Stories

Democracy Skills Help Elevate Awareness of Chocó Concerns

Colombia's department of Chocó, where 82 percent of the residents are of African descent, was the nation's first administrative division designed to give that group some autonomous decision-making power. But the hoped-for empowerment has been slow to materialize in the face of poverty, corruption, violence and neglect.

Challenges facing the Republic of Georgia were among topics discussed by David Bakradze, chairman of the Georgian Parliament, at a briefing at NDI on Dec. 10. Bakradze announced the establishment of a special parliamentary commission to improve Georgia’s electoral code and talked about questions arising in the wake of the August conflict and political, judicial and media reforms.

Pictured above: David Bakradze, giving remarks during a briefing at NDI.

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Published on Dec. 11, 2008

Throughout Latin America, social pressures and discriminatory party practices continue to keep many women out of the political arena and to systematically limit their leadership roles. Progress continues, however, as witnessed in recent elections in Latin America in which increased numbers of women won legislative posts and high-profile positions.

Despite daunting cultural and institutional obstacles, women in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) continue to make strides in politics. Initiatives that help empower the next generation of women leaders are a cornerstone of NDI’s programs in the region.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Women's League of Burma to Be Honored at NDI Democracy Luncheon Dec. 15

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CONTACT: Kathy Gest, 202-728-5535, or
Amy Dudley, 202-728-5541

WASHINGTON, DC – The National Democratic Institute (NDI) will honor two champions of democracy – Archbishop Desmond Tutu and the Women’s League of Burma (WLB) – at its Democracy Awards Luncheon on Dec. 15. NDI Chairman Madeleine K. Albright will host the event. Christiane Amanpour, CNN chief international correspondent, will serve as master of ceremonies. The gathering will be held from 12-2 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill.

Database of Party Laws

This Database of Party Laws was created by Dr. Kenneth Janda of Northwestern University to research “Adopting Party Law,” a paper commissioned by NDI.

Leaders of 41 political parties in Guinea recently signed a code of conduct that sets standards for political party behavior in the lead-up to legislative elections, expected in March 2009. Signatories to the code agreed to promote transparent and peaceful elections with the understanding that violence and intimidation by party members is unacceptable. In addition, the signers agreed to promote women and young leaders on their party’s electoral lists.

NDI Experts Interviewed on Sub-Saharan Africa, Regional Challenges Facing Obama

In a Voice of America interview, Susan Page, NDI regional director for Southern and East Africa programs, discussed the incoming administration’s potential response to ongoing crises in Zimbabwe, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and other sub-Saharan countries. Sharing insight from her recent trip to Zimbabwe, Page described the immediate humanitarian challenges in the country as well as the stalemate over the highly anticipated power-sharing agreement between President Robert Mugabe’s ZANU-PF party and the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).

At a recent seminar in Bogotá, Colombia, NDI brought together local elected officials from Latin America to discuss how to restore faith in political parties’ ability to deliver the benefits of democracy to citizens. The 20 participants from six countries spent five days together.

Francisco Herrero, NDI’s resident senior director in Colombia, discussed the goals and accomplishments of the seminar and offered his perspective on the challenges facing political parties in Latin America.

Where did the idea for the seminar come from?

Zambian voters went to the polls Oct. 30 to elect a successor to President Levy Mwanawasa, whose unexpected death last August prompted the special election. With technical assistance from NDI, the Foundation for Democratic Processes (FODEP), the Institute’s long-time election monitoring partner in Zambia, conducted a parallel vote tabulation (PVT) to evaluate the quality and accuracy of the tabulation process.

Democracy Skills Help Elevate Awareness of Chocó Concerns

Chairman of Georgian Parliament Discusses Democratic Reforms

Latin America: Building Links and Increasing the Effectiveness of Women Legislators

Middle East and North Africa: Training Future Political Leaders at the Young Women Leaders Academy

Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Women's League of Burma to Be Honored at NDI Democracy Luncheon Dec. 15

Database of Party Laws

Guinea: Political Parties Sign Code of Conduct, Look to Stem Recent Conflict

NDI Experts Interviewed on Sub-Saharan Africa, Regional Challenges Facing Obama

Local Leaders Discuss How Latin American Political Parties Can Help Democracy Deliver

Parallel Vote Tabulation Creates Confidence in Zambian Presidential Election

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