By Christopher Fomunyoh, regional country director for Central and West Africa programs

There was almost nothing as striking as arriving in Côte d’Ivoire in May for the inauguration of Alassane Ouattara as president of the country following an armed conflict and a protracted post-election crisis that resulted in more than 3,000 deaths and hundreds of thousands of displaced citizens.

As the fight for control of Tripoli continues, NDI staff in Benghazi have been meeting with representatives of the National Transitional Council (NTC) as they plan for the days ahead. NDI Resident Country Director Matyas Eörsi and Senior Advisor David Rolfes report from Benghazi.

Iraqis are becoming increasingly concerned about a weak economy and poor service delivery, aggravating their frustrations with political parties and politicians. But they still believe that democracy holds the potential to improve their quality of life, and they want political parties to become more responsive to economic concerns and less focused on sectarian divisions.

Zambia is in a position to move forward significantly if its elections next month are credible and peaceful. But the electoral environment presents noteworthy challenges that require tolerance, the rule of law, leadership and participation, a pre-election assessment mission from NDI said in a report released in Lusaka Aug. 18. 

The delegation was observing preparations for Zambia’s presidential, parliamentary and local elections to be held on Sept. 20.