TBILISI – On November 28, Georgians proceeded to the polls in a second round to directly elect their president for the last time. A delegation of the National Democratic Institute that analyzed the process found that election day was largely orderly but the period ahead of the runoff was divisive and marked by violence and intimidation.
This statement is offered by a joint international delegation organized by the National Democratic Institute (NDI) and the European Parliament. The delegation’s purposes were: to accurately and impartially assess electoral preparations in advance of Ukraine's 2019 presidential election; review the broader political environment; examine factors that could affect the integrity of the electoral process; and offer recommendations that could contribute to peaceful, credible elections and public confidence in the electoral process.
The International Republican Institute (IRI) and the National Democratic Institute (NDI) organized the Zimbabwe International Election Observation Mission (ZIEOM) for the 2018 Zimbabwe presidential, parliamentary, and local government elections (referred to locally as “harmonized” elections).
Tbilisi, Georgia – On October 28, Georgians proceeded to the polls to directly elect their president for the last time. Georgian voters and poll workers demonstrated their commitment to democracy by participating peacefully. With over 99 percent of the votes counted, Georgia heads to a second round between the top two candidates, Georgian Dream-supported (GD) candidate Salome Zourabichvili, who received 39 percent of the vote, and Grigol Vashadze, represented by the United National Movement (UNM) from the eleven-party “Power Is in Unity” coalition, who received 38 percent.
This statement (Download PDF) is offered by an international pre-election delegation organized by the National Democratic Institute (NDI).
Dhaka, Bangladesh – Heading into Bangladesh’s elections for the Jatiya Sangsad (national parliament), a pre-election delegation of the National Democratic Institute (NDI) found that, while Bangladesh has several fundamental elements in place for holding credible elections, including a tradition of political pluralism and strong public support for democratic principles the polls will take place amid a high degree of political polarization, heightened tensions and shrinking political space.
From September 19-28, 2018, the International Republican Institute (IRI) and the National Democratic Institute (NDI) conducted a second joint pre-election assessment mission to Nigeria. The first assessment mission visited Nigeria in July 2018 and issued a statement on July 20, 2018, with recommendations on steps that would enhance citizen confidence in the credibility of the elections. This second mission builds on the first and captures progress achieved thus far and remaining challenges that need to be addressed.
Washington, DC – The following statement was issued by National Democratic Institute President (NDI) Derek Mitchell on the selection of former Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN) Anthony Banbury to succeed William Sweeney, Jr. as president and CEO of the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES):