The transitional government in Somalia is seeking to boost public dialogue through its new website - http://www.tfgsomalia.net/ - that allows citizens to speak directly to government officials.

The launch ran in conjunction with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s August visit to Africa when, while in Nairobi, she stated that the United States will continue to expand and extend its assistance to Somalia.

NDI's latest report on public opinion in Sudan, entitled Imagining the Election, explores what citizens in Southern Sudan and the Three Areas know and expect of the country's planned 2010 parliamentary and presidential elections.

A poor and vulnerable segment of the population, women in Guinea who aspire to leadership roles face a steep climb. The literacy rate for women is only 18 percent, compared to 42 percent for men, and in the last civilian government, women occupied only 19 percent of the seats in the national assembly and 15 percent of positions at the ministerial level.

But with legislative elections scheduled for early next year, NDI is working to help a great number of these women overcome the odds to become elected leaders.

With its eye on membership in the European Union, Macedonia held peaceful local and presidential elections this spring without the violence that marred previous polls. The success of the election process was attributable, in part, to a Code of Conduct campaign that rallied political party leaders, candidates and voters alike to show that Macedonia can hold elections consistent with international standards.