National Democratic institute · 2016-10-02 · Ouagadougou and Bobo-Dioulasso to support women leaders and po-litical activists. Democratic Republic of Congo The 2005 referendum

National Democratic institute

NDI ANNUAL REPORT 2005

Pollworkers examine vote tallies late into thenight during Liberia’s national elections.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Message from NDI Chairman Madeleine K. Albright 2

Message from NDI President Kenneth Wollack 3

Citizen Participation 4

Africa 5

Elections 12

Asia 13

Governance 17

Information and Communications Technology 18

Central and Eastern Europe 19

Eurasia 23

Political Parties 26

Latin America and the Caribbean 27

Middle East and North Africa 31

Women’s Political Participation 35

Donors 36

Volunteers 38

NDI Board of Directors 40

5

13

19

23

27

31

MESSAGE FROM NDI CHAIRMAN MADELEINE K. ALBRIGHT

For more than two decades, the National Democratic Institute has operatedon a simple assumption: that democracy is inseparable from human dignityand peace.

For centuries, dictators, despots and kings justified repression by insistingthat stability could only be achieved through an iron hand.

During much of the last century, Communists declared that freedom was abourgeois illusion and that human progress could only be made if every-thing was determined by the state.

More recently, new rationales for autocracy were developed, suggestingthat democracy was solely a product of the West and inconsistent with thevalues of other traditions. Even today, so-called experts proclaim thatdemocracy in poor societies must first be preceded by development, as

if democracy were not itself an essential ingredient of prosperity.

Fortunately, the human desire for freedom is both universal and unquenchable. During the past decade,for the first time in history, more than half the world’s population came to live under elected govern-ments. The rising tide of democracy has been global. From Central America and Central Europe toCentral Asia, people have been demanding and obtaining the right to participate in choosing their ownleaders and shaping their own laws.

I am proud that NDI has been present and very much a participant in the creation of this bold new era.The Institute has been deeply engaged in transitions to democracy in nearly every corner of every conti-nent, monitoring elections, training political leaders, promoting opportunities for women and helpingbuild democratic institutions.

However, the struggle to create and sustain democracy is never easy and has no end. Once the eupho-ria of acquiring freedom is past, the effort to use that liberty wisely and successfully begins. Many newdemocracies are fragile, having inherited grave problems such as debt, division, disease, poverty andcrime. If democracy is going to take root, it must be accompanied by policies that will improve livingstandards for the many, not just the privileged few.

In the face of these obstacles, the effort to translate the promise of democracy into the reality of a better life for the majority of people can be frustrating, slow and hard. There are no guarantees of suc-cess. Those who truly wish to live in freedom must demonstrate that commitment not once, but over and over again.

Democracy builders such as NDI are vital assets in the struggle against extremism. It is no accident thatwhere terrorists are most present, democracy is most absent. That is why violence is more likely to eruptin areas of the world that are undemocratic—where leaders are unaccountable and citizens are unable toparticipate in determining their own future. Certainly, terrorists can exist and strike anywhere. But theycannot long flourish in any society where leaders are held accountable and the rule of law is applied.

The forces of extremism grow from the grassroots, and must be confronted and defeated at the grass-roots through the steady construction of democratic institutions at the community and national levels.

We cannot, nor should we try, to impose democratic change. But let us not be shy about what weshould do, which is to encourage indigenous democratic forces to gain confidence and strength.

NDI is a living testament to our own understanding of the difficulty and necessity of establishing a firm and lasting foundation for democracy around the world. I am proud to be part of this effort.

2 NDI Annual Repor t 2005

Portrait by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders

MESSAGE FROM NDI PRESIDENT KENNETH WOLLACK

NDI Annual Repor t 2005 3

In 2005, NDI conducted programs in more than 70 countries around theworld, supporting citizens’ efforts to build more democratic societies.

Over the years, NDI has found that our programs have been most success-ful when we respond to requests for assistance from governments, politi-cal parties, parliaments and civic groups pursuing homegrown initiatives.Together these institutions are the engine of democracy.

NDI is working to overcome the next generation of challenges to democ-racy—such as poverty, corruption, and disease—by helping to createstronger links among the citizenry, political institutions and elected offi-cials, and by enhancing the capacity of political parties and parliaments to address these challenges.

And in non-democratic societies, NDI continues to provide solidarity to, and support for, those who arestruggling to promote peaceful political reform, often at great personal risk.

In all of its programs, the Institute actively supports women’s political participation, and the engagementof youth and marginalized communities, such the Roma in Europe and indigenous peoples in LatinAmerica. And we are using new information technologies that allow individuals, organizations and insti-tutions to better connect through the Internet, cell phones and other communications mediums.

Our programs in 2005 spanned the globe. NDI brought together 15 former heads of state and govern-ment in Bamako, Mali, for the African Statesmen Initiative to explore ways in which these prominentdemocrats could continue their leadership on the continent. We also began two African initiatives onextractive industries and money in politics, both of which promote greater transparency in the expendi-ture of public funds. Our Win with Women Global Initiative has provided a practical blueprint for politicalparty reform that enhances women’s political leadership. We trained women from across the Middle Eastto help them be more effective in their campaigns for elective office. In partnership with the UnitedNations and The Carter Center, NDI spearheaded the Declaration of Principles for International ElectionObservation, which has now been endorsed by 25 intergovernmental and nongovernmental organizations,including the African Union, the Organization of American States and the European Commission.

Today, NDI is part of a global network of governments, intergovernmental and nongovernmental organ-izations, and international financial institutions engaged in supporting democratization efforts. The Insti-tute is the only organization to enjoy official standing in the three largest international groupings ofpolitical parties, representing Social Democratic, Liberal and Christian Democratic ideologies. Together,these internationals represent more than 350 parties in 150 countries around the world.

NDI is grateful to the National Endowment for Democracy, the U.S. Agency for International Develop-ment and the U.S. Department of State, as well as a growing number of individuals, governments, foun-dations, multi-lateral institutions, corporations and organizations that support our work.

I am proud to work with a dedicated, talented and diverse staff from 100 countries; and I appreciate the valuable contributions made to NDI’s programs during the year by hundreds of volunteers, whosewillingness to share their knowledge and experiences enriches our work and informs our partnersaround the world. I am grateful for the leadership of NDI Chairman Madeleine Albright and the mem-bers of the Board of Directors, who guide our work and provide constant encouragement and support.

Above all, the Institute is privileged to join with thousands of courageous democrats who, againsttremendous odds, are striving to build better lives for their fellow citizens.


Supporting Citizen Engagement

NDI works to help citizens take their rightfulplace as active, organized participants in politi-cal life. NDI’s support has enabled citizensacross the globe to influence political process-es and outcomes, and to transform the waypolitical institutions behave and the way thatpolitics is practiced. NDI's approach generallyinvolves establishing developmental partner-ships with local civic groups and helping thembuild the capabilities needed to undertakeorganized political action, such as civic andvoter education, issue advocacy, political pro-cess monitoring and community organizing.

To enhance organizational learning and im-prove program performance, NDI examinedseveral of the Institute’s developmental part-nerships in 2005, including its long-term partnerships with a Croatian group, CitizensOrganized to Monitor Elections, and aPeruvian watchdog group, Transparencia. The research focuses on how to structuresuccessful partnerships and how best to deliv-er assistance once partnerships are clearlyestablished. Subsequent research includedan examination of NDI’s developmental part-nerships with eight Romanian organizations.

As a result of the studies, several best prac-tices emerged that will be used to informfuture partnerships. These include identifyinglocal groups with dedicated and motivatedleaders; maintaining open and honest profes-sional and insitutional relationships; establish-ing clear partnership guidelines; followingrather than leading local efforts; and deliver-ing assistance through a mixture of training,coaching, structured feedback, materials andmodest financial support. These findings arecaptured in two reports designed to assist NDI program implementers.

CIT

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Ouagadougou

Bamako

Abuja

Kinshasa

Bissau

Monrovia

Dakar

Freetown

Abidjan

Nairobi

Johannesburg

Kampala

Juba

Dar es Salaam

Luanda

Angola

NDI works closely with local civic or-ganizations, and Angolan media, todevelop civic education and publicadvocacy programs in advance of long-awaited national elections. Drawing on focus group research conducted in2003, NDI helped establish three civicnetworks in Luanda, Benguela andHuambo provinces to begin prepara-tions for civil society engagement in the election process. These networksbegan expanding in 2005, with the goalof establishing a nationwide voter edu-cation and election monitoring network.

Burkina Faso

NDI worked with political party leadersto promote a more transparent electoralprocess in advance of Burkina Faso’s2005 presidential election. The Instituteprovided training for pollwatchersfrom the political parties, and helpeddevelop a code of conduct for partyleaders and candidates. In December,NDI launched a program to promote

Strengthening national and regional governance

capacity through accountable, multiparty democrat-

ic institutions is essential to helping African gov-

ernments overcome turbulent political legacies and

effectively respond to the needs of their citizens. In a

growing number of African countries, democratically elect-

ed governments have fostered economic growth and sup-

ported the development of functioning public institutions,

open media, vibrant civic organizations and credible politi-

cal parties.

While many African nations have opened previously closed

political systems to greater competition—thereby encourag-

ing broader citizen participation in political processes—

and greater accountability through strengthened legislative

oversight, a number of autocratic regimes regularly manip-

ulate election processes to consolidate and retain power.

Civil strife and armed conflict undermine reform efforts in

other countries, while poverty and disease present major

challenges to political and economic development across

the continent.

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women’s participation in politics, and opened resource centers inOuagadougou and Bobo-Dioulasso to support women leaders and po-litical activists.

Democratic Republic of Congo

The 2005 referendum on the draftconstitution marked an importantmilestone in the Democratic Republicof Congo’s peace process. In this vast,resource-rich country, democratic prin-ciples and practices are beginning totake root, even as civil strife, corrup-tion and widespread poverty poseenormous challenges to the govern-ment and its citizens.

In 2005, NDI supported the DRC’stransition process by helping politicalparties develop an electoral code ofconduct. The Institute organized aseries of party forums around thecountry, provided technical assistanceto the transitional parliament, andtrained pollwatchers and domesticmonitors for the referendum. NDI,

in collaboration with IFES, operat-ed resource centers in Kinshasa,Lubumbashi, Kikwit and Kisangani,that provided much-needed neutralpolitical space for political party andcivic activists to access informationon the DRC's transition process and to engage in multiparty dialogue.Activities conducted at the centersincluded political party forums onpre-selected topics of interest to resident populations, and a series of training workshops for politicalparties on public outreach, platformdevelopment, coalition building andcommunication strategies.

Guinea Bissau

NDI initiated a capacity building pro-gram with Guinea Bissau’s NationalAssembly after elections in 2005 ledto the first seating of parliament inover a year. Activities included sup-port to committee members and staffwith executive oversight responsibili-ties in the areas of defense, nationalsecurity and economic development.

Kenya

Throughout 2005, NDI provided tech-nical support to political party leadersand to local and national party struc-tures in preparation for elections in2007. Focus group research conductedby the Institute helped parties betterunderstand public attitudes about gov-ernment policies, democratic practicesand the parties themselves.

Liberia

Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf became Africa’sfirst democratically elected womanpresident after Liberians voted freelyin presidential and legislative elec-tions following years of civil war and corrupt autocratic leadership.The generally peaceful and participa-tory campaign period that precededthe polls demonstrated Liberians’desire for longer-term peace andgood governance.

