In January 2020, the Honduran government chose not to renew the mandate of the Organization for American States’ Mission to Support the Fight against Corruption and Impunity (MACCIH). Shuttering MACCIH rolled back important progress in combating impunity from the law in a country where corruption is endemic in the political system. Earlier this year, Honduran courts dismissed a case against two dozen legislators connected to a vast corruption scheme, known as Pandora, to embezzle public funds for political ends.

In August 2020, the Autonomous Region of Bougainville held the first general election since the region voted overwhelmingly for separation from Papua New Guinea last year. Voters headed to the polls to elect the new president and representatives responsible for establishing the world’s newest independent country.

Political parties play an important role in aggregating and representing public interests, shaping political agendas and developing government policies and programs. Parties are also a vehicle for contesting power and earning the right to govern through peaceful elections. To become more competitive, parties can make room for diverse voices within their organizations and practice more inclusive policy-making and decision-making. These actions will help build and maintain a broader base of constituent support and earn citizen trust.  

Historically, persons with disabilities (PWDs) in Jordan have rarely participated in elections either as candidates or voters due to prevailing cultural stigmatization against PWDs, the absence of accessible polling stations and a lack of awareness on their rights to participate in the electoral process or how to vote. Moreover, disabled persons organizations (DPOs) do not have the capacity to advocate for PWD rights or raise awareness on a large scale. An added challenge is the lack of data about the number of PWDs in Jordan and the types of disabilities in each electoral district.