NDI - Zimbabwe

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

Women Rights Organisations Strategize for Democracy in Zimbabwe

dleonard — Thu, 17 Oct 2013 17:06:05 +0000

Source:

Thomson Reuters Foundation

Article Link:

Published Date:

10/04/2013

In July, Zimbabwe held general elections which President Mugabe and his party, the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front, won handily. While the elections were peaceful, most have condemned its credibility, including the Women’s Coalition of Zimbabwe, a women’s rights organization.

According to Mushonga–Mazvidza, the coalition’s national coordinator, there were particular challenges for women when registering to vote. In urban areas, which have fewer voting stations, “there were stories of women who stood in queues for about four to five hours waiting to register to vote,” she said. In addition, “many women in Zimbabwe don’t own property or it is not registered in their name, so they struggled to get registered” since proof of residence is required for registration.

Although democracy faces many obstacles in Zimbabwe, Mushonga–Mazvidza and the coalition are continuing to work for free and fair elections and gender equality. They are also optimistic about the future, noting “how traditional attitudes are changing with the newer generation that is coming into politics.”

2013 Harmonised Elections Preliminary Statment (ZESN, Zimbabwe)

fstovall — Fri, 02 Aug 2013 15:24:24 +0000

Author:

Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN)

Publisher:

Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN)

Published Date:

08/01/2013

Resource Type:

Statement

Language:

English

The Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN), as part of its comprehensive effort to observe the 2013 harmonised elections, deployed more than 7,000 observers to every province and constituency in the country.

Here is a summary of ZESN's findings:

"Generally the environment was relatively calm and peaceful. Based on empirical reports from its observers, regardless of the outcome, the credibility of the 2013 Harmonised Elections was seriously compromised by a systematic effort to disenfranchise urban voters up to a million voters.

"Before election day the voter registration process was systematically biased against urban voters. The voters’ roll of 19 June, as provided by the Office of the Registrar General, clearly showed that urban voters had systematically been denied the opportunity to register to vote. A total of 99.97 percent of rural voters were registered while only 67.94 percent of urban voters were registered.

"Over 750,000 urban voters were missing on the voters’ roll compared to rural voters. In
contravention of the law, the final voters’ roll was not made available in electronic format prior to election day. Thus there is no way to assess any bias on the final voters’ roll.

"On election day urban voters were further systematically disenfranchised. At 82 percent of urban polling stations, many potential voters were turned away and not permitted to vote for reasons that included names not appearing on the voters’ roll and turning up at the wrong ward for voting. This was in sharp contrast to rural areas where only 38 percent of polling stations turned away many potential voters. This served to disenfranchise thousands more urban voters on election day.

"These factors on their own fundamentally undermine the degree to which the results of the 2013 harmonised election can be considered to reflect the will of the Zimbabwean people.

"When compounded by the massive bias in the state media, the campaign of intimidation in rural areas, the lack of meaningful voter education, the rushed electoral process and the harassment of civil society leaving the credibility of these elections severely compromised, ZESN calls on the African Union, the Southern African Development Community to be objective in their evaluation of these elections and take into cognisance the pre-election issues that have a bearing on the ability of citizens to genuinely choose their government.

"We reiterate that it is not sufficient for elections to be peaceful. For elections to be credible they must offer all eligible citizens a reasonable opportunity to register to vote; to inform themselves about the candidates; to vote on election day and for their votes to be properly counted. We are deeply concerned that for urban voters the first three principles have already been violated."

English

Attachment	Size
Read ZESN's full preliminary statement	659.29 KB

Road to Africa's Democracy Through Elections

dleonard — Thu, 01 Aug 2013 20:41:42 +0000

Source:

Voice of America

Article Link:

Published Date:

07/31/2013

Voice of America's "Straight Talk Africa" discusses the road to Africa's democracy through elections, touching on recent polls in Mali and Zimbabwe.

Chris Fomunyoh, NDI regional director for Central and West Africa, joined the show to discuss developments in Mali since the July 28 presidential elections.

“I am pleased to report that Malians continue to conduct themselves in a very peaceful and orderly manner while waiting for [the] results,” Fomunyoh said.

“The election in historical terms has been more focused on issues than most of the elections that Malians have voted in in the past.”

Watch the full segment here. Fomunyoh’s interview begins at 08:10.