NDI returned to Liberia in 2003 tosupport Liberia’s transition, providingtechnical support to civic organizationsmonitoring the transition process and

In Kenya, a voter casts her ballot in a refer-endum that narrowly rejected the govern-ment-backed constitution.

Participants in a training workshop inBobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso, developtheir own campaign messages.


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implementing voter education pro-grams. The Institute stepped up elec-toral assistance in 2005 by supportingthe work of a domestic election moni-toring coalition that observed andreported on every aspect of the elec-tions. With the International Repub-lican Institute and the Press Union of Liberia, NDI organized candidateforums and debates during the cam-paign. In partnership with The CarterCenter, NDI conducted pre-electionassessment missions and two high-profile international election observa-tion delegations under the leadershipof former U.S. President Jimmy Carter,former Beninese President NicephoreSoglo and former Nigerian Vice Presi-dent Alex Ekwueme.

Nigeria

NDI has provided training and techni-cal assistance to the National Assemblyand a wide range of Nigerian civil so-ciety organizations to bolster emergingdemocratic institutions and improvetransparency. In 2005, NDI supportedthe establishment of the National

Assembly’s independent budget office.The Institute also began working withcivic organizations to develop a na-tional voter education campaign andlay the foundation for the training anddeployment of domestic observers forNigeria’s 2007 elections.

Republic of Congo

NDI worked with Congolese politi-cal parties in 2005 to enhance theirunderstanding of the roles and respon-sibilities of parties in a democratic system. The Institute also supportedwomen activists to help them becomemore effective party members andleaders. The Institute facilitated inter-party dialogue on the Congo’s 2007elections that culminated with partyleaders signing a code of conduct.

Senegal

Approximately 1,700 women wonseats in Senegal’s 2002 local andregional elections. Despite these gains,Senegalese women continue to con-front cultural and socio-economic

barriers to political leadership. Manyelected women, particularly at thelocal level, are serving in office for thefirst time and lack the skills to per-form their public functions effectively.

In 2005, NDI worked closely withSenegalese women leaders from allmain political parties to support thecreation of the Senegalese NationalNetwork of Women Councilors, anorganization dedicated to training and

Former Beninese President NicephoreSoglo and former U.S. President JimmyCarter address the press on behalf of theNDI/Carter Center delegation to Liberia’s2005 elections.

Using only a battery powered lamp inthe remote town of Sanniquellie, poll-workers from Liberia’s National ElectionCommission count votes late into thenight on October 11, 2005.

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Women councilors participate in a leader-ship training program in Dakar, Senegal.


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facilitating the exchange of ideas andinformation among elected womenacross the country.

Sierra Leone

Since the end of Sierra Leone’s dec-ade-long civil war in 2002, NDI hasdeveloped constituency outreach pro-grams for members of parliament, andconducted a grassroots civic educationprogram in parts of the country mostaffected by war. This program broughttogether village leaders and residentsin facilitated discussions on their dem-ocratic rights and responsibilities.

NDI also continues to work with legis-lators and security personnel to pro-mote better relations between civilianauthorities and the military.

Somalia

In 2005, NDI began a program to support Somalia’s Baidoa-basedTransitional Federal Government,located 100 miles from the capital ofMogadishu. NDI provided technicalassistance and training to help thenew government officials fulfill theirroles and responsibilities, and todevelop constructive working relation-ships between members of the execu-tive and legislative branches.

Sudan

NDI provided support to southernSudanese leaders in 2005 on constitu-tional development, including spon-soring visits by experts to advise andcomment on drafts of the interim con-stitution and providing ongoing tech-

nical assistance to officials in each ofthe 10 southern states. NDI conductedextensive focus group research to helpdetermine public attitudes toward thepeace process, and worked with wo-men’s and youth groups from north-ern and southern Sudan to encouragedialogue and political engagement.

Tanzania

NDI helped 18 registered politicalparties to promote more substantivedebate during the period leading upto Tanzania’s December 2005 presi-dential and parliamentary elections.The Institute also organized 15 semi-nars for political parties on how totrain party agents to observe votingand counting processes on electionday. In October, NDI’s 20-memberinternational election observation

Women turn out in large numbers to votein Tanzania’s elections.

While political partycorruption poses oneof the greatest threatsto public confidence in

political processes worldwide, relatively little information exists onthe experiences of many emerging democracies—especially inAfrica—in confronting illegitimate funding streams. To improveunderstanding of political party finance practices and encouragereform measures, NDI conducted a study of legal frameworks, pat-terns of funding and expenditures, and party management practicesin 22 countries in Africa, Asia, Central and Eastern Europe and LatinAmerica. The Institute’s report, Money in Politics: A Study of PartyFinancing Practices in 22 countries, concluded that successfulreform requires a combination of adequate party finance regulationand legal frameworks to limit the potential for abuse by public offi-cials. The study also emphasized the need for proper and impartialenforcement of regulations; political party engagement in the searchfor solutions; more transparentand accountable party struc-tures; and continued monitor-ing by civic groups to exposeabuses and to advocate reform.

A companion booklet, PartyFinance Reform in Africa, dis-cusses lessons learned fromthe efforts of NDI civic part-ners in four countries—Ghana,Kenya, Senegal and SouthAfrica—to implement politicalparty finance reform programs.

In many resource-richAfrican nations, thelack of accountabilityand transparency in

the management of revenues from the extractive industries exacer-bates poor governance and often fuels cycles of corruption, con-flict and poverty.

As the first step in a program to strengthen the capacity of legislaturesto create and utilize more accountable and transparent mechanismsfor monitoring the collection, management and use of extractiveindustry revenues, NDI conducted research in 2005 on the role oflegislatures in monitoring these revenues in Angola, Botswana,Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the Republic ofCongo, Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and South Africa. Researchfindings on best practices, and challenges to and recommendationsfor improving legislative oversight of revenues from the extractiveindustries will be published in 2006 and will inform follow-on leg-islative assistance programs.

Money in Politics

Per capita income in many resource-rich Africancountries is less than $3 per day, despite billionsof dollars in revenue collected by governmentsduring the past 25 years.

African Extractive Industries

Despite progress to-ward overcoming thechallenges posed byAfrica’s HIV/AIDS crisis,the political response

to the disease across most of the continent lags behind the pace atwhich HIV infection is spreading. In an effort to better understandhow legislatures are responding to the crisis, NDI and the SouthernAfrican Development Community (SADC) Parliamentary Forumconducted an assessment of parliamentary efforts to combatHIV/AIDS in the SADC region. The assessment concluded that par-liamentarians were not taking full advantage of their constitutional-ly mandated powers to address the pandemic.

Based on the survey findings,NDI is conducting pilot pro-grams to strengthen parliamen-tary leadership and outreach onHIV/AIDS prevention, treatmentand care. In Mozambique, theInstitute is working with anewly formed group of parlia-mentarians who, in visits to thehardest-hit regions of the coun-try, identified four legislativepriorities. In Namibia, NDI con-vened the first of two public-private sector forums to exposeparliamentarians to successfulbusiness-led initiatives to com-bat AIDS, and to exchange ideas on how legislators can betterengage the business sector in fighting the disease.

HIV/AIDS and Governance in Southern Africa

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mission to Zanzibar acknowledgedimprovements from previous electionsbut expressed concerns about theaccuracy of the voter registry, as wellas the heavy election-day presence ofsecurity forces and their use of vio-lence to maintain order.

Togo

After the death of Africa’s longest-serving president raised hopes fordemocratic change, NDI dispatched a delegation to Togo to assess prepa-rations for the April presidential elec-tion. The delegation discussed withcivil society leaders and political partyactivists ways to promote a moretransparent and fair electoral process.The delegation raised concerns aboutthe prospect for credible polls, andoffered suggestions to improve theprocess. Despite government interfer-ence, NDI produced and distributedelection monitoring training manuals

that helped civic activists and politicalparties document irregularities, andexpose manipulation of the voter reg-istry and large-scale vote tampering.

Uganda

In the lead-up to Uganda’s 2005 elec-tions, the first multi-party polls in twodecades, NDI conducted programs toincrease citizen participation and dia-logue, especially by women. TheInstitute partnered with local women’sorganizations to produce a candidatetraining manual, and held workshopsfor female candidates on outreach,codes of conduct, campaign planningand political skills development. NDIprovided technical support and finan-cial assistance to the Uganda JointChristian Council to observe the elec-tions and conduct a parallel vote tabu-lation, and to civic groups in northernUganda for the conduct of get-out-the-vote campaigns.

Zimbabwe

March 2005 parliamentary electionsresulted in the ruling ZANU-PF partyconsolidating its majority in parliament.In May, President Robert Mugabelaunched Operation Murambatsvina(“Drive out Trash”), causing thedestruction of the homes and eco-nomic livelihoods of hundreds ofthousands of Zimbabweans, most of them urban poor and supporters of the opposition Movement forDemocratic Change. A United Nations-issued report called for an immediateend to the initiative; humanitarian sup-port for the affected; and punishmentfor those responsible for the program.

NDI actively monitors developmentsin Zimbabwe from its office inJohannesburg. In 2005, the Institutesupported civic efforts to monitor theMarch parliamentary elections and topromote democratic reform. ❖

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Participant addresses NDI-organized publicforum in northern Uganda ahead of the firstmulti-party elections there in two decades.

An increasing numberof West African womenhave overcome socio-economic and culturalbarriers to play active

and visible roles in civil society, political parties and government.Many of these women leaders are offering citizens renewed hope inthe capacity of governments to address basic public needs, particu-larly in the poverty stricken and drought-prone Sahel region.

Since 2001, NDI has conducted programs with female politicaland civic leaders throughout the region to enhance their ability toparticipate in decision-making processes. In 2005, NDI broughttogether women leaders from Mali, Niger, Senegal and BurkinaFaso to strategize on ways to increase women’s engagement in pol-itics—within political parties and at all levels of government. Withsupport from NDI, participants developed a regional action plan tofurther their goals.

West African Regional Women’sPolitical Participation Program

Former Presidents and Prime Ministers attending the ASI Symposium, June 2005

Nicéphore Soglo, BeninKetumile Masire, BotswanaAntonio Mascarenhas Monteiro, Cape VerdeDawda Kairaba Jawara, GambiaJerry Rawlings, GhanaAmos Sawyer, LiberiaAlbert Zafy, MadagascarJoaquim Chissano, MozambiqueSam Nujoma, NamibiaMahamane Ousmane, NigerYakubu Gowon, NigeriaManuel Pinto da Costa, Sao Tomé and PrincipéMiguel Trovoada, Sao Tomé and PrincipéAl Sadig Al-Mahdi, SudanAli Hassan Mwinyi, Tanzania

Kim Campbell, CanadaPetre Roman, Romania

Twenty five years ago,only a few Africanpresidents or primeministers had retired

voluntarily or left office after losing an election. Now there are morethan 30, many of whom serve as role models in the region, leadinghumanitarian and democratization efforts across the continent.

In June 2005, at the inaugural gathering in Mali of the AfricanStatesmen Initiative (ASI), 15 former heads of state and governmentfrom Africa explored ways to continue their contributions to thepolitical and economic well-being of the continent.

“We affirm that changes of power and political succession shouldalways be based on constitutional rule and democratic principles,”said the group in the Bamako Declaration, a joint statement re-leased at the end of the conference. “We are gravely concerned thata number of countries are still experiencing serious difficulties inmeeting such requirements for successful democratic transitions.”

The Declaration commits the former leaders “…to use [their] goodoffices to foster dialogue and the peaceful resolution of the conti-nent’s conflicts, and to promote human security and democratic

models of government that offer citizens the opportunity tochoose their leaders freely and participate fully in the political lifeof their countries.”

