan Africa over the past decade threatens to destabilize the continent and roll back some of the gains in broadening political space and participation since the global wave of democratization that began in the 1990s. Groups such as Boko Haram in northeastern Nigeria and the Lake Chad basin, Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQMI) in northern Mali and the Sahel, and Al-Shabaab in Somalia and the Horn of Africa have caused tens of thousands of deaths and tremendous economic and social dislocations of civilian populations. Some of these extremist organizations operating in Africa are eager to establish alliances with violent extremist organizations in other parts of the world, notably Al Qaeda and the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). The international community is right in supporting counterterrorism efforts that seek to defeat these extremist groups militarily and must, at the same time, assist the affected countries to address the root causes and triggers of the rise in extremism and violence on the continent.”

Autocratic regimes and weak governments which “fail to deliver public services, combat corruption and protect rights and freedoms” make for a disenfranchised and disconnected citizenry, vulnerable to recruitment by extremists. For more than 30 years, NDI has been working in Africa and around the world to eliminate these spaces by promoting good governance and working with citizens to hold their elected officials accountable and keep their elections free, fair and credible.

Senators and Representatives present at the hearings made encouraging comments, indicating their own strong support for democracy in Africa. For example, Senator Chris Coons reflected on the priorities of Congress: “We are underfunding democracy and governance dramatically,” he said, which “send[s] the wrong message.” In order to best combat and prevent the spread of violence extremism, many in Congress believe that the U.S. must make a commitment to further fund these values.

Read Dr. Fomunyoh’s full SFRC testimony and HFAC testimony, which include his specific recommendations to the U.S. government.

Published on May 17, 2016.

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HouseTestimony_NorthernNigeria2016-05-11.pdf	205.4 KB
SenateTestimonyonCounterterrorismandDemocracy2016-05-10.pdf	133.16 KB

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

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See the 2015-2016 calendar for African elections	60.27 KB
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Experts to Discuss Critical African Elections at NDI

Thu, 25 Sep 2014 22:09:17 +0000

Author:

National Democratic Institute

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

09/25/2014

Resource Type:

Press Release

Language:

English

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The implications for democracy of 30 African elections slated through 2016 will be discussed next week by senior Africa experts during a briefing and roundtable discussion at the National Democratic Institute (NDI).

The event will be held on Thursday, Oct. 2, at 9:30 a.m. at NDI, 455 Massachusetts Ave., NW. It is cosponsored by NDI and the Constituency for Africa (CFA).

Johnnie Carson, former assistant secretary of state for African Affairs and a member of the NDI Board of Directors, will open the forum. Panelists are Christopher Fomunyoh, NDI regional director for Central and West Africa programs; Keith Jennings, NDI regional director for Southern and East Africa programs; Jeffrey England, NDI deputy director for Middle East and North Africa programs; and Richard Klein, senior advisor for NDI Elections. Kenneth Wollack, NDI president, and Melvin Foote, president of the Constituency for Africa, will provide welcoming remarks.

Thirty African countries are slated to hold elections between now and the end of 2016. They are Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, the Republic of Congo, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gabon, The Gambia, Guinea, Libya, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Sao Tome and Principe, Seychelles, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, Tunisia, Togo, Uganda, and Zambia.

The conduct of the elections and their outcome could help consolidate nascent democratic institutions and practices across Africa. But if they are viewed as flawed, the elections could result in violence, protracted conflict and democratic backsliding.

The event is part of the Ronald H. Brown African Affairs discussion series sponsored by the CFA.

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

Every year, CFA holds the Ronald H. Brown African Affairs series in conjunction with the Congressional Black Caucus Legislative Weekend. The program is named for the late Commerce Secretary, Ronald H. Brown, who was a leader in forging ties between the U.S. and Africa.

###

WHAT: NDI/Ron Brown Roundtable Discussion on “Critical Elections in Africa 2015/2016”

WHEN: Thursday, Oct. 2, 9:30 a.m. — 12 p.m.