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

NDI Staff Member Held Illegally for Six Days Is Released by Zimbabwe Authorities

fstovall — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 17:27:45 +0000

Author:

National Democratic Institute

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

04/09/2008

Resource Type:

Press Release

Language:

English

Attachment	Size
Read the release	134.93 KB

NDI Condemns Violence, Calls on International Community to Take Action in Defending Rights of Zimbabweans

fstovall — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 18:27:25 +0000

Author:

National Democratic Institute

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

06/24/2008

Resource Type:

Press Release

Language:

English

Attachment	Size
Read the release	84.61 KB

The Backlash Against Democracy

fstovall — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 18:08:48 +0000

Source:

Washington Post

Article Link:

Published Date:

03/12/2011

In this opinion piece for the Washington Post, Carl Gershman, president of the National Endowment for Democracy draws attention to the potential backlash that events in the Middle East could create with autocrats in other countries. He warns that leaders in a number of countries including Burma, China or Zimbabwe could crack down on the Internet and social medias in an effort to avert similar uprisings in their own countries.

"While in time this crisis could lead to a fourth wave of democratic expansion, in the short term we can expect a new backlash against popular pressures for democratic change. Responding to this backlash - with a much more focused effort to defend human rights and aid the work of democracy activists, for example - should be high on the agenda of the United States and other democracies. Special attention should also be given to supporting Internet freedom, including helping groups gain secure and free access to the Internet, protect themselves against malware attacks, network with counterparts in other countries, and connect with donors and technology specialists who can address their specific needs."

Imani Countess

fstovall — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 16:28:12 +0000

Imani Countess is the Zimbabwe country director for NDI, with responsibility for program development, oversight and implementation of democracy strengthening programs, donor relations and representation. Ms. Countess is a veteran of the U.S.-based Africa advocacy community. A respected political strategist and analyst, she is frequently requested to make presentations regarding U.S.-policy toward Africa, including congressional and expert witness testimony. She has extensive knowledge of African politics, particularly Southern Africa.

Previously, Ms. Countess was the senior director for public affairs at TransAfrica Forum where she functioned as an advisor to the president, conceptualized and implemented the organization's Zimbabwe program, maintained expert knowledge on U.S. policy toward Africa, maintained the organizations external relations, and worked with staff and the board of directors on issue-framing. Prior to joining TransAfrica, Ms. Countess was the national Africa coordinator for the American Friends Service Committee, where she re-vamped a dormant program through the creation of innovative educational, training and outreach activities. Ms. Countess' other professional positions in the non-profit sector include: outreach director at Shared Interest, a New York-based loan guarantee fund; senior outreach fellow with the Africa Policy Information Center; executive director of the Washington office on Africa/Africa Policy Information Center, Washington, D.C.-based legislative and research organizations; program associate with the Namibia Information Service, a U.N.-sponsored news agency; and the Southern Africa program coordinator for the Coalition for a New Foreign Policy, a Washington, D.C.-based research and advocacy organization.

In addition to her work in the non-profit sector, Ms. Countess also worked as the congressional liaison for the U.S. African Development Foundation (USADF).

Ms. Countess is a board member of the African Studies Association, board member of the Association of the Concerned Africa Scholars and former co-chair of the Jubilee USA Network Board of Directors. She is the 2007 recipient of the Bud Day Award for Activist Scholarship on Africa.

Albright Reaffirms Need to Work at Preserving 'Gift of Freedom'

fstovall — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 21:38:42 +0000

The fragility of freedom and how to preserve it was one of the themes explored at the 10th anniversary meeting of the Community of Democracies (CoD), a global coalition of democratic countries, meeting July 2-4 in Krakow, Poland.

NDI Chairman Madeleine K. Albright, who as U.S. secretary of state was an initiator of the organization along with the late Polish Foreign Minister Bronislaw Geremek, returned to Poland for the gathering. In 2000 in Warsaw, ministerial delegations from 106 countries signed a declaration, "Toward the Community of Democracies," with the aim of demonstrating methods of support to countries striving for democracy and freedom.

The Krakow meeting was attended by 80 official delegations from around the world, including 40 at the ministerial level, as well as 200 civil society activists from Burma, Zimbabwe, China, Russia and Cuba, among other places. Also attending were parliamentarians from Europe, Africa and North America who are participants in the community's Parliamentary Forum, which was launched last March at the initiative of Lithuania, which currently holds the CoD chairmanship.