The ASI was conceived in 2001 following extensive consultationsbetween former African presidents and NDI. The goals of theInitiative are to: provide a forum for these leaders to share their expe-riences on democratization and conflict management; identify newoutlets to help promote good governance across the continent; anddevelop initiatives to address issues such as poverty and disease.

Left: Amadou Toumani Toure, the president ofhost country Mali, welcomes former Niger presi-dent, Mahamane Ousmane, to the ASI sympo-sium in Bamako. Right: Participants gather atthe symposium.

African Statesmen Initiative

ASI Supporters: African Center for Strategic Studies, Bill andMelinda Gates Foundation, Club of Madrid, governments ofGermany and Mali, National Endowment for Democracy,Institute for Multiparty Democracy, Open Society Initiativefor West Africa, United Nations Development Programme,U.S. Agency for International Development and WestminsterFoundation for Democracy.

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European Network of ElectionMonitoring Organizations

The European Network of Election Monitoring Organizations (ENEMO), compris-ing 17 civic organizations from 16 countries of the former Soviet Union andCentral and Eastern Europe, is one of the world’s leading nonpartisan electionmonitoring coalitions. Collectively over the past 15 years and with technical assistance and financial support from NDI, ENEMO member organizations haveobserved and commented on more than 110 national elections and trained morethan 100,000 election monitors.

In cooperation with Freedom House, NDI helped ENEMO organize one of theworld’s largest-ever election monitoring efforts for Ukraine’s 2004 polls. ENEMOdeployed 50 long-term observers, who monitored the pre-election period and allthree rounds of elections. More than 1,000 ENEMO observers at 3,000 polling sta-tions throughout the country monitored the November run-off election, and therepeat run-off in December. The organization’s sustained presence and ongoingreports were an important source of information throughout the electoral period.

In 2005, ENEMO member organizations observed parliamentary elections inKyrgyzstan. In February, the ENEMO mission deployed 30 observers to monitorraces in all seven regions and deployed another 20 short-term observers for theMarch run-off election.

ENDORSING ORGANIZATIONS*

African Union

Asian Network for Free Elections

Association of Central and EasternEuropean Election Officials

The Carter Center

Center for Electoral Promotion andAssistance

Commonwealth Secretariat

Council of Europe—ParliamentaryAssembly

Council of Europe—EuropeanCommission for Democracy through Law (Venice Commission)

Electoral Institute of Southern Africa

Electoral Reform InternationalServices

European Commission

European Network of ElectionMonitoring Organizations

IFES

Inter-Parliamentary Union

International IDEA

International Republican Institute

La Francophonie

National Democratic Institute

Organization of American States

Organization for Security and Coop-eration in Europe, Office for Demo-cratic Institutions and Human Rights

Pacific Island Forum

Pacific Islands, Australia & NewZealand Electoral Administrators

Southern African DevelopmentCommunity Parliamentary Forum

United Nations Secretariat

United States Association of FormerMembers of Congress

*as of June 1, 2006

Twenty organizations engaged in mon-itoring elections around the worldgathered at the United Nations inOctober 2005 to adopt, for the firsttime, a common set of principles forprofessional, impartial and effectiveelection observation. The Declaration of Principles for International ElectionObservation and the Code of Conduct for International Election Observers areaimed at better ensuring the integrityof international election observationactivities and programs.

NDI, in collaboration with the UnitedNations Electoral Assistance Divisionand The Carter Center, led the multi-

year process to develop and adopt thecommon principles. Endorsing organi-zations commit themselves, for exam-ple, to act impartially, monitor allstages of the election process andaccept no funding from the host gov-ernment. The common principles alsoestablish prerequisites for observationsuch as freedom of movement, free-dom to make public statements andfree access to information. The decla-ration also calls for organizations tomake every effort to ensure that theirprograms do not lend undue legitima-cy to undemocratic elections.

Adoption of International ElectionObservation Principles

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Kabul

Dhaka

Reykjavik

Jakarta

Phnom Penh

Kathmandu

Islamabad

Manila

Colombo

Dili

HeratMazar-i-Sharif

Kandahar

Kunduz

JalalabadBamiyan

Khost

Hong Kong

hile Asia contains well-established

democracies such as Japan and South

Korea, and countries where democratic

development is proceeding at a steady

pace, such as Indonesia, in much of the continent demo-

cratic governance remained weak and threatened by the

lack of effective and accountable democratic institutions.

Burma and North Korea remain among the world’s most

repressive regimes. In Nepal’s disrupted democracy, the king

continued his direct rule, while Maoist rebels threatened the

stability of the country. Other countries continued to face

violent insurgencies and increasing acts of terrorism that pre-

sented challenges to stabiltiy and institutional development.

Afghanistan

Elections for the lower house ofAfghanistan’s National Assembly andprovincial councils in September 2005led to the formation of the country’sfirst democratically elected legislaturein more than three decades. Approxi-mately 6,000 candidates, over 550 ofthem women, competed for publicoffice. Despite instances of campaignviolence, the election were peaceful,with domestic observers monitoringballoting and tabulation proceduresacross the country. Indirect electionsfor the upper house of parliament were conducted in November, and the National Assembly held its inaugu-ral session in December. However,Afghanistan’s newly elected institutionsface serious threats in extending theirauthority and addressing the securitychallenges posed by the Taliban militiaand other insurgent groups.

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In 2005, NDI’s programs focused prin-cipally on providing support to citi-zens and political parties during theelectoral cycle. NDI established eightElection Training and InformationCenters in provincial capitals through-out the country. The Institute helpedAfghanistan’s largest domestic moni-toring group, the Free and FairElections Foundation, train and fieldmore than 7,000 observers for 3,700polling centers covering each of thecountry’s 34 provinces. In addition,NDI trained 40,000 candidate agents,who monitored polling stationsthroughout Afghanistan during thelengthy counting and tabulationprocess for both houses of parliament.Following the elections, the Institutebrought political parties together in aseries of conferences to discuss thepost-election timetable for vote-count-ing; how to resolve electoral disputes;and steps toward establishing thenewly formed legislature and provin-cial councils.

Bangladesh

To help strengthenBangladesh’s democraticinstitutions and encour-age citizen participationin politics, during 2005NDI provided training inorganizational develop-ment and constituencyrelations to civic groupsand parliamentary lead-ers, and technical adviceon election-relatedissues. In cooperationwith Bangladesh’s majorpolitical parties, theInstitute worked withpolitical party membersto improve their leader-ship skills.

Burma

NDI has supported those advocatingfor the restoration of democracy in Burma since 1995. In 2005, theInstitute helped the Euro-Burma Net-work strengthen its public advocacycampaign in European Union memberstates to increase international pres-sure on the military junta. NDI alsoassisted two exile groups, the NationalCoalition Government of Burma and

the Women’s League of Burma, intheir strategic planning and interna-tional advocacy efforts.

Cambodia

NDI supported efforts by Cambodiancivic organizations to advocate forelectoral reforms and encouragegreater citizen participation in politics.The Institute worked with Cambodia’smajor political parties on initiatinginternal party reforms to improvedemocratic practices within partystructures, and to encourage womenand youth to assume leadership roles.

China

NDI’s programs in mainland Chinafocus on strengthening outlets for citi-zen participation in governance. In2005, NDI supported a seminar on theuse of public hearings in the environ-mental permitting process in conjunc-tion with the Research Center onEnvironment and Resource Law andthe Shenyang Environmental Protec-tion Bureau. The Institute also begandeveloping a reference tool for envi-ronmental law enforcers in LiaoningProvince. NDI also supports researchinto legislative processes and popular

Villagers gather at an NDI constituency dialogue event to voice their concerns toMembers of Parliament. After the dialogues,NDI’s community volunteers follow up withthe parliamentarians to take actions whenappropriate.

Speakers welcome visitors to the openingof NDI’s election resource center inKandahar, Afghanistan.

A S I A

A small number of pio-neering women havereached the highestlevels of governmentin several South Asian

countries, but the majority of women from this region continue tobe precluded from participating actively in the political life of theircountries. With little social and institutional support for women’sparticipation in politics, South Asian women who enter politicsoften lack basic political skills to run successful campaigns or toperform their duties effectively once in office. These experienceshave perpetuated social stereotypes that portray women as unqual-ified to engage in political activity.

To help interested women overcome traditional barriers to politi-cal participation, NDI launched a program in 2004 to assistwomen candidates and elected representatives in three predomi-nantly Muslim South Asian countries: Afghanistan, Bangladeshand Pakistan. NDI trained “master trainers” fromeach of these countries, who ultimately trainedmore than 2,500 women on campaign strategy,leadership skills and constituent relations. NDImarked the concluding phase of the program inDecember 2005 by bringing the network of mas-ter trainers together in Bangladesh to share theirexperiences, and review program challenges andaccomplishments.

Building on the Muslim South Asia women’s pro-gram, NDI began a parallel effort to support wo-men political activists in the predominantlyMuslim countries of Malaysia, Indonesia and theAutonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM)in the Philippines.

Women constitute nearly half of the membershipof each of the main political parties in Malaysiabut have traditionally been relegated to supportroles and generally have not been viewed as pro-spective leaders or candidates for elected office.Although a woman recently served as presidentof Indonesia, women comprise a small percent-age of elected assembly members, and very few

serve as district executives, provincial governors or senior nationalgovernment officials. Women in the ARMM face the same chal-lenges. Local politics are dominated by men, with women takingon support roles. In all three locations, political parties do not pro-vide women with the necessary training to be effective candidatesor, if successful, skilled elected representatives.

NDI provided training to 10 trainers from each of the three coun-tries at an opening conference and master training session inJakarta in June 2005. In turn, these trainers conducted follow-onpolitical skills training workshops for approximately 1,500 women.Program participants communicate through newly created Internetand email networks; newsletters share best practices, news, andother information. In early December, NDI held a concludingregional conference in Indonesia that focused on best practicesand lessons learned, and included an advanced skills training ses-sion and program evaluation.

Supporting Women Political Leaders in Asia

15

A S I A


participation conducted by BeijingUniversity’s Center for the Study ofComparative Legislatures.

East Timor

NDI’s support for newly independentEast Timor began in December 1999.In 2005, the Institute concluded amulti-year civic advocacy programwith local community groups, andbegan a program to train newly elect-ed village councils and develop votereducation initiatives for the 2007 elec-tions. NDI’s security sector reform pro-gram, highlighted by U.N. SecretaryGeneral Kofi Annan in a 2005 reportto the Security Council, organizedmeetings to educate citizens on theroles and responsibilities of the EastTimorese police.

Hong Kong

NDI’s programs supported the effortsof political parties and civil society toplay greater and more effective rolesin the political life of Hong Kong,including a course in political commu-nication offered to the island’s youngpolitical leaders. SynergyNet, a thinktank supported by NDI, released itsthird annual governance review reportin September, followed by the publi-cation of the second annual perform-ance review of the Legislative Council.

Indonesia

NDI’s programs have involved politicalparties, legislators and civil societyorganizations to help Indonesiansstrengthen and expand their country’sdemocratic practices. In 2005, the In-stitute supported civic efforts to moni-tor Indonesia’s first direct local elec-tions, and provided training to newlyelected local legislators to assist themin effectively undertaking their newduties. NDI also initiated a program topromote citizen participation in budgetplanning and oversight for public ser-vices, such as health and education.

