Paulina Chavez
Press Secretary
[email protected]
WASHINGTON.- The National Democratic Institute (NDI) is proud to announce that the 2025 Madeleine K. Albright Democracy Award will be presented to Ms. Nino Dolidze and Chisankho Watch for their exceptional leadership and commitment to protecting the integrity of elections and strengthening democratic participation in Georgia and Malawi, respectively.
“The Madeleine K. Albright Democracy Award celebrates those who defend freedom and democratic values even at great personal risk,” said Dr. Tamara Cofman Wittes, President of NDI. “Nino Dolidze and Chisankho Watch embody the democratic commitments that Secretary Albright sought to advance throughout her life — ordinary citizens showing extraordinary courage to ensure that power remains accountable to people, and that every voice can be heard. Their work shows why citizen election observers are recognized as human rights defenders; and they remind us that democracy’s strength lies in people who fight for and exercise their rights.”
Each year, the National Democratic Institute (NDI) honors extraordinary individuals and organizations whose courage and conviction advance democracy and human rights around the world. The Madeleine K. Albright Democracy Award, NDI’s highest honor, recognizes those who champion accountability, transparency and citizen participation—often at great personal risk.
Nino Dolidze: Standing Firm for Democracy in Georgia
As Executive Director of the International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED) from 2021 to 2025, Nino Dolidze led one of the most respected watchdog organizations in the country of Georgia through an increasingly hostile political climate. Under her leadership, ISFED provided critical, evidence-based analysis of electoral and legislative developments shaping Georgia’s democracy and conducted two nationwide election observation missions.
In 2024, as the ruling Georgian Dream party advanced restrictive “foreign agent” legislation and carried out targeted attacks on media and democratic civil society, Ms. Dolidze led her team in conducting a systemic observation of the parliamentary elections, providing the Georgian public and the world with a data-driven assessment of the polarized media environment and intimidation of voters by the ruling party. For publicly sharing detailed information about how these actions undermined the election’s integrity, Dolidze and her family faced threats and harassment. Even after stepping down as ISFED's leader, Ms. Dolidze has continued to advocate on behalf of the Georgian people’s resolute desire for a future rooted in democracy and in the European Union.
Chisankho Watch: Citizens Safeguarding the Vote in Malawi
Named after the Chichewa word for “election,” Chisankho Watch is a new coalition that brought together Malawians from civic organizations, faith-based groups, the tech sector, and experts in women’s political leadership to promote transparency and peaceful participation in the 2025 general elections.
Through nationwide civic education and pre-election monitoring, Chisankho Watch helped citizens feel informed and confident in their vote. On election day, the coalition deployed 800 observers across the country to observe the vote and to independently verify election results through a powerful data-driven methodology called Process and Results Verification for Transparency (PRVT, also referred to as a “parallel vote count” or “quick count”).
As official presidential results were delayed, both leading candidates in Malawi claimed victory prematurely, a court challenge was filed, and concerns mounted that the Malawi Electoral Commission might face political pressure to alter the results. During this period of tension, Chisankho Watch acted as a stabilizing force: urging calm, and emphasizing that its data-driven PRVT findings could help protect the official results from manipulation and ensure they would reflect the will of the voters. Their inclusive, innovative work and commitment to dialogue with key stakeholders strengthened trust in the electoral process, supported the integrity and independence of the official election results and laid the groundwork for a peaceful transfer of power—an enduring example of how citizen engagement fortifies democracy.
The 2025 Madeleine K. Albright Democracy Awards will be presented during NDI’s Day of Democracy on Wednesday, December 3, 2025, in Washington, D.C. Ms. Dolidze and Chisankho Watch join a distinguished community of past honorees, including
Vladimir Kara-Murza, Rappler, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Corazon Aquino, Jimmy Carter, Vaclav Havel, and the political leaders involved in the Northern Ireland Good Friday Agreement, all recognized for advancing democratic innovation, integrity, and solidarity worldwide.
For more information about NDI’s Day of Democracy, contact [email protected].
