Political Parties

Political parties are a key institution in democratic practice, yet they face a crisis of representation, with recent research showing that as many as 78 percent of citizens in some countries do not identify with any political party. Many citizens view them as inaccessible and unresponsive to their concerns.

January 13, 2020

Supporting Candidate Vetting in Central America’s Northern Triangle

In Latin America and around the world, citizens are increasingly wary of political parties. In Central America, this is particularly acute where recurring party scandals involving money in politics are compounded by growing insecurity, corruption and impunity, all of which have led to increased rates of migration. Of all the democratic institutions in Latin America, citizens have the least confidence in political parties and parliaments, with a mere 13 percent of citizens expressing any level of trust in political parties and 21 percent in parliaments.

Factsheet: NDI's Public Opinion Research in Georgia

In more than 70 countries around the world, including Georgia, the National Democratic Institute works with a wide range of partners to support democratic processes. NDI does not choose sides or support particular outcomes.

Bridging the Divide: Youth and Parties Roundtable Discussion

NDI is implementing a program initative to identify opportunities for engagement and collaboration between youth-led organizations and political parties. As part of the initiative, NDI hosted a roundtable discussion of twenty experts in the youth and democracy development space in order to brainstorm potential solutions for bridging the divide between youth and parties. This resource is a public summary of the discussion's contents and the resulting recommendations for development practitioners.

Bridging the Divide: Youth and Parties One Pager

This one-pager summarizes NDI's program work aimed at identifying opportunities for collaboration between youth-led organizations and political parties.

December 2, 2019

Senior Party Leaders and Youth Leaders Come Together in South Africa for Political Party Dialogue

NDI’s Political Party Strengthening Institute (PPSI) was established in 2014 to bring together senior party leaders from across Southern Africa to foster greater inclusiveness, peer-to-peer learning and collaboration with the goal of enhancing engagement between political parties and constituents. Since its inception, NDI has successfully organized five institutes over its five year period with participation from the top-three vote earning political parties in Angola, Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania and Zambia.

Taking the Wheel and Piloting Change: A Framework for Party Reformers

This toolkit is designed to aid visionary, ambitious party members who are on the peripheries of power, but eager to plan and implement internal reforms aimed at improving a party’s internal democracy and electoral appeal. Taking the Wheel seeks to equip party change agents with a roadmap for the implementation strategies and soft skills needed to navigate the arduous party reform process.