New Technologies Create Opportunities, Risks in Democracy Support

In the decade since the founding of the Community of Democracies, a major change has been the explosion of technology and the tools it has created, both for those supporting the free flow of ideas and other democratic values and for authoritarian states interested in the opposite, curtailing information and suppressing human rights. Speaking on a panel in Krakow, NDI's chief technology officer, Chris Spence, explored the role of technology in democratic development and the risks its use poses in closed societies.

"Our view is that technologies are clearly a net positive for democracy...because of the important role [they] can play in consolidating democracy in fragile and transitional democratic states," he said.

The Krakow meeting focused on challenges to democracy and, specifically, how to overcome obstacles in the path of building civil society in the contemporary world. The CoD is developing a global democracy work plan focusing on such areas as civil society protections; gender equality and women's rights; poverty, development and democracy; promoting democracy and responding to national and transnational threats; and regional cooperation.

Albright attributed the success of the first gathering in 2000 to Geremek, who died in 2008 and for whom a democracy award has now been named. "In his welcoming remarks," she said, "he declared that 'the emergence of democracy was the most important development of the 20th century.' But he also reminded us that the gift of freedom was never fully safe – because from one direction or another, the principles of freedom will always be opposed. He argued, therefore, that those who are blessed to live in a democracy have an obligation to repay that blessing by upholding free institutions and by teaching, protecting, and cherishing democratic values."

Albright presented the Geremek Award to Father José Conrado Rodriguez of Cuba, a minister in the impoverished city of Santiago de Cuba. Father José, she said, "reminds us that democracy – at its best – is more than just another system of government... Democracy is grounded in a belief that the legitimate power of governance comes not from the barrel of a gun, or from the means to arrest and to brutalize prisoners, or from the capacity to punish those who dare to voice their discontent. Power, to be legitimate, must come from the people."

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who delivered a keynote address, noted "three essential elements of a free nation – representative government, a well-functioning market and civil society – that work like three legs of a stool." But "walls are closing in" on civic organizations in an increasing number of countries, she said, citing Zimbabwe, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Venezuela, Russia, China and Egypt. "Over the last six years, 50 governments have issued new restrictions against NGOs, and the list of countries where civil society faces resistance is growing longer."

"An attack on civic activism and civil society is an attack on democracy," she said. "...it doesn't matter whether the goal is better laws or lower crime or cleaner air or social justice or consumer protection or entrepreneurship and innovation, societies move forward when the citizens that make up these groups are empowered to transform common interests into common actions that serve the common good."

The next ministerial level meeting will take place in 2011 in Vilnius, Lithuania.

Related:

Pictured above: Lech Walesa and Madeleine Albright greet each other at the 10th anniversary meeting of the Community of Democracies. Photo courtesy of Pavol Demes.

Published on July 16, 2010

NDI E-news: Sudan, Nepal, Liberia | April 2010

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 21:17:18 +0000

April 2010

Citizens Become Involved in Sudan Political Process

Members of SuGDE prepare to submit
accreditation forms for 2,500 election day observers.

Large numbers of Sudanese citizens took part in generally peaceful but deeply flawed elections this month, the nation's first polls in 24 years.

NDI supported the work of two civic networks, the Sudanese Group for Democracy and Elections (SuGDE) and the Sudanese Network for Democratic Elections (SuNDE), that joined forces to create the only coordinated Sudan-wide domestic nonpartisan election monitoring effort. With SuGDE covering the north and SuNDE the south, they received more than 13,500 reports from over 4,300 trained and accredited election observers who were deployed to over 2,000 polling stations across all of Sudan’s 25 states. Read more»

The observers found many failings in the election process and the five days of voting. "...the elections did not fulfill the Interim Constitution’s and Comprehensive Peace Agreement's aspirations for democratic transition and did not adequately meet the requirements of the National Elections Commission rules and regulations," the groups said in a joint statement. Particular problems included poor election administration, incidents of violence, harassment and intimidation, and lack of understanding of their roles by some parties, candidates and supporters.

The elections were an important milestone for Sudan and were required by the country's Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), signed in 2005, that ended the country's civil war. NDI has worked extensively in Sudan since 2002 with the goal of helping Sudanese citizens develop the tools needed to build a more democratic society.