Malaysia

NDI works with ruling and oppositionpolitical parties, and civic groups topromote dialogue on political reformin Malaysia, which has not experi-enced a change in government since1963. The Institute has helped politi-cal party officials explore ways tomake their internal party structuresmore democratic and improve con-stituent outreach. In addition, in July2005, the Institute brought togethernational leaders of the three mainopposition parties for the first timesince their coalition dissolved in 2001to discuss avenues for advancing elec-toral reform.

Nepal

King Gyanendra’s seizure of power inFebruary 2005 led to the suspensionof constitutional rights and the sup-pression of civil liberties. Oppositionpoliticians were detained, and humanrights abuses by government securityforces and Maoist rebels continuedthroughout the year. Nepal’s mainpolitical parties announced a six-pointcommon agenda in May 2005 thatadvocated the end of the king’s directrule and the restoration of democracy.

NDI sought to build consensus onways to address Nepal’s political im-passe. To bolster reform initiatives,NDI sponsored visits by formerNorthern Ireland Assembly leaderLord John Alderdice and former U.S.Senator Thomas Daschle to help polit-ical and civic leaders identify commonground and reinforce the importanceof political party reform as a means ofadvancing democracy in the country.

Pakistan

NDI has provided support for electoralreform and civilian rule in Pakistansince 1988. In 2005, the Institute sup-ported efforts by political parties toadvocate for a full restoration of ademocratic political system andworked with them to identify andaddress the internal shortcomings that have weakened their credibility—essential steps toward modernizationand more effective participation in the democratic process at all levels of government.

Philippines

During 2005, NDI completed a pro-gram with local authorities in theAutonomous Region of MuslimMindanao to involve communities inlocal peace and public order initiatives,and to strengthen civilian oversight ofthe regional security administration.NDI provided technical assistance tomunicipal councils implementing jointcitizen-police initiatives, and supportedpilot projects to increase local capacityto address community security issues.

Sri Lanka

NDI has worked with Sri Lankan elec-tion monitoring organizations since1996. In advance of the 2005 presi-dential election, NDI supported twodomestic monitoring organizationsand provided training to internationalobservers. ❖

Former Senator Thomas Daschle is greetedby Gopal Man Shrestha, leader of the NepaliCongress (Democratic) Party, during ameeting with party leaders in Kathmandu.

17

Democracy and PovertyReduction

Around the world, entrenched poverty is a growingthreat to democracy. Citizens who once supported dem-ocratic transitions are now frustrated by what they viewas unresponsive political institutions that are unable toaddress popular needs—particularly in closing the dividebetween the rich and the poor. In many countries, legis-lators are looking for ways to dispel these perceptionsby making their governing institutions more accountableand representative, and better able to tackle the chal-lenges of poverty.

To support these reform efforts, NDI published a seriesof practical handbooks to promote the involvement oflegislatures and legislators in poverty reduction.

Each handbook identifies tools and techniques for mem-bers of parliament, parliamentary staff, civic groups andthe international development community to help legisla-tures adopt more effective strategies for reducing poverty.The handbooks are available in Arabic, French, Russian,Spanish and English.

The Institute forRepresentative Government

The Institute for Representative Government (IRG) is anonprofit, bipartisan, educational organization estab-lished by former members of Congress in 1988 for thepurpose of providing visiting legislators from developingdemocracies with a better understanding of the workingsof U.S. legislatures. In 2003, IRG entered into partnershipwith NDI and the International Republican Institute totake advantage of the worldwide presence and expertiseof the two institutes.

Since the partnership’s inception, NDI has conductedfour study missions for legislators from Indonesia,Jordan, Turkey and the Andean nations of Bolivia,Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela.

In September 2005, a study mission for Indonesian par-liamentarians was designed to aid efforts to reform thelegislature’s staff secretariat, which has traditionally func-tioned as an extension of the executive branch.

A month later, lawmakers from Bolivia, Colombia,Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela visited the U.S. to studythe role of legislatures in economic reform and nationalpoverty reduction efforts.

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Above: Web portal for the Latin AmericaPolitical Party Network provides onlineaccess to comparative information andtraining materials. Below: Montenegrin par-liamentarians receive training on the effec-tive use of information technology.

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The Internet, mobile phones and related technologies areprofoundly effecting social, economic and political insti-tutions and processes worldwide, particularly in new andemerging democracies.

NDI broke new ground in 2005 with innovative programsthat complemented the Institute’s traditional technologyprogramming in legislatures. New programs are helpingwomen and other activists network online; creating con-nections between citizens and their elected officials; andassisting political parties in their efforts to manage mem-bers and target voters.

The Latin America Political Party Network web portalfacilitates the administration and delivery of NDI politi-cal party training programs in Latin America and theCaribbean by providing online access to comparativeinformation and political party strengthening tools, andallowing trainers to work with their students online.

In preparation for elections in the West Bank and Gaza,NDI conducted a pilot Geographic Information Systems(GIS) project to create a “smart map” that allowed usersto search, edit and analyze observation information and election results at polling stations throughout thePalestinian territories. NDI is also using this technologyin Serbia and Bangladesh, where digital mapping ishelping election observer organizations identify con-stituencies with unusually high turnout rates for particu-lar candidates.

In Macedonia, NDI worked with political parties andelected representatives to develop a multilingual elec-tronic casework tracking database to replace outdatedpaper filing systems in the National Assembly’s 45 con-stituency offices, whose success in engaging citizensmade it difficult to effectively track and manage theresulting growth in constituent casework.

Democracy and Technology

Pristina

Tirana

Sarajevo

Sofia

Reykjavik

Skopje

Bucharest

Bratislava

Belgrade

Podgorica

Banja Luka

Albania

Launched in 2000, NDI’s Civic Forumprogram has engaged Albanian citizensin more than 200 rural and urban com-munities in actions designed to im-prove political and economic condi-tions in their communities. In 2005,NDI led a multifaceted initiative in sup-port of fair and transparent parliamen-tary elections. Civic Forum activistsorganized public surveys and createdcommunity development platforms toengage candidates on public policyissues; organized candidate debates;and participated in election monitoringactivities. NDI trained candidates onvoter outreach, prepared party mem-bers to serve as pollwatchers, andsponsored public opinion polling tohelp parties develop their platforms.


C E N T R A L & E A S T E R N E U R O P E

Sixteen years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, south-

eastern Europe has made dramatic advances

toward democracy and stability. With every gov-

ernment in the region fairly elected, legislative

performance and good governance have replaced electoral

politics as the region’s main democratization challenges.

Weak governing bodies, poor legislative frameworks, cor-

ruption and public alienation from political institutions are

key impediments to the political, economic and social

reforms necessary for European Union and NATO member-

ship, and for the longer-term stability of the region and the

well-being of its citizens.

★ NDI Offices

Bosnia-Herzegovina

In 2005, the Institute worked withleading moderate political parties and legislatures to open more than 60 constituent outreach offices in BiHthrough which elected officals en-gaged directly with citizens. NDI alsosupported female politicians and civicorganizations, and provided assistanceto a network of women from thedivided city of Mostar, whose success-ful advocacy program is viewed asone of BiH’s best examples of multi-ethnic political cooperation.

Bulgaria

NDI has supported nonpartisandomestic election monitoring, politicalparty development, constituency out-reach, voter education and women'spolitical participation in Bulgaria since1990. In 2005, NDI trained womenparliamentary candidates, nine ofwhom were elected to the NationalAssembly. Two have been selected as

observers to the European parliament.After the elections, NDI providedtraining for new female MPs andhelped parties increase the participa-tion of women within their ranks.

Kosovo

NDI Chairman Madeleine Albright vis-ited Kosovo in July 2005 and calledon leaders there to renew their com-mitment to democratic reform andpolitical stability.

NDI supported the institutionaladvancement of Kosovo’s CentralAssembly, as well as the develop-ment of Albanian, Serb and ethnicminority parties. The Institute alsohelped civic groups, including theKosovo Democratic Institute, improvetheir advocacy and communicationskills to promote a more democraticand multiethnic political system.

Macedonia

Since 2003, NDI has worked with par-liamentary caucuses to establish 42constituency offices in Albanian, Roma,Turkish and Serbian communitiesaround the country where members

hold regular office hours and organizepublic meetings. In 2005, the Instituteassisted parties in parliament withimproving their internal organizationand outreach skills. Prior to the Marchlocal elections, NDI conducted cam-paign skills training with political partyactivists and worked with a local civicorganization to build support for anelectoral code of conduct.

Montenegro

NDI assisted governing and oppositionparties with efforts to foster dialogueahead of the 2006 referendum onMontenegrin independence. NDIhelped parliament improve adminis-trative structures, develop researchcapacity, and implement new andmore transparent rules of procedure to improve the legislative process. At the Democratic Leadership School,organized with the Oslo-based NansenDialogue Center, NDI trained partyactivists from the isolated northernmunicipalities in strategies and meth-ods to improve citizen outreach andpromote regional interests with centralparty leadership.

Albanian citizen questions his member ofparliament at a town hall meeting organ-ized by NDI.



The Speaker of Macedonia’s parliamentgreets constituents as part of an NDI-spon-sored week-long outreach program duringwhich thousands of citizens visited parlia-ment to learn about the workings of theirlegislature.

Parties in Central andEastern Europe usemodern campaign tech-niques to reach out to

voters and citizens. However, party identities and policies are weakand often reflect the personalities of a small group of leaders. Ascountries in the region move toward EU accession, political partieshave an opportunity to forge closer relationships with like-mindedparties in Europe, which can assist them in developing distinct ide-ologies that are based on public policy positions.

In 2005, NDI launched a regional political party development pro-gram to assist parties in orienting their political identity and policydevelopment processes around modern European practices. Theprogram fosters relationships between NDI’s Social Democratic,Liberal, and Conservative party partners in Eastern Europe and theirwestern European counterparts. Through the program, parties havean opportunity to assess internal policy making processes, exam-ine how those processes address member and citizen interests, anddevelop party structures that better reflect their identity.

Central and EasternEurope’s fast-growingRoma communities areeconomically impov-

erished, socially isolated and politically marginalized. TheEuropean Union is pressing member states and candidate countriesto address the plight of the Roma community, whose 10 millionmembers comprise Europe’s largest ethnic minority. By participat-ing as voters, advocates, watchdogs and elected officials, Romathemselves can take the lead in addressing their communities’ crit-ical needs in housing, education, employment and health care.

Since 2004, NDI has trained Roma activists in political organizingand election preparation, and has connected emerging Roma lead-ers with mainstream political parties and governing institutions.Training courses in Bulgaria and Slovakia have focused on politicalleadership, showcased methods for effective public communicationand constituent relations, and taught negotiation and conflict resolution skills to emerging Roma leaders. Prior to Bulgaria’s

parliamentary elections and Slovak regional polls in 2005, NDIconducted public opinion research on Roma attitudes, politicalawareness, and party identification that helped Roma candidatesand their campaign teams on strategic planning, voter contact andplatform development. In the Slovak regional government elec-tions, five Roma candidates each garnered more than 1,000votes—by far the best showing among Roma in any election abovethe municipal level—but failed to win office, in one case falling amere 150 votes shy of victory.

NDI is working with Roma political and civic activists on issue-based advocacy campaigns at the national and local levels. InBulgaria, NDI-trained activists successfully advocated for the cre-ation of the National Anti-Discrimination Committee and theappointment of two Roma as deputy government ministers.

Regional Political Party Initiative

Regional Roma Initiative


Left: In Bulgaria, an NDI-trained volunteercampaigns for issues affecting the Roma com-munity, which suffers disproportionately frominadequate housing, unemployment and pooreducation.

