TUNIS, Tunisia — Today, the National Democratic Institute (NDI) and International Republican Institute (IRI) joint international Election Observation Mission, released its preliminary statement with findings and recommendations following Tunisia’s presidential election. The delegation, led by IRI President Dr.

TUNIS – The International Republican Institute (IRI) and the National Democratic Institute (NDI) announced today the launch of their joint Election Observation Mission (EOM) for the September 15 presidential and October 6 parliamentary elections in Tunisia. 

After having been postponed on many occasions for technical and political reasons, Tunisia held municipal elections May, 6, 2018. More than 53,000 candidates, representing 2,074 lists all over the country, ran for seats on municipal councils. Municipal elections represented an important landmark for the implementation of Article Seven of the Tunisian Constitution. As a result, the national government has begun to delegate power and responsibilities to the municipal councils, in a process of decentralization that will last for Many years.

The International Republican Institute (IRI) and the National Democratic Institute (NDI) deployed an international delegation to Tunisia from July 30 - August 2, 2019. The purpose of the mission was to demonstrate the interest of the international community in Tunisia’s continued democratic transition, assess the prevailing political environment and preparations for the 2019 presidential and parliamentary elections, and identify areas where change is possible to improve the integrity of the elections.

Harare, Zimbabwe – The International Republican Institute (IRI) and the National Democratic Institute (NDI) fielded a three-person delegation to Zimbabwe to provide an impartial assessment of the status of Zimbabwe’s electoral reform agenda at approximately one year following the country’s 2018 “harmonized” elections.

Citizens increasingly are alienated from electoral processes in Serbia, which manifests in declining voter turnout, voting for protest candidates, anti-government street protests, and high levels of public dissatisfaction with the democratic system.

NDI’s latest nationwide survey, completed in May 2019, following the second round of the presidential election, shows a dramatic increase in optimism and high expectations for the newly elected president as well as the country as a whole. The assessment of the presidential election far exceeded expectations with overwhelming majority of respondents (88 percent) assessing the process positively. In addition, support for EU and NATO has grown nationally and in every region of the country.

Lebanon’s 2018 election marked the first time in nine years that its citizens voted for a new parliament. In order to support the Lebanese people and their government in upholding credibility, NDI conducted a long-term analysis of election preparations, fielded a pre-election mission during the campaign period in addition to an election day mission, and monitored reports covering the adjudication of disputed results.

The joint Nigeria International Election Observation Mission of the National Democratic Institute (NDI) and the International Republican Institute (IRI) released its final report on the 2019 Nigerian elections. The final report is a comprehensive analysis of the electoral process and includes important recommendations ahead of Nigeria’s 2023 general elections.