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Newly Elected Officials Bridge Gap Between Government and Citizens in Georgia

In Georgia, communication between elected officials and their constituents is often weak. But recent reforms by the government may offer new opportunities for interaction between leaders and the public.

In an NDI poll last month, 49 percent of those surveyed said the government is not pursuing policies that matter to them, compared to 44 percent who believe it is.

Cities are at the center of a tremendous global demographic shift. Today, more than half the population lives in cities, and by 2050, that number could increase to as much as two-thirds of humanity—a stunning change when compared to past demographic trends. Along with their population growth, cities are also growing in importance and stature worldwide.

“Women’s greater participation in politics is an indispensable condition for a country’s effective, democratic and stable development,” said Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili as he opened NDI’s Win with Women conference in Georgia’s capital Tbilisi.

The December 2014 conference brought together Georgian political parties, government institutions and citizen groups to identify ways for women to get more involved in politics, particularly by pushing for mandatory gender quotas for the national parliament.

In congressional testimony June 11, NDI's regional director for Asia programs, Peter Manikas, provided an overview of recent political developments in Hong Kong, Myanmar/Burma and Thailand. He testified at a hearing, “Retreat or Revival: A Status Report on Democracy In Asia,” put on by the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific.

Historically, women in Pakistan have been involved in election campaigns, but very few have taken part in their party’s policy making process. That is changing through a Political Party Development Program (PPDP), that over the last four years has included 16,609 grassroots party members, of which 44 percent have been women.

“Every day I struggle against stereotypes. We need to take steps to dismantle these stereotypes about women’s participation in politics,” said Zorana Mihajlovic, deputy prime minister of the Republic of Serbia, as she opened NDI’s Regional Forum on Women’s Leadership in Belgrade last April. She was joined by the U.S. Ambassador to Serbia, Michael Kirby, and representatives of leading international bodies focused on women’s empowerment and gender equality.

Guatemalan citizens will go to the polls on Sept. 6 amid a deepening political crisis that has seen the vice president and other key administration officials resign after being accused of corruption. The resignations come on the heels of massive anti-corruption protests, the largest protests that the country has seen in decades.

News from NDI: Senator Mikulski, Afghanistan's First Lady Headline 2015 Madeleine K. Albright Luncheon

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In the lead up to next month’s local elections, Moldovans are deeply dissatisfied with the performance of parties across the political spectrum. According to an NDI public opinion survey conducted in March, Moldovans are frustrated that they receive little information, much less solutions to their problems, from parties and government.

The National Democratic Institute (NDI) honored Senator Barbara Mikulski, D-MD, with its W. Averell Harriman Democracy Award for her decades of leadership advocating for democracy and the advancement of women and girls.

The award was presented by NDI Chairman and former Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright at a May 12 luncheon highlighting the efforts of grassroots women’s organizations to promote the participation and leadership of women in politics.

Newly Elected Officials Bridge Gap Between Government and Citizens in Georgia

Seeking Voice and Opportunity: Women in an Urbanizing World

Win with Women Conference Builds Momentum for Women in Georgia Politics

NDI’s Peter Manikas Testifies Before Congress on Democracy in Asia

Pakistani Women Inspired to be Policy Makers

Advancing Women’s Leadership in Central and Eastern Europe and Eurasia

Guatemalan Groups Launch Election Observations Amid Political Crisis

News from NDI: Senator Mikulski, Afghanistan's First Lady Headline 2015 Madeleine K. Albright Luncheon

New Research Shows Moldovans Are Change-Oriented and Want Results

Senator Barbara Mikulski Receives NDI’s Democracy Award

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