Despite their 20 percent share of the population, Mayan women in Guatemala have limited political and economic power. They have the country’s highest rates of poverty and illiteracy, and, according to an NDI-supported study, are far less likely to vote than any other sector of the population. Only four of 158 deputies in Congress are Mayan women and only one of 333 mayors.

NDI President Kenneth Wollack outlined ways the international community can provide moral support and practical assistance to political and civic leaders, media and ordinary citizens in the aftermath of the brutal crackdown by government forces in Belarus following failed elections Dec. 19.

Wollack spoke at a Jan. 27 hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on European Affairs.

In Colombia, as in many countries in Latin America, municipal councilors generally receive little training in the skills they need to represent their constituents effectively. This is especially true for small and poor municipalities in post-conflict regions or those with large Afro-Colombian or indigenous populations.

“The tools of the trade must be learned on the job,” said Yamil Quinto of Istmina, a municipal council member from the city of Istmina in the primarily Afro-Colombian department of Chocó. (Colombian departments are the equivalent of states.)

NDI today, Jan. 14, expressed support for the right of Tunisia’s citizens to have a more responsive government that respects civil and political liberties. Recognizing the continuing rise in the death toll caused by recent political unrest, NDI called on the Tunisian government to respect pledges made this week to prevent further fatalities and release those detained during demonstrations.