WHO: Johnnie Carson, former assistant secretary of state for African Affairs;

Kenneth Wollack, NDI president; Mel Foote, president of the Constituency for Africa (CFA);

Christopher Fomunyoh, NDI regional director for Central and West Africa programs;

Keith Jennings, NDI regional director for Southern and East Africa programs;

Jeffrey England, NDI deputy director for Middle East and North Africa programs; and

Richard Klein, senior advisor for NDI Elections

Moderated by
Jennifer Cooke, director, CSIS's Africa program

WHERE: National Democratic Institute, 455 Massachusetts Ave, NW, 8th Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001

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Event invitation.	115.24 KB

Somalia Civic Education Campaign Involves Citizens Through Drama

dleonard — Fri, 28 Mar 2014 17:25:04 +0000

Somalia’s new federal government, formed in late 2012, faces significant challenges as it seeks to rebuild institutions, revive services for citizens, and deliver on the promise of democracy after two decades of conflict.

A critical part of stabilizing the country lies in establishing a permanent constitution. But after years without a functioning central or federal government, Somalis lack access to basic information about political and constitution-making processes. A civic education campaign, focused on south central Somalia and Puntland as well as with Somali diaspora, is seeking to change that.

A series of 10 TV and radio dramas has helped educate citizens about the content of a provisional constitution adopted in August 2012, how to engage with political leaders about the constitution’s development, and how to take part in a constitutional referendum scheduled for 2016. Each drama covers a different subject area, such as the judiciary, state and religion, and human rights.

The first drama in the series, which illustrates the basic concept of how a constitution works, begins with a group of roommates who cannot seem to get along. They disagree on everything from noise, to smoking inside, to whose food is in the fridge — and they finally decide to come together to create a set of house rules that takes individual needs into consideration.

“The solution starts with respecting each other,” said one roommate.

As the dramas were aired on Somali media networks in summer and fall 2013, audiences had the opportunity to respond to the films via text message. “In my opinion, the rest of Somalia should come to a peaceful resolution just as the young men in the film did,” said one viewer.

According to public opinion research conducted by NDI in 2010 and 2011, Somalis have been cautious about the constitution. Specifically, they lack general understanding of the constitutional process, the provisional constitution’s contents, or how a federal system of government would work. The civic education campaign sought to address these knowledge gaps.

Although Somalis get some information from clan websites, radio, and online news sources, most have no direct access to newspapers or libraries, leaving them without accurate information about the constitution, why it is needed, how it works or how they can vote in the referendum, according to Mohamed Abdirizak, NDI’s country director for Somalia.

“We have to really share a lot of very basic information. We thought that we needed to take civic education to the next level by doing short films, instead of having the speaker of the parliament explain what is going on,” Abdirizak said of the decision to use drama to educate the public, building on civic education efforts from 2012. The current speaker served as chair of the Committee of Experts, the entity that led the drafting of the provisional constitution.

A talk show in front of a live audience initiated the series of short dramas. The show’s panel included Maryam Arif Qassim, chair of the Parliamentary Oversight Committee on Constitutional Review, a university student and members of Somali civil society. Qassim began by explaining basic concepts about the provisional constitution and how it came into being. The audience then could ask questions, such as how federalism would affect them, the role of young people in the constitution process, and whether Somalia’s federal parliament would try to learn from parliaments in other countries and Somali regional states.

On Sunday evenings in August and September, successive new dramas aired on TVs across the country, and were re-aired on TV and local radio stations. After each radio broadcast, a live call-in talk show allowed listeners to ask expert panelists about the constitution. Radio panelists included senior government officials such as Qasim and Abdullahi Hassan Jama, the chair of the former Independent Federal Constitution Commission, as well as religious authorities, legal and constitutional scholars, and clan elders. Nearly 100 listeners called in to radio stations throughout the series.

