NDI E-news: Iraq, Philippines, Jordan | March 2010

March 2010

Candidates, Parties and Citizens Focus on Issues, Electoral Process Surrounding Iraqi Vote

An audience member at a forum in Erbil asks a question

of the candidates.

Voters across Iraq cast their ballots for parliament on March 7 despite threats of insurgent violence. Thousands of Iraqis ran for seats, many for the first time, and new parties and coalitions formed to represent the needs and concerns of different segments of Iraqi society.

To boost the credibility of the electoral process and the acceptance of election results, NDI provided technical assistance and financial support to the Sun Network for Monitoring Elections (Shams), a network of Iraqi civil society organizations that issued reports on the political and security environment, party and candidate campaigns, and the conduct of electoral authorities and civil society organizations throughout the election period. Shams employed an observation technique known as "sample-based observation" or parallel vote tabulation (PVT). Shams volunteers monitored the entire voting process — from the opening of the polling stations to the vote counting on election night — for any fraud, abuses or intimidation. On election night, the volunteers sent the results of each official local tally to a central database using SMS or text messaging technology. In its preliminary election report, Shams stated that, despite some irregularities, the conduct of election day was free and fair.

Pre-election public opinion polls provide another useful indicator of the results’ integrity. NDI has been providing advice and training, on a non-partisan basis, to political parties in Iraq since 2003 and has commissioned regular polls that are used to help the parties analyze public opinion and fashion political messages.

NDI also worked with local community leaders from across Iraq, known as the Mubadiroon or "Initiators," to organize candidate forums. These events brought parliamentary candidates together to speak directly with citizens. After making opening statements and answering questions from the moderator, the candidates took audience questions on issues ranging from water to electricity to education. Seventy-one candidates and more than 1,700 citizens attended the forums. Read more»

Before election day, the National Platform for Women was officially launched and distributed. The platform is the culmination of a three-month collaboration and consensus-building effort by political party members, civil society activists and government officials from across Iraq. It is available in English, Arabic and Kurdish. The platform focuses on issues of importance to all Iraqis, but especially sets out women's priorities, which include healthcare, education, economic empowerment and political participation. Read more»

NDI Celebrates 25 Years

Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai of Zimbabwe

Join NDI on May 10 as we celebrate our first 25 years with a dinner, awards ceremony and more. 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»

In Jordan, Coalition Unites for Electoral Reform

Responding to calls for electoral reform in Jordan, a national grassroots coalition led by the National Center for Human Rights (NCHR) has launched a first-of-its-kind media and advocacy campaign to push for improvements in the country's election system. NDI partnered with NCHR as it created a coalition of more than 200 grassroots organizations and built consensus on 18 recommendations for improving the electoral law.

A broad coalition of civil society organizations in Burkina Faso recently developed a report detailing discrimination against women in the country to present to the United Nations. The report acknowledges the progress made by the Burkinabe government in addressing gender discrimination but also describes many existing gaps to full enforcement of the Convention for the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women.

Privacy Law Draws Debate, Criticism in Kazakhstan

Civic and political leaders from across Kazakhstan debated and discussed the merits of a new privacy law that has introduced tough new punishments for those convicted of invasion of privacy. NDI organized a conference that brought together proponents and opponents to debate merits and concerns about the new law. Critics of the law hoped the conference might resolve potential problems in how it would be carried out.

At a unique gathering in Paris, key international parliamentary associations assessed international progress in developing benchmarks for democratic parliaments — a key pillar of representative democracy. NDI's document on international norms and standards for democratic parliaments helped to inform the efforts of several organizations in developing benchmarks for democratic legislatures. The conference statement, agreed to by the participants, identified areas where there is broad consensus on benchmarks for democratic legislatures, as well as areas where more dialogue and research are needed.

Concerted efforts will be needed to develop public trust in the Philippines' first automated election to be held May 10, according to the findings of an international pre-election delegation organized by NDI. The delegation released a statement and a series of recommendations that it hoped would promote inclusive, transparent and credible elections.

Parties Agree to National Political Channel in Georgia

Thirteen political parties in Georgia have signed an agreement setting the format for a nationwide public television channel, called the Second Channel, that will broadcast the activities of the Georgian parliament and opposition parties. NDI facilitated the meetings leading to the agreement after it conducted public opinion research that showed that lack of independent media is a major concern for citizens.

As ethnic divisions ease in the Balkans, political parties across the spectrum are finding that they need new approaches that focus on public policy issues rather than personality or ethnicity. Young leaders in particular will play an important role in these changes. NDI has previously worked with leaders from Liberal and Social Democratic parties in the region, and most recently co-hosted a meeting of young leaders from Center-right political parties. The young leaders issued a declaration seeking to set an example of "multi-cultural integration and cooperation."

In Bangladesh, traditional gender roles keep most women from gaining political power. A recent forum hosted by a prominent organization of women leaders brought together female MPs and other Bangladeshi women with political aspirations to work together across party lines to increase women's political participation.

Young people age 35 and under make up more than half of Algeria’s population but they are largely absent from political life. Youth often see no clear benefit to getting involved at even the most basic level in their communities. NDI recently established a partnership with the Algerian Muslim Scouts to encourage members to participate in public life and channel their energy into positive community action.

Tim Berners-Lee Uses Afghan Elections Site as an Example of Open Data

Tim Berners-Lee, the British engineer, computer scientist and MIT professor who is credited with inventing the World Wide Web, praised one of NDI’s technology projects in a talk at the Technology Education Design (TED) conference in Long Beach, Calif., in February. NDI's Afghanistan elections data site analyzes and maps election results from the country's Aug. 20 presidential election using demographic, ethnographic, topographic and security information. Berners-Lee spoke about the importance of open data in increasing transparency, safety and foreign aid and said the Afghanistan elections site was an example of visualizing and segmenting elections data. "There is an open data movement afoot now around the world," he said.

Watch Berners-Lee's TED talk»

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