In contrast to past elections in Nigeria, the April 9 National Assembly polls provided a real opportunity for citizens to exercise their right to vote, according to the findings of an international election observation mission fielded by NDI.

Durante su más reciente visita a Washington, D.C., el Presidente de México Felipe Calderón dijo que México está “sobrellevando una transformación profunda, basadas en los principios y valores de la democracia.” Dentro de aquellos principios y valores, él subrayo la importancia de “una sociedad civil que no solamente ejerza sus derechos y libertades, sino que también se asegure de que las autoridades rindan cuentas.”

NDI's international election mission will observe the country’s National Assembly elections now scheduled for April 9.

The assembly elections, always an important poll for Nigerians, have now taken on added significance as election officials work to overcome problems that led to the postponement of those elections by one week, NDI said. The NDI delegation had planned to observe Nigeria’s presidential poll, which was originally scheduled for the 9th.

As Egypt embarks on its journey from autocracy to democracy, Egyptian political party and civil society leaders are finding it helpful to hear from those in other countries who participated in similar transitions in their own countries. Since the fall of President Hosni Mubarak in February, NDI has been bringing experts and leaders from Chile, Indonesia, Poland, Romania and Serbia to Cairo to meet with youth leaders, civil society and new political parties about the lessons they learned from their own countries’ experiences.