In one drama, a woman fights to allow her daughter the same education as her son. She discusses with a friend going to a community meeting that is attended only by men. The women, her friend says, are expected to stay in the home.

“I won’t accept the role,” she says. “The men can choose to meet me or not.”

“We must be guided by the law,” said a citizen in another film, after the son of a government minister accidentally hits a woman with his car. Instead of letting the mob of bystanders take matters into their own hands, a few witnesses turn the man into the police to let him stand trial through the court system.

The 10 topics covered in the dramas are the constitution; state and religion; the executive branch; the legislature; land and property; political parties; security and reconciliation; the judiciary; women’s empowerment and federalism.

Watch the behind the scenes video about the making of these short films.»

Read more:

Published March 28, 2014

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

NDI Staffer Seeks to Connect Somali Women in Parliament, Civil Society

dleonard — Tue, 02 Jul 2013 15:51:43 +0000

Hodan Ahmed and her family were forced to flee Somalia in 1991. The civil war that drove them from their home would go on for two decades. Ahmed live abroad in India and then in Kenya, where she got her education and began her career, but her dream was to return to Somalia to give her children the chance to grow up where she could not.

When, in 2003, she finally was able to revisit Mogadishu, it was a demoralizing experience. “I was devastated by the level of destruction,” Ahmed said. “I could not believe what had become of the capital city of Somalia. The whole city was turned into IDP [internally displaced person] camps, and women and children were facing intolerable suffering. All because of warlords who were hungry for power.”

NDI Somalia staff member Hodan Ahmed delivers remarks at the 2013 Madeleine K. Albright award luncheon. Photo by Chan Chao.

The conditions inspired Ahmed to launch a career that would allow her to help those in her home country. She began working with Norwegian People’s Aid and the United Nations Population Fund, which focused on such issues as female genital mutilation and educating youth about HIV and AIDS. However, she found that the advocacy efforts of these and other civil society organizations created awareness about important issues but not necessarily solutions in the Somali parliament. “These things were never moving forward from there,” she said of the advocacy efforts.

During the years of conflict, civil society organizations organized by women helped provide many services that were traditionally in the purview of government, such as health care, education and community development. But Somali women still were largely isolated from formal political and peacebuilding processes, and faced huge barriers to achieving positions of power.

Ahmed’s desire was to see women activists and women parliamentarians come together to advance the causes they both supported. And that led her to NDI, where she has worked since 2010 to support Somalia’s legislative strengthening program. In addition to helping women parliamentarians master the basic requirements of being a legislator in Somalia’s new parliament, the program worked to bring the parliamentarians together with civil society organizations to advocate for women’s issues. Those efforts helped lead to a constitutional provision banning female genital mutilation. But Ahmed found that even women in parliament had limited resources, and there was still more work to be done to make the efforts of women parliamentarians and civil society more cohesive.

To help sharpen her skills, Ahmed applied for the Andi Parhamovich Fellowship, established in 2007 in honor of NDI staffer Andi Parhamovich, who was killed in Iraq. The annual award brings a young woman from an NDI field office or partner organization to Washington for three months to conduct research for a project that aims to further democracy and expand women’s political participation in her country.

Ahmed used the time to develop a program to give women the leadership skills needed to participate in Somali politics and the peacebuilding process. She met with women’s organizations, U.S. legislators and their staffs, the director of the Maryland General Assembly women’s caucus and NDI staff, among others, to learn effective ways to bring women parliamentarians and women’s groups together to identify issues of common concern, such as peacebuilding, health care and education, and help them form coalitions to advocate more effectively.

On June 7, Ahmed returned to NDI’s Somalia office, located in Nairobi, Kenya, to begin putting her program to work.

“When I’m talking about coalition building, I would love to see civil society and women parliamentarians working together, because [they] go hand in hand,” she said. “Women in civil society have been playing the key role. They were doing everything basically that the government was supposed to do, so women in the parliament feel threatened by these women. And so to bring them together is my hope.”

