COVID-19 has become a defining governing challenge of 2020 in countries around the world. The pandemic’s intersection with gender has created unique and disproportionate effects on women, and one of the most severe among them has been increased rates of gender-based violence (GBV). The stresses of the pandemic, increasing incidents of substance abuse, and economic strain have combined in dangerous ways for many women and their families at the same time that their access to critical support services and networks -- both formal and informal -- have been curtailed.

Amidst sustained COVID-19 transmission in North Macedonia, 51.3 percent of eligible voters went to the polls on July 15 in snap elections to elect a new parliament.

The incumbent SDSM and its coalition partner, the ethnic Albanian Besa Movement, scored a slim, two-seat lead (46) over center-right VMRO-DPMNE (44). SDSM/Besa need at least 15 additional seats from VMRO-DPMNE, ethnic Albanian parties DUI (15), Alliance for Albanians/Alternativa (12), DPA (1), and/or upstart left leaning Levica (2) to form a governing majority (61). 

In the early months of COVID-19, Jordan’s nationwide lockdown left many citizens unemployed and unable to access medicine, food, water, electricity and gas, leaving local officials overwhelmed by the number of citizen demands. To help alleviate the burden of local officials, NDI’s parliamentary fellows have risen to the occasion to play a key role in facilitating rapid responses to citizens’ needs.

Parliaments and legislatures around the world have grappled with the switch to virtual operations since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. In Latin America, NDI, the Inter-Parliamentary Union’s (IPU) Centre for Innovation in Parliament and the Chilean Congress hosted a webinar for legislative staff from nine countries to allow staff to learn from each other as they continue to digitally adapt.

On June 23, Malawians went to the polls for the second time in a year to elect a president. The election was held under difficult circumstances, forcing the election commission, citizen observers and the voting public to balance public health and safety during COVID-19, a compressed schedule and uncertainty due to ongoing legal disputes. Despite these challenges, citizen observers commended the election commission and Malawians for holding a smooth and peaceful election day.  

His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama turned 85 this week, and millions of followers of the charismatic religious leader joined Tibetans across the world to celebrate his birthday. In the years since his exile from Tibet in 1959, the Dalai Lama has become both a major international figure and a common symbol of peaceful resistance, leading a community and a cause that has garnered significant international support.

The 2019 election cycle changed the face of Tunisian politics, ushering in many non-affiliated candidates and political outsiders into parliament, including the election of political outsider President Kaïs Saïed. By electing a new class of political leaders, Tunisian voters expressed their discontent with the status quo and their desire to empower new voices who could change the economic, political and social situation in Tunisia. But despite these changes, Tunisia has so far been unable to address its underlying economic weaknesses.

From June 20-25, in cooperation with its four partner debate clubs and the participation of more than 60 young debaters, the National Democratic Institute (NDI) held the latest event in its Voice of Change—Youth Debates program: a virtual debate tournament. Despite substantial challenges, including power cuts and issues with internet accessibility and connectivity across the country, 16 teams (four from each club) participated in the single-elimination tournament.