Stories

In Liberia, ‘Freedom Fone’ Connects Lawmakers with Constituents

In Liberia, where more than 40 percent of adults are illiterate and where citizens who live outside of the capital, Monrovia, have little or no access to the Internet or television, radio is often the only reliable source of news. Traditionally, getting news to radio stations involves recording it onto CDs, which then need to be driven to the stations. This is both expensive and time consuming, and stories are usually out of date by the time they are aired.

Bipartisan Group Calls for Continued Support for Democracy Abroad

A bipartisan group of 21 high-level political experts has come together on behalf of continued U.S. support for democracy around the world.

An international observation delegation fielded by NDI said the Jan. 23 Jordanian parliamentary elections saw a marked improvement in procedures and administration from past polls. But it also found election day shortcomings and irregularities, as well as a number of systemic distortions.

This article was originally published on the NDItech DemocracyWorks blog.

Marlon Zamora

Silvia Gutiérrez has been an active member of the Sandinista Renovation Movement (Movimiento de Renovación Sandinista, MRS) since she joined the party as a pollwatcher for Nicaragua’s 2006 presidential elections. After her bid for city council in her hometown of Managua in 2008 was cut short when her party was denied participation, she decided to improve her leadership and communication skills by attending a training program aimed at getting more young people involved in politics and civic life.

Mexican women made historic strides last year in securing seats in the country’s national legislature, where they account for more than 36 percent of the membership. But political parties are still struggling to realize similar gains at the state level where just 6.1 percent of the nation’s 2,400 municipal presidents are women.

NDI Research in Albania Finds That Economy is Top Priority

Participants in a new focus group research study, conducted by NDI, largely think their country is headed in the wrong direction, listing unemployment, rising prices, stagnant salaries and corruption as having a major impact on their quality of life.

However, the European Commission’s conditional recommendation to offer Albania candidacy status for EU accession is viewed by some participants as a sign of optimism and improvements, and a main indication for some that the country is on the right track.

After Libya’s first democratic election in more than four decades, citizens are proud of having freely elected leaders. But they express concern over the country’s persistent security challenges and disappointment with its new government, according to a new public opinion study conducted by NDI.

Noting the importance of Pakistan’s 2013 elections to the direction the country will take in the years ahead, an NDI assessment mission found cautious optimism among Pakistanis that progress toward democratic governance will continue. But the delegation also cited serious challenges that, if unaddressed, “could derail the reform momentum and impact the integrity of the elections.”

In Liberia, ‘Freedom Fone’ Connects Lawmakers with Constituents

Bipartisan Group Calls for Continued Support for Democracy Abroad

Jordanian Elections Show Marked Improvement From Past Polls But Shortcomings Remain, NDI Delegation Finds

Staff Interview: Mobile Voter Education and Radio in Ghana's Election

Selected CLPM Profiles

Marlon Zamora

Training Program Prepares Nicaragua's Next Generation of Leaders

Mexican Women’s Coalition Pushes for Reform, Creates “Toolkit” for Advocacy

NDI Research in Albania Finds That Economy is Top Priority

Libyans Believe Country is Headed in Right Direction, but Express Concern Over Security Challenges and New Government

NDI Delegation Finds Both Cautious Optimism and Serious Challenges for 2013 Pakistan Elections

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