Ahmed said one of the highlights of her time in Washington was a trip to Annapolis to meet with the executive director of the Women Legislators of the Maryland General Assembly. While there she sat in on a plenary session of the Maryland Senate during a debate on campaign finance reform.

“I sat there and I closed my eyes and I said, ‘Can I see the picture of Somalia here?’ and I was struggling to find any, and I didn’t,” said Ahmed. “And I said ‘five years?’ and I didn’t. And I said ‘10 years? Possibly’...It gave me the opportunity to see how legislatures really function democratically.”

Ahmed also plans to develop a training manual for women parliamentarians to help them learn the basic functions of governing and basic leadership skills.

She also wants to make sure women get the chance to participate equally in parliamentary training, and she hopes to hold sessions specifically for women. “The culture is a challenge to women,” Ahmed said. “Sometimes when there is a debate, women don’t participate because the culture is, ‘The man is talking, we will just wait until he finishes.’”

Would Ahmed return to Somalia to live? “I think the time is coming now, and I will be the first person there,” she said.

“The people of the diaspora, I encourage them to come home and see what the life is there,” Ahmed continued. “You have an idea, [but] you haven’t been there for a long time. There is so much you can do for Somalia and its people. Every Somali has a significant role to play, so when you come back home it will give ideas and direction about what is your role in rebuilding a just and peaceful Somalia.”

Ahmed, who spoke at NDI’s Madeleine K. Albright luncheon on May 29, is the fifth recipient of the Parhamovich award. Past recipients hailed from Iraq, Nepal, Liberia and Kosovo.

Read more:

Published July 2, 2013

Remarks of Hodan Ahmed at the 2013 Madeleine K. Albright Grant Luncheon

dleonard — Thu, 30 May 2013 13:52:44 +0000

Author:

Hodan Ahmed

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

05/30/2013

Resource Type:

Speech

Language:

English

Attachment	Size
Read the speech.	155.36 KB

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

Somalia's New Man

dleonard — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 20:31:54 +0000

Source:

International Herald Tribune

Article Link:

Published Date:

09/18/2012

In his article for the International Herald Tribune, Dayo Olopade outlines the many challenges facing Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, the new president who won a decisive vote among parliamentarians in the recent election. Within days of his inauguration, Mohamud survived an assassination attempt, an event “emblematic of the challenges ahead.”

Mohamud, “a political outsider who comes from the comparatively taint-free academy,” is seen as a symbol of change and a movement forward for Somalia.” To many, he was a surprising choice as he was not a favored member of the Transitional Federal Government (T.F.G.) and only became a member of parliament last month. During his frequent radio commentary, Mohamud focused on improving “education for the vast youth population, which is vulnerable to the influence of groups like Al Shabab.”

On election day, people around Mogadishu were reported chanting, “‘Somalia has been liberated! The new president is here.’” While his election has brought promise to the Somali people, concerns remain about the country’s future. As Olopade reports, Mohamud will have to fight for a more “representative democracy” and select a cabinet that “favors corruption-free outsiders.”

NDI E-news: Women's Leadership, Zambia, Focus Group Research | October 2011

ntekeei — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 19:54:53 +0000

October 2011

Women Seeking Leadership Roles to Make Change

STAY CONNECTED

CONTRIBUTE

Women running for office in the Democratic Republic of Congo learn to use iKNOW Politics. Photo courtesy of NDI_DRC.

"Success without democracy is improbable. Democracy without women is impossible."
— NDI Chairman Madeleine K. Albright

Around the world, women in ever-increasing numbers are taking steps to join in the political process at all levels of government. Partnering with men and supporting each other, women are running for office, rising in the ranks of political parties and advocating for issues that matter in their lives.

In Egypt, where the first post-uprising election will begin Nov. 28, women are working to overcome obstacles presented by both law and custom to win election to the parliament that will draft the country's new constitution. NDI campaign schools are helping them learn about campaign strategies, message development, voter contact, public speaking and the country's complex electoral code as they prepare their candidacies.

