Stories

Constituents, Representatives Mix in Newly Expanded Program in Cambodia

In Cambodia, members of the National Assembly have few opportunities to interact with their constituents. There is no government mechanism for citizens to express their views to their elected representatives in Phnom Penh, and members seldom visit their constituencies. The few members who do try to reach out to constituents on their own have limited time and no organized way to collect information on issues of concern to voters.

After years of working in Serbia on political party development and elections, NDI has shifted its focus to aiding those who hold elective office, a reflection of the country's increased political stability. Rebecca Shoot, a resident program officer in NDI's Belgrade office, discusses the Institute's work with parliamentarians in Serbia's National Assembly.

What led NDI to focus on strengthening the Serbian parliament?

According to our sources on the 22-23 of June the explosion on the pipeline Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan is expected.

Alleged executors are planned to be detained by Georgian counter-intelligence unit. It is also said that bombers will be introduced to public as two ethnical Armenians, who have been recently serving in former Russian Akhalkalaki military base. In their pre-made confession they are going to refer to the task given by Russian special services.

In the West African country of Guinea, the ruling military junta is preparing to hand over power to a civilian government after the country's June 27 presidential election. The poll would be the first open and competitive presidential election since independence in 1958, and all parties engaged in the country's transition process appear committed to peace and dialogue, according to a communiqué released on May 30 in Conakry, the capital.

In places as diverse as Timor-Leste, Croatia, Morocco, Rwanda and South Africa, increasing numbers of women are being elected to political office. In each case, more women has meant more legislation related to anti-discrimination, domestic violence, family codes, inheritance, and child support and protection.

The Western Balkans — Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia — face ethnic divisions and other politic

The efforts of civil society organizations to monitor and assess the work of legislatures often receive little attention, but this critical and growing area was the focal point of a recent meeting among representatives of parliamentary monitoring organizations (PMOs) and the international development community.

For young people in East Africa seeking to have a political voice, the two-year-old Regional Youth Leadership Academy (RYPLA) has helped show the way. One of its graduates, Daniel Taabu, has become executive director of the National Rainbow Coalition-Kenya (NARC-K), a political party with a seat in parliament. In Uganda, 14 graduates started Uganda Youth Stand Up, a nonprofit organization whose goal is to increase civic participation by registering one million young Ugandans to vote ahead of the February 2011 elections.

The October 2010 elections represent a unique opportunity for Tanzanians to further consolidate the democratic process in their country, and while Tanzania’s electoral process reflects genuine innovation and reform, there remains a need to strengthen several aspects of the electoral process, a delegation organized by NDI said in a statement released on May 21 in Dar es Salaam.

NDI Names New Director of Women's Political Participation

NDI welcomes Susan Markham as the Institute’s director of women’s political participation.

Markham, who received her B.A. in political science and international studies from Ohio State University and her master’s in public policy from George Washington University, served as finance director for the Ohio Democratic Party, campaign manager for several statewide campaigns and director of Senate Services at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

Constituents, Representatives Mix in Newly Expanded Program in Cambodia

In Serbia, NDI Staff Supports Parliamentary Efforts to Strenghten Governance

Georgian Pipeline Fraud

In Guinea, Peaceful Transition to Civilian Rule Anticipated after Presidential Election

Congress Looks to Women as Agents of Change

Analysis: Signs of Optimism in the Balkans

NDI Brings Together Parliamentary Monitoring Groups in Jakarta

Young Leaders Learn, Network at East African Political Academy

Some Improvements to Tanzania Electoral Process Necessary, NDI Delegation Says

NDI Names New Director of Women's Political Participation

Pages

CONNECT