For young people in East Africa seeking to have a political voice, the two-year-old Regional Youth Leadership Academy (RYPLA) has helped show the way. One of its graduates, Daniel Taabu, has become executive director of the National Rainbow Coalition-Kenya (NARC-K), a political party with a seat in parliament. In Uganda, 14 graduates started Uganda Youth Stand Up, a nonprofit organization whose goal is to increase civic participation by registering one million young Ugandans to vote ahead of the February 2011 elections.

The October 2010 elections represent a unique opportunity for Tanzanians to further consolidate the democratic process in their country, and while Tanzania’s electoral process reflects genuine innovation and reform, there remains a need to strengthen several aspects of the electoral process, a delegation organized by NDI said in a statement released on May 21 in Dar es Salaam.

NDI welcomes Susan Markham as the Institute’s director of women’s political participation.

Markham, who received her B.A. in political science and international studies from Ohio State University and her master’s in public policy from George Washington University, served as finance director for the Ohio Democratic Party, campaign manager for several statewide campaigns and director of Senate Services at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

It’s election season in Colombia, where historically polls have been marred by violence, allegations of fraud and intimidation by armed groups allied with candidates. Legislative elections took place on March 14 and the first round presidential poll is set for May 30.