In the Balkans, women from political parties are working together across ethnic lines and national boundaries to inject new life into stalled politics. They are championing new education policies that will help women become more entrepreneurial and establishing networks that will help them exchange best practices and overcome barriers to women's participation in politics.

At the campaign school in Cairo.

In Kazakhstan, women make up 58 percent of the civil service but hold less than 9 percent of high-level positions. Women and men from across the country came together last month to draft an action plan to boost opportunities for women to reach decision-making positions in government. The plan calls for a cabinet-level Ministry of Gender Development, creating training schools for women, encouraging women in rural areas to participate in politics and other measures.

During the Democratic Republic of Congo's last legislative elections, fewer than 1,100 of 9,000 candidates were women. To encourage more women to run in November elections, NDI held a campaign school where women interested in parliament learned what it takes to win. Hundreds of women turned out to learn about iKNOW Politics, an online network dedicated to the advancement of women in politics.

In Zambia, Observers Cite Accurate Results, Peaceful Process

Zambia’s Civil Society Election Coalition deployed more than 9,000 highly-trained monitors around the country to observe the voting and counting in last month’s elections. About 1,000 of those were assigned to a nationally representative sample of polling stations. Their conclusion, stated "with great confidence," was that the results announced by the Electoral Commission of Zambia accurately reflected the votes cast and that the process was generally smooth and peaceful. An NDI pre-election observation mission in August, led by Quett Ketumile Masire, former president of Botswana, and NDI Vice Chair Thomas Daschle, pointed out “noteworthy challenges” in the electoral environment and said the country could move forward significantly if its elections were credible and peaceful. Read more»

Liberian Elections Generally Peaceful, Orderly

The Elections Coordinating Committee (ECC), a coalition of seven civil society organizations and a partner of NDI's, fielded 2,000 election monitors to polling locations across the country to observe Liberia's presidential and legislative polls. Based on preliminary reports, the ECC called the elections "generally peaceful and orderly," and urged political parties to respect the official vote totals, expected later this month. Read more»

Key Reforms Needed to Clean Up Afghan Elections

Political and civil society representatives are calling on the Afghan government to carry out critical reforms to clean up the country's fraud-plagued election system. These include increased transparency in election management bodies, improvements to political parties and a better election law. Representatives of civil society, election agencies, parliament, local government, political parties, academia and the media all worked together to come up with an action plan to advance future reforms. Read more»

Citizen Organizations Work to Bolster Parliaments and Public Engagement, Survey Finds

A new report by NDI and the World Bank Institute examines the efforts of some 190 parliamentary monitoring organizations that are monitoring 82 parliaments around the world. These groups are helping citizens sift through and make sense of vast amounts of parliamentary information on such topics as voting records, the content of floor debates and committee deliberations to ensure that citizen interests are represented and legislators are held accountable. Read more»

New Focus Group Research Released in Tunisia, Kyrgyzstan, Somalia

Public opinion research can help governments, political parties and civil society better respond to the issues citizens care about most.

In Tunisia, where this month's constituent assembly elections will be the first competitive poll in the country's history, focus group research shows a widening divide between citizens and decision-makers. Citizens are frustrated by a lack of economic opportunities and perceive political parties as debating issues unrelated to their daily lives. Read more»

In Kyrgyzstan, where voters will choose a president Oct. 30, unemployment and corruption are top issues for voters. Focus group research found that ethnic tensions were still strong, but had been supplanted by unemployment and corruption as issues of top concern. Read more»

In Somalia, new research shows rising popular support for writing a new constitution. Somalis are eager to contribute to their country's future, and want a Somali-led response to conflict and greater inclusion in the transition to a permanent government. Read more»

Importance of Authentic Elections and Unhindered Election Observation Stressed at OSCE Warsaw Meeting