21

Romania

Since 1990, NDI has encouraged thegrowth of Romanian political partiesand civic organizations, particularly atthe local level. Party support has ledto more frequent and effective publicoutreach, while assistance to civil soci-ety has resulted in an increase inissue-based advocacy campaigns. In2005, NDI worked with members ofparliament to improve communicationwith constituents, and with the officeof the president to improve internal

management practices and externalcommunications. With backing fromNDI, nongovernmental organizationslike the Association for the Protectionof Women’s Rights have begun work-ing with elected leaders to translatepublic interests into legislation, suchas laws against domestic violence.

Serbia

NDI public opinion research conduct-ed in 2005 revealed growing frustra-

tion with Serbia’s governing institu-tions that are viewed as unresponsive,particularly on economic issues. Toaddress voter apathy, NDI workedwith political parties and governmentto strengthen their ability to communi-cate with citizens, develop issue-ori-ented campaigns and platforms, andconduct voter outreach activities. Incoordination with 50 regional politicalparty trainers, NDI helped develop avoter database that allowed parties tobetter identify and track constituents. ❖



A group of young Serbian political activistsdebate reform issues across party lines inan NDI-organized forum in Belgrade.

Romanian Member of parliament, ReluFenechiu (center), discusses EuropeanUnion agricultural support with farmers inhis constituency as part of an NDI programto assist members of parliament withimproving their public outreach.

Baku Almaty

Addis Abbaba

Reykjavik

Jakarta

Phnom Penh

Nairobi

Antananarivo

Kuala Lumpur

Rangoon

Moscow

Dar es Salaam

Bangkok

Ankara

Kiev

Tashkent

SanaaKinshasa

Brazzaville

Godthab

Bishkek

Yerevan

Tblisi

Eurasia is increasingly divided between nations

that have experienced democratic break-

throughs and those with authoritarian tenden-

cies. Political upheavals in several countries

have inspired reformers across the region and demonstrated

the high political price of manipulating elections. Citizens

in many societies have begun to demand the political rights

that independence from the Soviet Union failed to deliver

on its own.

Progress in some countries has led to a backlash in

others, where leaders who fear genuine political reform

have clamped down on civic activists and opposition

political forces.

Armenia

NDI has supported efforts by Armenia'spolitical parties to be more effectiveand competitive. The Institute’s civicpartner, It’s Your Choice, monitored the2005 referendum on proposed constitu-tional amendments intended to en-hance legislative powers, reporting on low voter turnout and wide-scaleviolations of Armenia’s election laws.

Azerbaijan

NDI has conducted programs inAzerbaijan since 1995, working withpolitical parties and civic organizationsto foster more open political dialogue.In advance of the November 2005 elec-tions, NDI helped train observers frompolitical parties and civic organizationsto monitor electoral procedures. NDI’scivic partner, the Election MonitoringCenter, conducted a nationwide obser-vation program and filed numerouscomplaints about irregularities. NDIalso provided advice and training tocandidates on how to more effectivelyreach out to their constituents.


E U R A S I A

★ NDI Offices

Belarus

NDI has conducted programs inBelarus since 2000, though theInstitute has not been permitted toopen a permanent office. The TenPlus Coalition, a group of democraticparties and civic organizations, hassought NDI assistance for coalitionstrengthening, exchanges with like-minded parties in the region and poll-watcher training. In 2005, the coalitiondesigned a transparent and participa-tory process for selecting an opposi-tion candidate for the March 2006presidential election. NDI has also sup-ported Partnership, a domestic electionmonitoring organization, that hasobserved and reported on Belarusianelections since 2002.

Georgia

NDI has worked in Georgia since1992. In 2005, the Institute advisedlegislators reviewing draft legislationon election code revisions, rules ofprocedure and decentralization. NDIhas also helped stimulate executivebranch outreach to Georgian NGOs to include support for the creation ofthe NGO Advisory Committee. NDI’scivic partner, the International Societyfor Fair Elections and Democracy(ISFED), has monitored and com-mented on every election since 1995,

most recently the October 2005 mid-term polls. In the course of the year,ISFED organized a series of civicadvocacy workshops and town hallmeetings on local government reforms.

Kazakhstan

NDI has provided training to Kazakpolitical parties on constituency out-reach and communications techniques,and helped civic organizations gainadvocacy skills. The Institute has alsosupported the work of a nonpartisanelection monitoring network. In 2005,NDI helped open several informationcenters around the country that pro-vide citizens access to objective infor-mation about events in Kazakhstanand around the world.

Kyrgyzstan

In the wake of Kyrgyzstan’s “TulipRevolution” and subsequent electionsin 2005, NDI provided support to thenew government, to parliament andto civic groups seeking to more effec-tively participate in the politicalprocess. The Institute has also fur-nished technical advice on constitu-tional reform and supported a trainingprogram designed to assist a new gen-eration of democratic political partyleaders. NDI supports Kyrgyzstan’sprincipal election monitoring organi-zation, the Coalition for Democracyand Civil Society. Twenty-two NDI-supported information centers across

the country provided tens of thou-sands of citizens an opportunity tonetwork and access information.

Moldova

NDI assisted Moldovan parties acrossthe political spectrum on planning andorganization in advance of the March2006 parliamentary elections. Takingadvantage of the ruling Communistparty’s interest in reform, NDI broughtexperts from neighboring countries to discuss their experiences in trans-forming similar parties into SocialDemocratic groups. Support to parlia-ment has included NDI-sponsoredexchange visits by parliamentary stafffrom Latvia and Lithuania.

Russia

NDI supports the work of Golos, anonpartisan civic organization thatplans to observe Russia’s 2007 parlia-mentary and 2008 presidential elec-tions from its branch offices through-out the country. In October, NDI andGolos brought together internationalexperts, party representatives and gov-ernment officials for a conference onRussia’s new election law. Later, NDIalso conducted public opinionresearch that revealed growing dispari-ties between voter aspirations and thepolitical alternatives open to them.

Tajikistan

Despite government constraints onthe Institute’s work in 2005, NDI con-ducted regional seminars on internalparty communication, message devel-opment and constituency outreachmethods for district-level politicalparty leaders, and launched an inten-sive program to help the regionalbranches of Tajikistan’s six registeredparties develop more effective voteroutreach strategies. NDI also cooper-ated closely with the new Women’sPolitical Discussion Club, which aimsto increase women’s participation in politics. The group convened aroundtable of representatives frompolitical parties, local government and


E U R A S I A

In Baku, Azerbaijan, participants prepare apresentation at an NDI training workshop.

nongovernmental organizations to dis-cuss issues of concern to women.

Turkey

In 2005, NDI supported members ofthe newly created Turkish Parliamen-tary Democracy Committee in theirefforts to organize public hearings onproposed parliamentary reforms. NDIhas supported the work of Turkishcivic partners, including the TurkishDemocracy Foundation and an organi-zation that seeks to improve commu-nication among women’s groups andorganizes events to raise awareness of gender issues. A local governmentprogram supported by NDI is increas-ing avenues for citizen participation in decision-making processes.

Ukraine

NDI launched an executive internshipprogram in 2005 to support theUkrainian government’s efforts toimplement civil service reform. NDIhelped a group of interns design spe-cific reform projects to improve gov-ernment effectiveness and capacity.They then spent a month studying atministries and government agencies in Poland, Lithuania and Latvia. Aftercompletion of those studies, the internswere deployed to Ukrainian ministrieswhere they began implementing theirreform projects.

Uzbekistan

Following the May 2005 killing of several hundred peaceful protestors in Andijon, the Uzbek government lim-ited the activities of civic and politicalactivists, and imposed restrictions onthe operations of international organi-zations. Throughout the year, NDI pro-vided advice on organizational andstrategic issues to representatives ofpolitical parties, and began a programto train civic activists on legislativeadvocacy techniques. ❖

In 2004, NDI began establishing anetwork of Information Centers acrossKyrgyzstan to help citizens in ruraland remote areas gain access to inde-

pendent sources of information, encourage civic engagement and activism, andfoster the development of a better informed electorate through the distribution ofelection-related journals and voter education materials. Twenty-two centers arenow located in all seven of Kyrgyzstan’s regions. The centers host discussion clubson policy issues; provide meetings and training space for civic organizations andthe general public; and offer access to an extensive library of publications and edu-cational videos.

Alabuka’s Information Centerorganized the region’s first-ever meetings between newlyelected rural council headsand their constituents in threedistricts. In an unprecedentedexchange of views, councilheads presented their pro-grams, discussed local issuesand answered questions inpublic.

Chaek’s Information Centerbrought together local citizens, civic activists,and managers from the Jumgal regional powerstation to discuss frequent power outages. Afterdetermining the primary causes of the outages,members of the discussion group launched acampaign called a “Light in Every House!” toaddress the problems.

In collaboration with a local legislator, Kyzylkia’sInformation Center organized a discussion clubin the village of Karavan that led to the creationof a working group to facilitate communicationbetween constituents and elected officials onissues of local concern.

E U R A S I A

Information Centers

Top: A celebration marks the1,500th visitor to the NDIInformation Center in Taraz,Kazakhstan. Above: Visitorsperuse periodicals in the read-ing room of the InformationCenter in Naryn, Kyrgyzstan.

25

Understanding the Role ofPolitical Parties

For more than 20 years, NDI has worked with politicalparties around the world to create more open politicalenvironments in which citizens can actively participate inthe democratic process. NDI approaches its work from apractical viewpoint, offering assistance to promote parties’long-term organizational development, enhance theircompetitiveness in local and national elections, and helpthem participate constructively in government. Rangingfrom interactive training and guided practice to consulta-tions and tailored resources, this support takes manyforms in helping parties become more open and repre-sentative organizations.

In 2005, NDI invited four leading scholars to preparepapers that explore the obstacles to, and possibleapproaches for, creating more effective and inclusivepolitical parties. The result is a unique four-part researchseries, called Political Parties in Democracy in Theoretical andPolitical Perspectives. The first two papers—on party lawand finance—discuss regulatory mechanisms that directlyaffect parties. The other two—on intra-party democracyand communications—relate to the internal governanceand organization of parties.

NDI and the Political PartyInternationals

NDI is the only organization that enjoys official standingin the international groupings of Social Democratic,Liberal and Christian Democratic parties. Together, thethree “internationals” represent approximately 350 partiesin 150 countries around the world. Since the formalestablishment of this partnership in 1999, NDI and theparty groupings have sought to increase awareness andunderstanding of the important role political party devel-opment plays in consolidating democratic systems.Through multiparty cooperation, this unique partnershipmoves beyond partisan politics to create a forum forsharing ideas on party development and to serve as asupport network for newly established democratic partiesin emerging democracies.

NDI BRUSSELSIn 2005, NDI opened an office in Brussels, Belgium to strengthen the Institute’s diverse and growing relationshipswith European and international political party organizations engaged in democracy promotion, European Union polit-ical institutions, EU member-state development agencies and the party internationals. This engagement has broadenedNDI’s understanding of EU priorities and approaches in strengthening democratic institutions, and helped better informthe European community about NDI’s work. These relationships have also expanded NDI’s network of senior politicalpractitioners willing to share their expertise with political party leaders around the world.

In October, NDI-Brussels helped facilitate the visit of democratic leaders from Belarus to a plenary session of theEuropean Parliament. Hosted by the main party groups, this event contributed to the creation of a Belarus caucus in the Parliament.

