The first class of graduates from Nicaragua's Certificate in Leadership and Political Management (CLPM) program – which NDI reported on late last year –are poised to jump into political careers. Already many class members have announced they will run for office in November, and some have been promoted to leadership positions within their parties.

The Arab Spring uprisings have underscored the tremendous impact that social media can have on advancing democracy. In recent months, activists in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) have used the Internet to rally the public and organize widespread demonstrations that have toppled two longstanding autocratic leaders and presented a significant challenge to several more. The lines between blogger and activist blurred as bloggers led protest movements and activists took to the Internet to spread their messages.

As South Sudan celebrates its first week as a new nation, preliminary focus group research released today by NDI shows that citizens of the world’s youngest country have growing expectations for their government.

A hotly-debated topic in Mauritania these days is social security, described as "the foundation for social justice in a modern state" by Mohamed Abdallahi Ould Guelaye, president of the Mauritanian Parliamentary Commission on Public Welfare and Health and author of a recent report on social security reform. "It is an expression of national solidarity: the wealthy pay for the poor, the healthy help the sick and are helped in turn when they fall ill," he said.

Last year’s presidential elections in Côte d’Ivoire ended in a violent standoff between the incumbent, Laurent Gbagbo, and the internationally recognized winner of the vote, Alassane Ouattara. During the five-month crisis, which ended with Gbagbo’s arrest and Ouattara’s inauguration, more than 3,000 Ivorians died. We spoke with Charles Djrekpo, NDI resident director, about NDI efforts to help the reconciliation process, and how women and youth leaders are the key to a more a peaceful future for Côte d’Ivoire.

In Turkey, both policymakers and civil society groups are striving to give citizens more say in how public policy is made, but it is rare for the two groups to actually come together.

By Raúl Arce-Contreras and Juliana Ferreira
Following a string of recent premature infant deaths in Ecuador that appeared to result from poor hospital hygiene, there was widespread agreement that authorities needed to act.