Speaking for the United States at the annual human rights meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Patrick Merloe, NDI's director of electoral programs, emphasized the importance of a genuinely competitive electoral process — before, during and after election day. Citing Kyrgyzstan, Moldova and Macedonia as examples of recent, well-run elections in the OSCE region, Merloe stressed the crucial role that citizen and international monitors have in assessing the validity of an election. Read more»

President Ouattara: Reconciliation and Security Reform Key to Recovery in Côte d'Ivoire

The president of Côte d'Ivoire, Alassane Ouattara, stressed the importance of reconciliation following months of violence and displacement in his country during a Washington, D.C., appearance. "The process will be long, but we are determined and I believe we will get there," he said Sept. 23 at an event cosponsored by NDI. Read more or watch the speech»

Don't Miss NDI's 2011 Democracy Award Dinner

Join NDI Nov. 7 as we celebrate the Arab Spring and honor three supporters of democracy at our annual Democracy Award Dinner. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will give the keynote address. The W. Averell Harriman Democracy Award will posthumously honor Geraldine Ferraro, Richard Holbrooke and Charles Manatt for their lifelong commitment to democracy. Appropriate Communication Techniques for Development (ACT), an Egyptian women's group advocating full inclusion of women in the new Egyptian political order, will receive this year's Madeleine K. Albright grant. Buy your ticket»


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

Research Shows Somali People Are Eager to Engage in a New Way Forward

rrunyan — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 18:32:50 +0000

Highlighting a shift in Somali opinion over the last year, focus group research released by NDI shows that citizens have lost faith in their transitional institutions and are looking for new opportunities to provide input on how to move their country forward.

Andrea Levy presents the findings of the report in an event at NDI.

The findings, in a report entitled Searching for Peace: Views and Comments from Somalia on the Foundations of a New Government, are based on research conducted in Somalia from February to June 2011. The second in a series of studies, the research examined Somali citizens’ opinions on the legitimacy of the transitional government and the international community’s interventions as well as the conflict with Al Shabaab, a militant Islamist group.

Conducted across Puntland and South Central Somalia, the research provides a rare glimpse into the perceptions and needs of a population cut off from the rest of the world by 20 years of violent conflict. NDI spoke with men and women from every region, age group and socio-economic background both in and out of areas controlled by Al Shabaab, including Mogadishu and lower South Central, such as Bakool, Bay and Gedo.

Perhaps the most surprising result was that participants were largely positive about the opportunity to create a new constitution. A year ago, in the first round of focus group research, the same topic evoked strong negative responses. Andrea Levy, NDI’s focus group expert and author of the report, stressed just how much this has changed. “I think this provides both an opportunity and a warning to leaders in Somalia. The Somali people are desperate to contribute to their country, but could become even more cynical if their voices are not heeded in the constitutional process,” she said.

Respondents also stressed their distrust of interventions by external forces, including foreign fighters, who they say are using Islam in ways inconsistent with the religion’s tenets. “Somali citizens feel buffeted by all of these external and informal forces out of their control,” Levy added. “They do not feel like they have a say in what happens in their own country.”

In August, NDI presented the preliminary results to representatives of the international community as part of activities surrounding the opening of NDI’s new office in Nairobi. Officials from the United States, the European Union, Denmark, Norway, the African Union and a number of international nongovernmental organizations joined in a discussion on how the research could help their institutions serve the needs of the Somali people.

NDI has conducted similar studies in Armenia, Kosovo, Ecuador, Sudan, Tunisia, Zimbabwe and numerous other countries. The Institute has worked in Somalia since 2005, supporting the transitional institutions and, more recently, the regional Puntland government.

Related:

Published October 12, 2011

Searching for Peace: Views and Comments from Somalia on the Foundations of a New Government

rrunyan — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 21:59:15 +0000

Author:

Andrea L. Levy

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

09/01/2011

Resource Type:

Focus Group

Language:

English

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Searching for Peace: Views and Comments from Somalia on the Foundations of a New Government