BEIRUT, Lebanon—The National Democratic Institute (NDI) is fielding a delegation to assess preparations for Lebanon’s municipal council and mayoral elections in May.

Members of the delegation are: Paul Dewar of Canada, former Member of Parliament; Meg Munn of the United Kingdom, former Member of Parliament; Rafik Halouani, General Coordinator of the Mourakiboun election observation network in Tunisia; and Leslie Campbell, senior associate and regional director for Middle East and North Africa at NDI.

The mission reflects the international community’s interest in and support for Lebanon’s electoral process.

The delegation will meet with government officials, election authorities, candidates, political party leaders, representatives of civil society and the international community to assess issues that might affect the integrity of the election process. At the conclusion of the mission, NDI will issue recommendations for improving the process ahead of election day and for enhancing public confidence in Lebanon’s electoral process beyond these elections.

The mission’s findings will be presented at a press conference in Beirut on Thursday, Apr. 14 at 11:00 AM in the Berytus Room, at the Phoenicia Hotel. Please contact Maya Safieddine ([email protected] / 03 351 196) for further information.

The delegation will conduct its activities in a nonpartisan manner in accordance with Lebanese law and international standards for election monitoring set forth in the Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation. Election observation can build public confidence in elected institutions, deter fraud, expose irregularities and help strengthen democratic reform processes.

Over the last 25 years, NDI has conducted more than 150 election observation missions in 62 countries, including fielding international observation delegations for the 2009 Lebanese parliamentary elections.

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