Political Finance Policy, Parties and democratic Developmentby Dr. Michael Johnston, Colgate University

Adopting Party Lawby Dr. Kenneth Janda, Northwestern University

Implementing Intra-Party Democracyby Dr. Susan Scarrow, University of Houston

Developments in Party Communicationsby Dr. Pippa Norris, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University

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Women gather at a political party candidate training school inMorocco.

Porto Novo

La Paz

Port-au-Prince

Quito

Bamako

Nouakchott

Mexico City

Niamey

Abuja

Washington D. C.

Caracas

Ottawa

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L AT I N A M E R I C A & T H E C A R I B B E A N

Bolivia

Since 2004, NDI has worked withBolivian political parties to encouragedebate on substantive policy issues and the development of more trans-parent candidate selection processes.In 2005, NDI conducted a two-partwomen’s leadership program thatincluded campaign skills training forapproximately 1,200 female candidatesfor the 2005 local elections, followedby workshops on municipal manage-ment for those elected to office.

Colombia

NDI has supported political partyreform initiatives in Colombia since1999. In 2005, NDI helped partiesrespond to new party reform legisla-tion by providing comparative bestpractices in the areas of candidateselection, fundraising and internal

Twenty years after a wave of democratic change

swept through the Americas enabling citizens

to regain fundamental political rights, public

confidence in representative institutions re-

mains low. Limited progress in overcoming problems of

poverty and corruption, and the marginalization of large

sectors of society have weakened the foundation of demo-

cratic institutions and fueled a populist resurgence in a

number of countries in the region. Many political leaders

and political parties face pressure to become more effective

in reaching out to citizens and addressing their needs.


★ NDI Offices

communication strategies. In collabo-ration with local officials, the VisibleCongress project, the Konrad AdenauerFoundation and local universities, NDIalso conducted four regional work-shops on party reform legislation with the participation of more than500 civic and political leaders.

Cuba

NDI has encouraged internationalawareness and support for the effortsof Oswaldo Payá, a recipient of theEuropean Parliament’s Sakharov Prizefor Freedom of Thought and NDI’s W.Averell Harriman Democracy Award.Payá founded the Varela Project, agrassroots movement that drew upona constitutional provision enabling cit-izens to introduce legislative initiativeswhen accompanied by at least 10,000signatures. At great personal risk,more than 25,000 citizens signed apetition calling for referendums onelections and basic political rights.Payá has launched a new initiative,the National Dialogue, to collect viewsfrom Cubans on the island and out-side the country on steps toward apeaceful democratic transition.

Dominican Republic

Since 1994, NDI has worked tostrengthen the Dominican Republic’selectoral process and promote politi-cal party reform through support tocivic organizations and the politicalparties themselves. Young leadershave participated in NDI’s regionalPolitical Leadership Program since2001, contributing to the develop-ment of party ethics codes, trainingprograms and websites.

Ecuador

NDI supports Participación CiudadanaEcuador, a national network of non-partisan volunteers dedicated toengaging citizens in the electoralprocess. In 2005, NDI conducted anassessment in preparation for openingan office in Quito in 2006.

Haiti

Since 1986, NDI has sought to in-crease dialogue and constructive polit-ical participation by all sectors ofHaitian society. In 2005, members ofNDI’s Civic Forum network providedthousands of Haitians with information

on their political rights and helpedthese citizens engage in the politicalprocess in nine of the country’s 10departments. In anticipation of the2006 elections, NDI worked with polit-ical parties to commit to a “clean cam-paign” pact, trained thousands of partypollwatchers and provided support toa coalition of Haitian civic organiza-tions monitoring the electoral processthrough a national network of 5,000volunteer observers.

Participants gather at a Civic Forum sessionin Haiti's Central Plateau department.



A Mexican participant in NDI’s partyrenewal program presents the timeline of his party training project

Perceptions of auto-cratic leadership, en-trenched corruption,the marginalization of

large segments of society from political life, and failure to addressthe needs of the poor, fuel popular dissatisfaction with politicalparties across the hemisphere and have contributed to the riseof populist leaders. NDI has developed a range of tools to helpparties reform and more effectively respond to these chal-lenges. In 2005, the Institute assisted political parties withtheir reform and renewal programs in Argentina, Bolivia,Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Peru andVenezuela.

Political Leadership ProgramLaunched in 1999 to promote the moderniza-tion and renewal of political parties, NDI’sPolitical Leadership Program (PLP) helps emerging political leaders

develop reform efforts within their parties. These leaders, selectedfrom across the democratic political spectrum, participate in anintensive leadership academy and receive follow-on support fromNDI as they design and implement party strengthening projects intheir own countries. Representatives from 36 major political partiesand movements in eight countries have participated in the pro-gram, among them elected mayors, municipal councilors and leg-islators, as well as legislative advisors, indigenous political activistsand leaders of youth movements. The 2005 PLP included 28 par-ticipants representing 15 political parties from Colombia, theDominican Republic, Mexico and Peru. Their projects included the

development of a party ethics code, the establishment of a partytraining school, the design of a congressional intern program andthe creation of an alliance to increase the political participation ofwomen.

Political Party NetworkNDI developed the Political Party Network as an online forum forreform-minded political leaders to exchange ideas on the develop-ment of modern, transparent and responsive political practices. Thenetwork’s interactive Spanish-language website, www.ndipar-tidos.org, includes an online library of political party training anddevelopment materials. The network is an effective way to provideinformation to political activists interested in engaging in partyreform initiatives with their peers across the region.

Triangle of Best Practices of Effective PartiesNDI’s “Triangle of Best Practices of Effective Parties,” a self-assess-ment guide designed to help reform and modernize political par-ties, identifies the common traits shared by successful and vibrantparties around the world in the areas of internal democracy, trans-parency and outreach. NDI has developed training modules for useby parties to improve performance in these areas.

Many Latin Americancivic groups that help-ed spearhead peacefuldemocratic transitions

in their countries are now strengthening democratic structures byserving as links between citizens and institutions, including legis-latures, political parties and local governments. NDI helped devel-op the Civic Network in 1996 to facilitate the exchange of ideas,expertise and information, and to provide easy access to democ-racy development materials. Since the network’s inception, the In-stitute has worked with more than 45 civic groups in 17 countries.

In 2000, Civic Network members established the Lima Accord(ADL), a network of 18 election monitoring organizations from 16countries across the region that share best practices on elections,political party development and legislative reform. With NDI sup-port, ADL members have provided organizational development,strategic planning, media and campaign finance monitoring assis-tance to groups in the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala,Nicaragua and Peru.

Civic Network

Political Party Reform and Renewal

Above: Graphic representation of the NDI training tool “Triangle of BestPractices of Effective Parties.” Left: A participant uses the tool to assess hisparty’s strengths and weaknesses.


29


Mexico

NDI’s support to Mexico’s politicalreform process began in 1991. In subsequent years, NDI has helped the work of Mexico’s Civic Alliance, a citizen monitoring coalition, in safe-guarding the electoral process, andpromoting greater government trans-parency and accountability. In 2005,NDI trained women candidates fromthe three largest parties for the 2006elections and provided technical assis-tance to a network of election obser-vation organizations on communica-tion, fundraising and coalition-build-ing strategies.

Nicaragua

In 2005, NDI worked with civicgroups to identify issues that couldundermine the integrity of the 2006national elections and to help mobi-lize citizens to press for reforms. Inresponse to indications that an esti-

mated 14 percent of the electoratelacks the necessary voter identificationcard, NDI began work with local part-ners on a voter registry audit and anational identification card assessment.

Peru

NDI supported the creation of thewatchdog civic group, Transparencia,which has played an important role insafeguarding elections and encourag-ing political consensus in Peru. In2005, NDI and Transparencia helpedpolitical parties develop and presentplatforms linked to key provisions ofthe National Accord, a 30-point agree-ment signed by Peru’s major politicalparties that charts planned politicaland economic developments inadvance of scheduled 2006 elections.

Venezuela

In 1998, Hugo Chavez was electedpresident by capitalizing on public

dissatisfaction with Venezuela’s tradi-tional political parties. Today, thecountry remains politically polarized,while actions by the government haveeroded democratic institutions andprocesses. Venezuela’s main opposi-tion parties boycotted the December2005 legislative elections, citing a lackof transparency and trust in theNational Electoral Council.

Since 1995, NDI has supported effortsto encourage greater transparency andbuild confidence in Venezuela’s elec-toral process. In 2005, NDI’s activitiesincluded technical assistance for thecreation of a national network of non-partisan election observers. The Insti-tute also offered training on constitu-ent outreach and citizen engagementto political parties and movements. ❖


El Alto council members in Bolivia displaycertificates from NDI’s workshop on munic-ipal management.

Participant in a workshop for political par-ties in Mexico presents her strategy onpublic outreach.

NouakchottKirkukBaghdad

Al Manamah

Tikrit

Amman

Sanaa

Cairo

BeirutArbil

BasraAl Hillah

AlgiersRabat

Jerusalem

Algeria

In 2005, members of an Algerianwomen’s group inspired by NDI’s WinWith Women initiative and the Partnersin Participation program, developed anaction plan to increase women’s politi-cal participation within their respectivepolitical parties. In preparation forAlgeria’s 2007 elections, NDI helpedpolitical party leaders launch a trainingprogram to strengthen local partybranches and improve voter outreach.The Institute also conducted advocacytraining for civic groups and a civiceducation program for young people.

Bahrain

Since 2002, NDI has provided adviceand technical assistance to Bahrainipolitical and civil society organizations.In 2005, NDI helped Bahrain’s politicalsocieties strengthen internal organiza-tion and decision-making processes,and initiate broader public dialogue onelectoral reform issues. The Institutealso facilitated discussions on demo-cratic governance and political reformwith Bahraini youth.

Unmistakable signs of liberalization throughout

the Middle East and North Africa have altered

the political landscape in countries across the

region. Democratic gains such as contested

elections, opportunities for political parties and civic groups

to organize activities, the assertion of rights by legislative

bodies, increased opportunities for women to participate

in political life and more open media, serve to inspire re-

formers in the region.

These positive developments have occurred in spite of

longstanding cleavages dividing ruling elites from civil soci-

ety, and secular from religious forces, that have reinforced

extremist elements within the region. Iraq’s turbulent transi-

tion and the continuing threat of terrorism have complicated

the quest for democratic reform. Despite these challenges,

political and civic activists demonstrated throughout 2005

their determination to widen the middle ground where

viable political alternatives can be presented and debated

by citizens of all faiths and political convictions.

M I D D L E E A S T & N O R T H A F R I C A


★ NDI Offices

Egypt

With technical assistance from NDI,the Independent Committee forElection Monitoring and the EgyptianAssociation for the Support ofDemocratic Development trained anddeployed thousands of monitors whoreported on the 2005 parliamentaryelections. The Institute also helpedcivil society groups develop grass-roots civic education programs.

Iraq

Iraq held two national elections and aconstitutional referendum in 2005.Following the election of a transitionalparliamentary body in January, workbegan on a new constitution. Theconstitution narrowly passed in anational referendum in October.Under the new constitutional frame-work, Iraqis voted again in Decemberfor members of the country’s new leg-islature, the Council of Representatives.

While Iraq’s 2005 electoral processwas largely peaceful, sectarian andinsurgent violence continued to hinderdemocratic progress throughout theyear. Disagreements over federalism,the status of ex-Ba’ath party membersand the distribution of Iraq’s oil rev-enues dominated political negotiationsamong rival groups. Tensions roseduring the year over the government’sinability to provide consistent basicservices or security for the generalpopulation.

