WASHINGTON, DC - Fourteen current and former leaders of NDI observation missions to Nigeria from 10 countries have joined the Institute in calling for Nigerian election authorities to adhere to the March 28 date for presidential and legislative elections. The polls were originally scheduled for Feb. 14 but were postponed at the last minute.

NDI Director of Electoral Programs Pat Merloe testified at a hearing, “U.S. Election Support in Africa” on March 18 before the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights and International Organizations.

“Support for democratic elections in Africa should build longer-term democratic political dynamics that result in responsive, accountable governance,” Merloe said. “International election observation can play an important role in achieving peaceful, credible elections in Africa.”

Watch the hearing »

For the first time, Tunisians freely elected a parliament and president in three national elections in 2014. A new round of focus group research conducted by NDI shows that citizens in Tunisia view these elections as a successful step in the country’s transition to democracy.

The research, conducted January  22 to 29 with 133 participants from four cities, including Tunis, Jendouba, Sousse and Medenine, built on 11 previous rounds of public opinion research led by NDI.

A new blog, written by NDI staff, tells the inspiring stories of citizens and organizations doing the challenging work of building democracy around the world.

Update: Read the CCMG verification statement here.