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.
“When women show power that each one of us can make a difference, together we make change,” said Senator Barbara Mikulski, D-MD, at the National Democratic Institute’s (NDI) 2015 Madeleine K. Albright luncheon earlier today.
Despite the possibility of spillover violence from Syria, a vacancy in the presidency and postponed parliamentary elections, young Lebanese party activists are eager to find ways to enter politics.
Forty of them, representing five political parties, gathered outside Beirut last month for a campaign school for future candidates and campaign teams to learn how to build outreach strategies and create messages that address voter interests.
Maka Meshveliani, NDI’s 2015 Andi Parhamovich Fellow, came to Washington, D.C., with a mission.
“Helping more women get elected in Georgia are both personal and professional passions of mine that luckily coincide,” said Meshveliani, a senior program officer in NDI’s Georgia office.
She sat down for an interview in which she describes herself as “invested” in championing women in politics.
Electoral violence disproportionately affects women worldwide. In fact, a study by the International Foundation for Electoral Systems indicated that women voters face violence at four times the rate of male voters during elections.
Colombia’s coastal city of Cartagena with its historic buildings and charm is a prime tourist destination. But Colombians with disabilities who live there have long struggled for political attention and public policies that address their needs. They made a significant gain in 2011, when the municipal council passed a law to improve health care, education and accessibility for citizens with disabilities, but the council took no immediate steps to carry it out, delaying much-needed services.
In Morocco, citizens rarely have the opportunity to interact with their members of parliament (MPs), particularly outside of election season. This is partly because the Moroccan parliament does not have an established tradition of citizen outreach, nor does it provide MPs with guidance or resources on how to communicate with constituents.
“There is a big difference between the working environment of MPs in the United Kingdom and Morocco. In the UK, parliament provides MPs with everything they need to perform their representative role,” said MP Naima Rebbaa.
In an effort to stem the spread of Ebola, which has claimed the lives of 4,408 of their countrymen, neighbors in rural Liberia went door-to-door throughout the month of January to raise awareness on how to treat and prevent the disease. They reached 5,000 people as part of a community-led task force established last October and organized by NDI and three community organizations.