In 2005, NDI provided a broad rangeof technical assistance and support toIraq’s parliament and other gover-nance structures, political parties, civicgroups, election monitoring organiza-tions and women’s groups. NDItrained more than 6,000 party activistsand assisted 11 of the 12 coalitionsthat won seats in the DecemberCouncil of Representatives election.More than 600 nationwide civicgroups have participated in NDI pro-grams on capacity development, trans-parency and accountability, and advo-cacy. With Institute support, 150 civicorganizations coalesced to form theIraqi Election Information Network,

which trained and deployed morethan 30,000 election monitors duringthe three national elections. Parlia-mentarians and legislative staff, includ-ing 40 percent of the women in thetransitional parliament and 50 percentof the women in the Council ofRepresentatives, also received NDIassistance during the year.

Jordan

NDI held a series of sessions forJordanian legislators on the formationand maintenance of parliamentaryblocs. Also in 2005, the Institute pro-vided training for political parties onstrategic planning, constituency out-reach, and internal party structure andmanagement, and worked with partiesand women’s organizations to helpthem develop and implement strate-gies to encourage women’s politicalparticipation. In cooperation withcivic groups in Amman, NDI helpedestablish an independent focus

group research facility to inform political andcivic groups of publicattitudes and concerns.

Kuwait

To support the campaignfor women’s politicalrights in Kuwait, NDIconducted a series ofroundtable discussions,workshops and informalconsultations on advoca-cy and coalition buildingfocused on gaining pas-sage of legislation toenshrine these rights inlaw. In May 2005,Kuwait’s parliamentamended the country’selectoral law, effectivelygranting women fullpolitical rights ahead ofthe 2006 parliamentaryelections. In addition,

NDI hosted a regional women’s cam-paign school in Kuwait to honor theachievements of Kuwaiti womenactivists and provide an opportunityfor them to share experiences withwomen from 15 countries across theregion.

Lebanon

In 2005, NDI supported the efforts ofLebanese civil society organizations totrain and deploy an extensive networkof volunteers to monitor the parlia-mentary elections. In partnership witha local research center, NDI helpedconduct a series of focus groups togauge citizen views on political andelectoral reform, and worked to estab-lish a permanent focus group researchcenter. NDI also conducted a series ofcampaign schools for prospectivefemale parliamentary candidates andhelped civic groups launch a mediacampaign to promote women’s politi-cal participation.

Mauritania

Following the military overthrow oflong-serving President Maaouiya Ould



Iraqi voter casts her ballot during electionsfor a transitional legislature in January 2005.

A 42-year long struggle for women’srights in Kuwait led in early 2005 tothe government’s re-introduction of awomen’s suffrage bill that had failedpreviously to overcome opposition

from conservative lawmakers in Kuwait’s elected legislature. Taking advantage ofthis opening, hundreds of women’s rights supporters used the occasion ofInternational Women’s Day to participate in a street rally before parliament, andeventually entered the gallery to hear debate on the proposed legislation.

A “blue ribbon” campaign, discussed and debated during an NDI workshop onwomen’s political participation, led to a petition signed by 23 civil society organ-izations and subsequently delivered to the speaker of parliament. Campaignactivists made frequent presentations at neighborhood and professional associa-tions to gain support for the legislation, appeared on television, and gave radio andnewspaper interviews.

Proud of their role in gaining passage of the bill, campaign leaders continue tostress the need to educate Kuwaiti women about their newly acquired rights andthe important roles they can play inKuwait’s political process as voters,activists and candidates.

Elections in 2005 in the Middle Eastand North Africa provided morewomen than ever before with oppor-tunities to gain elective office and

demonstrate political leadership. In cooperation with the International RepublicanInstitute (IRI) and with funding from the Middle East Partnership Initiative, NDIdeveloped Partners in Participation, a series of campaign training schools for aspir-ing women politicians.

In May 2005, NDI conducted campaign training in Amman, Jordan for womencandidates and political activists from Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and the WestBank and Gaza. In September, NDI and IRI held the final campaign school of thePartners in Participation series.

At each of the schools, experienced political practitioners from Africa, Europe andNorth America led workshops and one-on-one consultations with participants onsuch topics as campaign planning, media and communication, women’s leader-ship and the use of technology in political campaigns. Since its inception, the pro-gram has offered opportunities for politically engaged women from nearly everycountry in the region to meet, share lessons and build networks of like-mindedindividuals committed to the promotion of women in public life.

Kuwait: How Women Got the Vote

Regional Women’s CampaignSchools


Women from across the region celebratethe achievement of suffrage for the womenof Kuwait at the Partners in Participationcampaign school in Kuwait City.

33

Taya and the composition of a transi-tional government, NDI provided tech-nical assistance to more than twodozen political parties involved in aconsultative effort to develop a two-year transitional plan for elections. TheInstitute provided intensive training tothe parties on how to engage andadvocate the government for reforms,and facilitated multiparty roundtablediscussions to develop consensus onkey reform issues such as an appropri-ate electoral system design, women’spolitical participation and political partyfinance mechanisms.

Morocco

NDI has provided technical assistanceto Moroccan political parties, parlia-ment, civil society, government min-istries and the media since 1997. In2005, the Institute supported parlia-mentary efforts to improve constituentoutreach and strengthen the party caucus system. The Institute assistedparties in developing internal gover-nance structures, as well as constituentoutreach and youth training programs.With support from NDI, female legisla-tors, political party members and civicleaders joined forces to develop pro-grams to strengthen women’s politicalparticipation. Published reports fromThe People’s Mirror, a focus groupresearch center established in 2003with NDI assistance, are used by political and civic groups to improveunderstanding of public perceptionsand attitudes.

Saudi Arabia

In collaboration with the Club ofMadrid, an organization of formerheads of state and government, NDIorganized a seminar in Madrid for agroup of reform-minded political andcivic leaders from Saudi Arabia, includ-ing recently elected municipal coun-cilors. The seminar provided an oppor-tunity for international political leadersand experts to share their experienceswith democratic reform. NDI alsoorganized a discussion on democracyin the region that brought togetherrepresentatives from the Council on



Leaders of NDI/Carter Center delegation to the Palestinian elections discuss pollingarrangements with a voter on election day. (L to R) Former New Jersey GovernorChristine Todd Whitman, former SwedishPrime Minister Carl Bildt and former U.S.President Jimmy Carter.

Pollworker and voter discuss registrationprocedures during Palestinian elections.

Foreign Relations, the Center forDemocracy and Human Rights in Saudi Arabia, and other experts.

West Bank and Gaza

In support of the 2005 electoralprocess in the West Bank and Gaza,NDI, in cooperation with The CarterCenter, organized two observationmissions to monitor the presidentialand parliamentary elections. NDI alsosponsored smaller missions to observelocal government elections. To dis-courage electoral violence, NDI assist-ed efforts of the Arab Thought Forumto engage parties in drafting a politicalparty code of conduct. The Institute

conducted a series of political partycandidate trainings that focused onvoter research, message developmentand campaign management.

Yemen

NDI’s support for Yemen’s democrati-zation process began in 1993. In 2005,NDI helped establish a training andresearch center for members of parlia-ment and staff. NDI also assisted polit-ical party efforts to revise Yemen’selectoral law, expand party branchoffices and improve the prospect ofwomen gaining office in the 2006local elections.

NDI responded to a request from agroup of tribal leaders trying to endthe longstanding practice of revengekillings in three regions of Yemen thathave provoked senseless violence, anddelayed much-needed democraticreform and economic developmentefforts. NDI worked with these leaderson strategies for conflict preventionbased on the Institute’s research oncommunity opinions, and tribal struc-tures, processes and norms. The NDIprogram was the subject of a three-part, Pulitzer-Prize winning series inThe Washington Post. ❖

Tribal leaders gather at an NDI-organizedworkshop to establish the YemenOrganization for Development and SocialPeace, a civic group dedicated to endingrevenge killings and promoting develop-ment in tribal governorates.


Supporting Women in Politics

For more than two decades, NDI has partnered withdemocrats around the world to develop and promotestrategies for increasing women’s political participation.The Institute’s programs seek to create an environment inwhich women can advocate on matters of policy, success-fully run for political office, govern effectively, and partic-ipate meaningfully in every facet of civic and political life.

Madeleine K. Albright Grant

NDI established the Madeleine K. Albright Grant in 2005to support organizations around the world that creategreater roles for women in political and civic life. Thefirst $25,000 grant was awarded to the Women’s PoliticalCaucus of Indonesia (KPPI) for its efforts to supportwomen running for office and, once elected, to assistwomen with becoming more effective legislators. TheCaucus includes women from a broad cross-section ofpolitical parties, civic groups, trade unions, academia andthe media.

Win with Women Global Initiative

NDI Chairman Madeleine K. Albright launched the Winwith Women Global Initiative in 2003 to demonstrate howthe inclusion of women, particularly in top leadershippositions within political parties, is integral to democraticdevelopment. The Initiative is anchored by the GlobalAction Plan, which outlines practical recommendations tohelp political parties broaden their appeal by addressingwomen’s roles as voters, candidates, party activists andelected officials.

In 2005, following the introduction of the Global ActionPlan in Colombia, presidents of six major political partiesthere developed and signed a declaration on the promo-tion of women’s political participation. As part of theircommitment to the declaration, the Liberal Party incorpo-rated recommendations of the Global Action Plan into itsparty statutes, the Democratic Independent Pole Partydeveloped a delegate selection process inclusive ofwomen and the Conservative Party approved statutes toinclude women in at least 20 percent of party leadershippositions and candidate lists.

Also in 2005, the Global Action Plan garnered a follow-ing from political leaders in Bulgaria. The governmentreleased a National Action Plan for Promoting GenderEquality; a subcommittee on Women’s Rights and Gender was established in the parliament; and the ruling Bulgarian Socialist Party changed its official partystatutes to increase women’s representation in executiveand local bodies.

WO

ME

N’S

PO

LIT

ICA

L P

AR

TIC

IPA

TIO

N

Remove restrictions on women’s political par-ticipation, including restrictions on women’ssuffrage and candidacy.

GLOBAL ACTION PLAN

1234

Increase the number of women elected officialsat the national, provincial and local levels.

Ensure that political parties include women inmeaningful leadership positions and in mean-ingful numbers.

Encourage greater participation of women ingovernment decision-making including advo-cating for legislation that enshrines the fullequality of women and men.

Gefarina Djohan accepts the first Madeleine K. Albright Granton behalf of KPPI at a March luncheon in Washington, D.C. (L to R) NDI Board Member Geraldine Ferraro, NDI PresidentKenneth Wollack and NDI Chairman Madeleine Albright.

35

Peter Ackerman

AFL-CIO

AH&T

American Federation of Teachers

Kenneth Ansin

Arie and Ida Crown Memorial

Aristotle International, Inc.

Bernard W. Aronson

J. Brian Atwood

Lena Auerbach

Harriet C. Babbitt

Baker & Hostetler

Banque Internationale Pour Le CommerceEt L'Industrie Du Sen

Barbara Lee Family Foundation

Bell South Corporation

Better World Campaign

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

BP

Nancy Britz

Annie Burns

Catto Charitable Foundation

Centrade USA, Inc.

Charles Stewart Mott Foundation

Anna Chavez

ChevronTexaco

Citigroup Inc.

The Coca-Cola Company

Communications Workers of America

Amy Conroy

DaimlerChrysler Corporation

Dewey Square Group

Joseph O. Diop

Discovery Communications, Inc.

