Stories

June 1, 2023

Campaign Boot Camp Trains Liberian Women Candidates on Safety and Security

As more women candidates in Liberia strive for effective and competitive legislative campaigns, it becomes increasingly important to promote opportunities for growth and connection throughout the campaign process. NDI, with funding from the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), is implementing a campaign boot camp training program entitled Promoting Women’s Political Participation in the Elections Program in Liberia.

May 30, 2023

NDI and Senegalese Civil Society Groups Meet to Address Security Concerns

The rise of political tensions in Senegal, primarily due to the trial between opposition leader Ousmane Sonko and Ms. Adji Sarr and his defamation trial from the Minister of Tourism Mame Mbaye Niang, has prompted widespread fears among Senegalese citizens. As a result, many observers worry that the country will plunge into intense political violence between supporters and opponents of power.

May 16, 2023

Political Integrity in the Balkans: Finding Common Ground in Stockholm

Making their way from southeastern Europe, 31 leaders of parties from across the political mainstream in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, and Slovenia traveled to Stockholm last October.

May 11, 2023

Tunisian Civil Society Continues to Push for Open Governance at National and Local Levels

During the week of May 8th - 12th, NDI-Tunisia and our civil society partners join the annual celebrations of the International Week of Open Government through ongoing programming on open, accountable and transparent governance processes with the Government of Tunisia, and the El Kef Municipality in northwest Tunisia. Despite escalating challenges to the core democratic freedoms enshrined in the 2014 and 2022 constitutions, civil society organizations (CSOs) continue to advance their campaigns for more responsive governance.

May 11, 2023

NDI: Engaging Political Parties in Taiwan Since 1986

Taiwan’s evolution over the past four decades to become one of the world’s foremost democratic success stories should be celebrated by all who cherish the preservation of human dignity and potential in Asia. Though elections were regularly held in Taiwan beginning in 1950, the 1948 “Temporary Provisions” to the constitution and the institution of martial law suppressed basic liberties, including the formation of opposition political parties to contest in elections, until martial law was lifted in 1987.

May 4, 2023

NDI Supports Advocacy Initiatives at the Local Level in Ecuador

The benefits of high levels of interpersonal trust, community engagement, government responsiveness and acceptance of all groups are almost too many to list. Democracy is more successful in societies with these attributes. To promote greater citizen engagement at the local level in Ecuador, NDI and local partners strengthened cooperation between local governments and civil society to address the needs and rights of marginalized groups and promote stronger and more interconnected communities in the country.

May 2, 2023

Amplifying Disability Rights through National Debate in Sierra Leone

Growing up, Charlilaos Koroma, Ibrahim Dumbuya and Nenneh Kargbo found themselves on the frontlines of the fight against discrimination in Sierra Leone. As children with physical disabilities, they were born into a society ill-equipped to accommodate physical accessibility for persons with disabilities (PWDs) and unprepared to accept PWDs as equal members of society. Despite this, PWDs are fighting to overcome the limitations placed on them by society and become agents of change within their communities.

May 1, 2023

LGBTQI+ Rights Advocates Make Waves in Ecuador

Despite recent advances for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex + (LGBTQI+) rights in Ecuador, such as the Constitutional Court ruling legalizing same-sex marriage in 2019, progress remains to be made on the acceptance and inclusion of LGBTQI+ people in politics, including continued hostility from public officials, a lack of rights protections on the local level and political parties that lack internal structures designed to take LGBTQI+ voices into account.

April 25, 2023

Addressing Inclusion in 2022 Municipal Elections in Peru

While the unrest in the country has rightfully drawn the world’s attention, it is only one of a series of challenges facing the political system in Peru. The country’s political reality is one of deep political and cultural divisions and political parties that lack resilient and effective structures, such as an absence of strong internal policies designed to increase diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in political parties and processes, which is an issue in a country as diverse and polarized as Peru.