In 2023, Liberians elected Joseph Boakai of the Unity Party (UP) as the next president of Liberia in a run-off election against the incumbent President Weah. Less than two percentage points separated the two frontrunners in both the October 10 general elections and the November 14 runoff elections, reflecting an even divide among Liberian citizens about which candidate and political party is best placed to address the worsening economic and security challenges in the country.

On September 5, 2021, the Guinean military, led by Colonel Mamadi Doumbouya, deposed President Alpha Condé in a coup d’etat. Condé had won a contentious third mandate in 2020 after pushing through a new and controversial constitution for the country that undermined presidential term limits and plunged the country into political turmoil. Following the coup, the junta created a leadership body, the National Committee of the Rally for Development (CNRD), released a transitional charter and installed an 81-member interim legislature, the National Transition Council (CNT).

Following the post-election crisis of 2010-2011, which plunged Côte d’Ivoire into violence and instability, President Alassane Ouattara initiated a comprehensive constitutional reform process. Designed to consolidate peace, promote national unity, and strengthen democratic institutions, the drafting of the new constitution involved extensive consultation with various stakeholders, including political parties, civil society organizations, and regional representatives.

Burkina Faso is a landlocked country bordering Mali to the north and west, Niger to the northeast, Benin to the southeast, and Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, and Togo to the south. The country of approximately 23 million inhabitants is rich in gold, but remains among the poorest in the world according to the United Nations Human Development Index. Since January 2022, the country has experienced two military coups.

After nearly 11 months of popular protests calling for greater economic reforms, more accountable government and better public service delivery, then-President Ali Abdullah Saleh signed the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) agreement in November 2011, transferring presidential authorities to Vice President Abdo Rabu Mansour Hadi. The agreement launched a transitional period that saw an election affirming Hadi’s appointment as the president, an inclusive National Dialogue Conference (NDC), and a constitutional drafting process.

In the West Bank and Gaza, NDI assists democratic actors to facilitate a more competitive multiparty system with representative institutions that are responsive to the Palestinian public.

NDI has maintained a presence in the Palestinian Territories since 1994, working with Palestinian political parties, civil society organizations and activists on a variety of issues including advocacy, message development, constituent outreach and relations, and the inclusion of women and youth in the political process.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has one of the most tightly controlled political systems in the world despite having implemented some modest reforms, including the introduction of the Kingdom’s “Basic Law” in 1992; the holding of municipal elections in 2005; and the enfranchisement of women in 2015. Ordinary Saudis lack protections for the exercise of basic civil rights, including speech and association, and have limited opportunity to participate in the political process at the national level.

After widespread public protests calling for greater power sharing and an end to corruption swept Morocco in 2011, King Mohammed VI proposed a revised constitution that was approved by referendum. Subsequent early parliamentary elections brought to power a new governing coalition. Although the monarchy still controls the key levers of power, the new constitution expanded the parliament’s influence and made important commitments to gender parity in government.