Jean B. Dunn

Eli Lilly & Company

Exxon Mobil Corporation

Richard Gardner

Michael Goldberg

Richard J. Gordon

Patrick J. Griffin

Griffin, Johnson, Madigan, Peck,Boland, Dover & Stewart

Joan A. Growe

Kip Hagopian

Shirley Robinson Hall

The Harman Family Foundation

The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation

Honeywell

Rachelle Horowitz

Hunt Alternatives Fund

IFES

The National Democratic Institute expresses special thanks to the National Endowment for Democracy,the U.S. Agency for International Development and the U.S. Department of State for their continuedsupport.

Contributions from governments, foundations, multilateral institutions, corporations, organizations andindividuals provide much-needed resources that enable the Institute to carry out its work. NDI extendsits gratitude to the following:

Benefactors

Corporations, Foundations,Individuals and Organizations

Douglas Ahlers

Madeleine K. Albright

Elizabeth Frawley Bagley

Bernard & Irene Schwartz Foundation

Bucksbaum Revocable Trust

John Doerr

Furman Foundation

Katz Family Foundation

Louisa Stude Sarofim Foundation

Marjorie Kovler Foundation

Melvin and Bren Simon Foundation

Constance J. Milstein

Nathan Manilow Foundation

Marc B. Nathanson

Maconda O'Connor

O'Gara Coach Company LLC

Molly Raiser

Stewart Resnick

Nancy K. Rubin

Maurice Tempelsman

D O N O R S

thank you

thank you

36

nk you

37

Governments andMultilateral Institutions

Canadian International DevelopmentAgency

Department for International Development,United Kingdom

Electoral Commission of Namibia

Government of Belgium

Government of Germany

Government of the United Kingdom

Government of Ireland

Government of the Netherlands

Government of Norway

Government of Yemen

International IDEA

Institute for Multiparty Democracy

National Conference of State Legislatures

Organization for Security and Cooperationin Europe

Swedish International DevelopmentAgency

Turkish Businessmen's Association

United Nations Development Programme

World Bank

International Association of Fire Fighters

International Association of Machinists& Aerospace Workers

International Brotherhood of ElectricalWorkers

International Union of Bricklayers andAllied Craftworkers

J.C. Watts Companies

Jenkins & Gilchrist Parker Chapin LLP

Nat LaCour

The Lauer Philanthropic Foundation

Helen Ledsky

Liz Claiborne Inc.

Lockheed Martin

Marsh and McLennan Companies

Michael McCurry

Judith A. McHale

Thomas O. Melia

Kenneth F. Melley

Cynthia Meyer

Microsoft Corporation

Milestone Merchant Partners

Nickelodeon/Nick at NITE

Open Society Institute

Pal-Tech, Inc.

Penn, Schoen & Berland Associates

Perkins Coie, LLP

Prime Office Products, Inc.

Reebok Human Rights Foundation

Nicholas A. Rey

Susan E. Rice

Securities Industry Association

Service Employees International Union

Sheet Metal Worker's International Union

The Shiloh Foundation

Elaine K. Shocas

Michael R. Steed

The Streisand Foundation

SunTrust Bank

Swanee Hunt Family Foundation

The Taipei Economic and CulturalRepresentative Office

Time Warner

United Association of Journeymen andApprentices of Plumbing

United Food and Commercial WorkersInternational Union

Arturo Valenzuela

Marvin Weissberg

Steven Westly

Westminster Foundation for Democracy

The William H. Donner Foundation, Inc

thank you

D O N O R S

thank you

Francis Abouzeid

Diane Acha-Morfaw

Paul Adams

Magda Aelvoet

Georgiana Aguirre-Sacasa

Douglas Ahlers

Lara Shahriyar Alameh

Catherine Allen

Gail Andrews

Anyim Pius Anyim

Adriana Arbeláez Lozano

Naila Asali

Ziad Asali

Cletus Avaoka

Lamine Ba

Beverly Baker Kelly

Celina Barrios Ponce

Scott Bates

Simon Baugh

Eve Bazaiba

Robin Beard

David Becker

Robin Bellis

Roger Bertrand

Michelle Betz

Niamh Bhreathnach

Alexander Bick

Carl Bildt

Leon Billings

Eric Bjornlund

Petra Blaess

Ellen Bork

Karen Bozicovich

Janet Brown

Diego Buitrago

Edmund Cain

Kim Campbell

Marko Canovic

Lois Capps

Jose Cevallos

Malik M Chaka

Lorena Chambers

Craig Charney

Ripai Chipfunde

Jennifer Collins-Foley

Awa Marie Coll-Seck

Charles Costello

Robert Courtney

Kathleen Coyne-McCoy

José Antonio Crespo

Javier Cuebas

Almami Cyllah

Melba Dallos

César Dargam

Thomas A. Daschle

Rory Davies

Sabrina de Santiago

Michel de Solaberry

Els deGroen

Miguel del Castillo

Lawrence DeNardis

Vivian Lowery Derryk

Megan Deveaux

Fatoumata Diallo

Mohamed Diane

Melisa Díaz

Vianela Diaz

Rita DiMartino

Abraham Diskin

Nadia Diuk

Gefarina Djohan

Thomas Dodd

Theophilus Dowetin

Joy Ellen Drucker

Eric Duhaime

Phyllis Dunham

Mona Makram Ebeid

Alex Ekwueme

Stephen Ellis

Gabriel Elorriaga

Karan English

Karen Farrell

Trevor Fearon

Aime Fele

Heather Flynn

Pete Fontaine

Michael Ford

DeAnn Friedholm

Lara Friedman

Matthew Frumin

Carleton W Fulford

Larry Garber

Iuliana Georgescu

Mauricio Giraudo

Margot Gould

Kate Grace

Juan Carlos Guerra

António Guterres

Peter Hack

Rebecca Haessig

Jamie Hanley

Hussain Haqqani

Mac Harb

Jane Harman

Hero Hege

Nancy Henrietta

Julio César Herrero

Kamal Hossain

Jose Mubedi Ilunga

Mark Ingram

Keith Jennings

Hilde Frafjord Johnson

Kevin P. Johnson

Ronald Johnson

Betv Kabamba

Sergiy Kalchenko

Jeannette Kavira

NDI is grateful to the more than 200 individuals who volunteered their time to assist the Institute’s pro-grams in 2005. Their experiences and expertise were central to NDI’s efforts and we wish to acknowl-edge their important contribution.

VO L U N T E E R S

38

thank you

thank you

39

VO L U N T E E R S

Charles Kelly

Frauck Lassyry Kitenge

Samuel Kivuitu

Muli Muli Kiyokolo

Lena Ragnhild Klevenas

Ali Emre Kocaoglu

Joani Marie Komlos

Masa Kovacevic

William Krause

Noel Kututwa

Jean Louis E. Kyaviro

Zlatko Lagumdzija

Scott Lasensky

Khadyaev Latif

Olayinka Lawal

Ralph Laws

Jeremy Levitt

Claudia Linda

Sonja Lokar

Alexander Longolius

Lewis Loss

Angélica Lozano

Zoran Lucic

Therese Makanda

Neljali Mangolo

Jeannette Kivira Mapera

Dianne Martin

Thoko Matshe

E Byrne McCullough

Audrey McLaughlin

Edward R. McMahon

Monica McWilliams

Thabi Mganadi

Olga Milosavljevic

Gregory Minjack

Wandra Mitchell

Yves Mitondo

Segamaetsi Modisaotsile

Shannaq Mohammad

Judith Monaghan

Samia Moualfi

Doris Mpoumou

Marek Mracka

Bernard Beya Mubiaya

Koki Muli

Brian Mulroney

Timothee Muteba

Angelique Muyabo

Ruphin Mwamba

Rosalinda Namises

Godelive Ndakala

Susan Nkomo

Marie Louise Nolan

Pierre Claude Nolin

Gregory Norman

Abdel Aziz Nouaidy

Janusz Onyszkiewicz

Amina Ouchelh

Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah

Nora Owen

Vaira Paegle

Alexander Papachristou

Sessanga Aime Patrice

Selma Penseel

Tomsie Phillips

Joyce Pilison-Seroke

Geraldine Prado

John Prendergast

Mariano Quesada

Pam Rajput

Ross Reid

Nina Tanner Robbins

Blanca Rodríguez

Petre Roman

M.J. Rosenberg

Elijah Rubvuta

Mara Rudman

Paul Rundquist

Elisabeth Rutledge

Benoit Rutten

Tina Saidi

Sikota Sakwiba

Salome Samadashvili

George Sarpang

Tioulong Saumura

Norah Schimming-Chase

Deborah Seiler

Professeur Shabani

Jeanne Shaheen

Ivona Simic

Ranjit Singh

Martin Slutsky

Samantha Smoot

Nicephore Soglo

Patricia Solano

Ricardo Sosa

Anne Stanfield

Ruth Steinmetz

Colin Stewart

Charles Stith

Girum Tesfaye

Heather Therrien

Rebecca Tinsley

Ruphin Tlwamba

Federico Tong

Jozefina Topalli

Carlos Alberto Torres

Graeme Trayner

Bony Tshala

Berna Turkili

James Turpin

Jorge Valladares

Hanif Vally

Veronica Vann

Melissa Vargas

Nora Vargas

Craig Varoga

Héctor Movricio Velásquez López

Anton Venter

Jaime Watt

James Stewart Watt

Elizabeth Weir

Christine Todd Whitman

Brady Williamson

Monica Winsor

John Yoder

Lucy Young

Dragan Zelic

nk you

40

N D I B OA R D O F D I R E C TO R S

ChairmanMadeleine K. Albright

Vice ChairsRachelle HorowitzMarc B. Nathanson

SecretaryKenneth F. Melley

TreasurerEugene Eidenberg

PresidentKenneth Wollack

Vice PresidentJean B. Dunn

Bernard W. Aronson

J. Brian Atwood

Harriet C. Babbitt

Elizabeth Frawley Bagley

Erskine Bowles

Joan Baggett Calambokidis

Thomas A. Daschle

Barbara J. Easterling

Geraldine A. Ferraro

Sam Gejdenson

Patrick J. Griffin

Shirley Robinson Hall

Harold Hongju Koh

Peter Kovler

Nat LaCour

Robert Liberatore

Judith A. McHale

Constance J. Milstein

Molly Raiser

Nicholas A. Rey

Susan E. Rice

Nancy H. Rubin

Elaine K. Shocas

Michael R. Steed

Maurice Tempelsman

Arturo Valenzuela

Mark R. Warner

Chairmen EmeritiPaul G. Kirk, Jr.

Walter F. Mondale

Charles T. Manatt

William V. Alexander

Michael D. Barnes

John Brademas

Bill Bradley

Emanuel Cleaver, II

Mario M. Cuomo

Patricia M. Derian

Christopher J. Dodd

Michael S. Dukakis

Thomas F. Eagleton

Martin Frost

Richard N. Gardner

Richard A. Gephardt

John T. Joyce

Peter G. Kelly

Paul G. Kirk, Jr.

Elliott F. Kulick

John Lewis

Donald F. McHenry

Abner J. Mikva

Charles S. Robb

Stephen J. Solarz

Theodore C. Sorensen

Esteban E. Torres

Anne Wexler

Andrew J. Young

Senior Advisory Committee

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Documents

National Democratic institute · 2016-10-02 · Ouagadougou and Bobo-Dioulasso to support women leaders and po-litical activists. Democratic Republic of Congo The 2005 referendum