Ukraine

Ukraine’s March 26 parliamentary elections were monitored by NDI civic partners. Read their statements here:

Committee of Voters of Ukraine, March 27. (PDF)

European Network of Election Monitoring Organizations, March 27. (PDF)

Belarus

NDI Chairman Madeleine K. Albright releases statement to the people of Belarus in the aftermath of the presidential election. Click here to read the statement, March 25.

Patrick Merloe, NDI's senior associate and director of electoral programs, testifies before the United States Congress Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe on "Freedom Denied: Belarus on the Eve of the Elections." Click here to read the full testimony, March 9. (PDF)

NDI issues a statement on the arrests of civic activists in Belarus. Read this statement in English, Belarusian or Russian, March 7 (PDF).

KOSOVO: STATEMENT OF CONDOLENCE

NDI marks the passing of Dr. Ibrahim Rugova, President of Kosovo. Click here for the full statement, January 25.

LIBERIA

To celebrate the inauguration of Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf—Africa’s first female head of state—NDI and the Liberian Ministry of Gender and Development convened a forum on January 14 to discuss women’s participation in African political life. More than 250 African women joined President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf to discuss the status of women in the region.

Click here to see the full agenda and read speakers’ bios (PDF)

Read about the forum on allAfrica.com

Learn more about the Win With Women Initiative

SPECIAL REPORT: YEMEN

In a series of reports called Exporting Democracy, the Washington Post chronicled an NDI program to promote democracy in Yemen’s tribal regions. The three articles are based on a year of reporting in Washington and Yemen.

Read A Call from the Sheiks (December 18)

Read A Place Called al-Jawf (December 19)

Read The President’s Concerns (December 20)

Videos: Democracy Now, Living in Yemen, Surviving Tribal Wars, Fast Food Yemen-Style, The Great Escape

Read more about NDI programs in Yemen

West Bank and Gaza

NDI and The Carter Center delegation to the January 25 Palestinian Legislative Council elections found that, "under the difficult circumstances of the ongoing conflict and occupation, Palestinian voters turned out in large numbers in a strong expression of their desire to choose representatives through open and competitive elections." However, the 85-member multinational delegation also pointed out that "Hamas’ current political participation, while simultaneously advocating violence, is not consistent with a fundamental principle of democratic elections." The delegation was co-led by former US President Jimmy Carter, former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt, former Albanian President Rexhep Meidani and former Spanish Foreign Minister Ana Palacio.

Delegation's full statement, January 26 (PDF)

Press release, January 26 (PDF)

Pre-election assessment, January 6 (PDF)

Click here for more information about NDI’s programs in the West Bank and Gaza, including all statements regarding elections.

NEW PUBLICATIONS: POLITICAL PARTIES AND DEMOCRACY

Leading scholars in the field of political parties and democratic governance joined NDI in creating a unique research series:

Political Finance Policy, Parties and Democratic Development, by Dr. Michael Johnson

Adopting Party Law, by Dr. Kenneth Janda

Implementing Intra-Party Democracy, by Dr. Susan Scarrow

Developments in Party Communications, by Dr. Pippa Norris

Learn more about this series of publications.

IRAQ

When Iraqis voted for a new parliament in December, more than 14,000 non-partisan domestic election observers monitored polling stations in every region of the country. Before the elections, NDI helped train 505 election monitoring team leaders from the Iraqi Election Information Network (EIN), who in turn trained and supervised the observers for the December 15 election.

EIN Press Release on the extension of voting hours

EIN Press Release on the opening of polling centers

EIN Press Release on the voting process

EIN Press Release on monitoring prisons, hospitals and army camps

Democracy and Technology

Various Internet and mobile technologies are changing the relationship between governments and their citizens. To explore in greater depth how technology is impacting the development of democratic institutions around the world, NDI co-sponsored a conference that brought democracy assistance professionals together with technology experts, government leaders and representatives from the private sector.

Read Congresswoman Anna Eshoo’s (D-CA) keynote address at the conference

Learn more about NDI’s Information, Communications and Technology (ICT) programs around the world

NICARAGUA

With national elections in 2006 certain to be hotly contested, a new study finds Nicaraguan youth interested in politics, but many—as much as 14% of the electorate—lacking the necessary ID cards to vote. Full story.

Download the Nicaraguan Democracy Survey (PDF)

ELECTION MONITORING STANDARDS ADOPTED

On October 27, NDI Chairman Madeleine Albright joined UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, and others at the UN in New York to endorse a Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation. Full Story...

CUBA

Cuban dissidents, including Oswaldo Payá, winner of NDI's 2002 Democracy Award, are facing increasing harassment and repression by the Cuban regime. Full story...

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