 |
National Democratic Institute 2030 M Street, NW, Fifth Floor Washington DC 20036 Tel: 202.728.5500 Fax: 202.728.5520 www.ndi.org |
CONTACT: Jean Freedberg 202-728-5527 (NDI in Washington DC), [email protected]
Deanna Congileo 404-420-5108 (Carter Center in Atlanta)
Kate O'Donnell, 972 54 764 0024 (NDI West Bank/Gaza)
NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC INSTITUTE DELEGATION TO OBSERVE JANUARY 9 ELECTIONS
FOR PRESIDENT OF THE PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY
International delegation to be co-led by former President Jimmy Carter, Prime Minister Carl Bildt
and Governor Christine Todd Whitman
FOR PRESIDENT OF THE PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY
International delegation to be co-led by former President Jimmy Carter, Prime Minister Carl Bildt
and Governor Christine Todd Whitman
The National Democratic Institute (NDI) today announced its delegation that will observe the January 9 election for president of the Palestinian Authority. The 80-member multinational delegation, organized in partnership with The Carter Center, will be co-led by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt and former New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman. The delegation will include elected officials, electoral and human rights experts, regional specialists, and political and civic leaders from 15 countries in North America, Europe, Africa and Asia. NDI and The Carter Center had organized a delegation co-led by President Carter for the 1996 elections for the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) and president of the Palestinian Authority.
The presidential poll is the second in a series of elections to advance democratic institutions in the Palestinian Authority. Local elections were held on December 23 and voting for the Palestinian Legislative Council is expected as early as spring 2005. The purpose of the NDI delegation is to express the international community's interest in and support for Palestinian efforts to develop a democratic election process, and to provide an impartial and accurate report on that process to the international community.
During the period leading up to the January 9 election, NDI has organized two assessment missions that, along with a permanent staff presence in Jerusalem since September, have monitored and reported on preparations for the upcoming polls. These assessment missions found consensus and optimism surrounding the election but recommended immediate action on several key issues related to freedom of movement, voting in Jerusalem and voter education. The reports of these missions are available on the NDI web site at www.ndi.org. The pre-election missions and the international observer delegation are supported by a grant from USAID.
From January 5-8, the delegation will meet in the region with Palestinian government officials, civil society leaders, electoral authorities, candidates and political analysts. Teams of delegates will then deploy to approximately 40 different sites in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The day before the election, each team will meet with local election officials, party representatives, civic groups and others to assess the election environment at their deployment sites. On election day, the teams will visit polling places and counting centers in their respective regions.
Following the counting of results, the teams will reassemble in Jerusalem for debriefing and to prepare a preliminary delegation statement, which will be released on Monday, January 10.
The delegation will conduct its activities in a nonpartisan, professional manner in accordance with applicable law and international standards for election monitoring. NDI will be in close communication with other international observer delegations including the European Union observer mission.
NDI is a nonprofit organization working to strengthen and expand democracy worldwide. Calling on a global network of volunteer experts, NDI provides practical assistance to civic and political leaders advancing democratic values, practices and institutions. NDI works with democrats in every region of the world to build political and civic organizations, safeguard elections, and to promote citizen participation, openness and accountability in government.
NDI began working in the West Bank and Gaza Strip in 1994 in anticipation of the first Palestinian elections. In 1996, NDI and The Carter Center organized a delegation co-led by President Carter that monitored preparations for the Palestinian elections and observed the balloting process in more than 200 polling stations in all 16 electoral districts. Following the elections, NDI launched a grassroots civic education program, Civic Forum, which became an independent Palestinian-run organization in 1998. From 1996 to 1998, the Institute conducted a legislative-strengthening program with the newly-elected Palestinian Legislative Council. More recently, NDI has begun a long-term political party-strengthening initiative.
A schedule of press opportunities for the delegation will be announced shortly.
#####