In the runup to the election, the Institute worked closely with SuGDE, a coalition of eight nonpartisan civil society groups, and SuNDE, a coalition of over 75 community groups. Both networks were created for election observation and SuNDE was also engaged in voter education. Read more about the two groups' preparations for the elections»

SuNDE conducted a two-week voter education campaign in October, holding 375 events in 37 counties in all 10 states of southern Sudan. Events ranged from election briefings for key community leaders to presentations at town markets and community events. Topics included the importance of participating in the elections, what offices were up for election and voter registration procedures. Read more»

A major part of NDI's work in Sudan has been focus group research on problems Sudanese people face in their communities, their understanding of the political process and their vision of the future. Imagining the Election explores what citizens in southern Sudan and the Three Areas knew of and expected from the 2010 elections. Losing Hope looks at citizen perceptions about progress toward peace since the signing of the CPA. Read more»

NDI also produces and broadcasts an ongoing radio program, Let's Talk, an engaging radio drama that explores issues of good governance, civic participation and women's political participation. Sudanese listen to the broadcasts on 265,000 wind-up, solar-powered radios distributed by the Institute, and take part in listening groups throughout Southern Sudan that bring people together to talk about the lessons in the programs. NDI collaborated with Betsy Levy Paluck, a Princeton University researcher, to conduct a field experiment that demonstrated that the Sudan program’s design could increase listeners’ interest in politics and improve their civic participation. Learn about the results»

Get Your Tickets!

It's not too late to get your tickets for NDI's 25th anniversary dinner celebration on May 10. NDI will honor Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai of Zimbabwe, above, with the W. Averell Harriman Democracy Award. The Network of Chocó Women of Colombia will receive the Madeleine K. Albright Grant.

Purchase a table or tickets»

Young Women Leaders Collaborate at North African Regional Conference

With women becoming increasingly prominent in North African politics, NDI brought together women leaders from across the region to discuss the importance of strengthening the role of women in political life. The group met in Casablanca, Morocco, to collaborate on strategies for shaping and strengthening women's political and civic engagement.

Liberian Legislature Building Budget Analysis Capability

The Liberian legislature, seeking to strengthen its oversight of the executive branch, is working to improve its budget analysis skills. The country’s democratic transition — following nearly two decades of conflict and civil war — is dependent on good governance, and a strong legislature is one key component. NDI is working with legislators to help them improve policymaking in a number of areas, including the national budget, anti-corruption efforts and human rights.

"Truth-O-Meter" Encourages Accountability in Serbia

Since the ouster of the Milosevic regime nearly 10 years ago, Serbians are standing up for the notion that government is there for the public good, not private gain. But until recently, there was still no public way to hold government officials and public servants accountable. Recently, a Serbian NGO, LiNet, launched the Truth-O-Meter, a website that analyzes politicians' statements based on truthfulness, consistency and whether they fulfill campaign promises or policy pledges. The effort was spearheaded by Vuka Crnjanski, who has worked with NDI as a political party and civil society trainer.

World Movement for Democracy Explores Political Parties, Technology

The unprecedented opportunities for citizen activism presented by new communications technologies, such as cell phones and social networks, was the subject of an NDI panel at the recent World Movement for Democracy (WMD) assembly in Jakarta, Indonesia. The WMD was initiated by the National Endowment for Democracy and exists to "strengthen democracy where it is weak, to reform and invigorate democracy even where it is longstanding, and to bolster pro-democracy groups in countries that have not yet entered into a process of democratic transition."

The Jakarta meeting, April 11 – 14, brought together over 600 participants from more than 100 countries. NDI also hosted a panel at the assembly on the role of party internationals in fostering democratic parties.

NDI Nepal Staff Member Looks for Lessons in DC to Benefit Women at Home

Ten years ago, Sushmita Subba Manandhar began working as an office assistant for NDI in her native Nepal. As she assisted with logistics at NDI events, she also listened to the discussions among ministers, politicians and activists, and the topics piqued her interest. Now, Manandhar is visiting Washington, D.C., as an Andi Parhamovitch fellow to study how women in the U.S. Congress get their voices heard and will take back what she learns to the Inter Party Women's Alliance in Nepal.

The fellowship honors Andi Parhamovich, an NDI employee who was killed in 2007 in Baghdad. The fellowship is awarded each year to a young woman who is deeply involved in building and consolidating democracy in her own country. It is designed to enhance the skills of young women so they can better organize for full political participation in their societies. Recipients come to NDI in Washington, D.C., for training and research.

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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.