Following the Arab Spring, new opportunities for political participation opened up in much of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, particularly for women, youth and minorities who had historically been marginalized and excluded from power.

Millions of Burma’s citizens went to the polls yesterday to vote in the country’s most competitive elections since 1990, and the first national elections in 25 years to see the major opposition party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), participate. Ninety-one parties registered over 6,000 candidates who competed for seats in the national legislature, in regional and state legislatures, and to represent ethnic groups in their states or regions.

Nearly six months after sustained citizen protests demanding increased government accountability for corruption, Guatemalans elected former comedian and actor Jimmy Morales to serve as the country’s next president last month. Campaigning with the slogan “not corrupt, not a thief,” political newcomer Morales defeated Former First Lady Sandra Torres with 67 percent of the votes in the October 25 run-off election.

Young, educated and urban residents in six countries in the Balkans show measurable support for LGBTI rights, but most respondents to a regional poll released by NDI today do not believe that LGBTI people should be able to live openly based on equal rights. The poll is a guidepost and a call to action to LGBTI groups seeking equal rights for their communities. NDI conducted the research as part of its commitment to more inclusive political processes, wherein all segments of society are able to influence decisions affecting their well being.

When former president of Côte d'Ivoire Laurent Gbagbo refused to step down after losing a close election to Alassane Ouattara in 2010, it triggered a conflict that left over 3,000 people dead and hundreds of thousands displaced. This year, as Côte d'Ivoire prepares for presidential elections on October 25, NDI has been working with community-based organizations, such as groups of youth, women and interfaith associations, to conduct peace messaging campaigns in at-risk communities.

Four Tunisians -- Yassine Brahim, Rafik Halouani, Wafa Makhlouf and Sayida Ounissi -- will receive the National Democratic Institute’s (NDI) 2015 Democracy Award at a dinner on Tuesday, November 10. These courageous Tunisian leaders represent civic groups and political parties that embody the spirit of the National Dialogue acknowledged today in the award of the Nobel Peace Prize.