NDI recently partnered with pop-music star Bobi Wine to record a song that sends a message against election violence in his native Uganda. The song, composed in Lugandan and entitled “A Serious Matter,” is a mix between reggae and local African music. It is part of a campaign to encourage Ugandans to use a new citizen hotline called “Uganda Watch 2011” to voice concerns about the integrity of the electoral process surrounding polls set for February 2011.

NDI’s newsletter, “NDI Reports,” carries stories about the Institute’s partners, programs and publications from around the world, in addition to highlighting the happenings within the Institute, from board and staff changes to the launch of a new website.

 

As Egypt prepares for legislative elections in November, one civic group is ramping up efforts to get citizens to the polls. One tactic is a new website, www.vote4egypt.com, which launched today to bolster an ongoing campaign to convey the importance of voting.

Programs to improve the representation of indigenous people and women in Guatemala’s government and to reform laws governing elections and political parties are expected to be among the benefits of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed Sept. 24 by NDI and the Guatemalan Congress.

The agreement was signed by Roberto Alejos, president of the Guatemalan Congress, and Eduardo Núñez, NDI’s resident director in Guatemala. Addendums were signed by four chairs of congressional committees that will be working on the targeted areas.