Nigerians Vote in Multiple National Elections

May 26, 2011

Nigeria held a series of nationwide elections in April 2011, beginning with National Assembly polls on April 9 and a presidential election on April 16. Elections for state governors were held on April 26 in most parts of the country but delayed until April 28 in two states due to violence following the presidential vote. After registering to vote in January and February, Nigerians underwent a voter accreditation process in the morning of each election day before casting their ballots in the afternoon. Despite the considerable security challenges, the polls were considered generally fair and credible by international observers.

Elections, Election Observation

Assessing Electoral Fraud in New Democracies: A New Strategic Approach

March 09, 2011

Recent election events around the world show that fraud is undermining the electoral process in both established democracies and transitional societies.  Elections to the executive office or legislative body have extremely high stakes.

Election Observation, Political Parties, Electoral Systems

IFES Senior Advisor Presents Paper on Effect of International Assistance on Elections

February 25, 2011

Staffan Darnolf, IFES senior advisor, presented a paper on the impact of the international community on elections at the International Political Science Association (IPSA) biannual conference in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Elections, Election Observation, Electoral Systems, Democracy Assistance

Elections in Tunisia: Key Challenges for Credible and Competitive Elections

February 24, 2011

Tunisia’s ongoing and rapid political change is likely to culminate in coming days on an agreement on the timeframe for presidential and parliamentary elections. Assuming that political will for change remains in place, these elections will take place in a very different political climate to any other elections held in the North Africa region.

Election Disputes, Election Observation, Public Funding, Election Management, Voter Registration

Four IFES Experts Present Papers at IPSA Conference

February 14, 2011

IFES will be presenting four papers on the electoral process at this year’s International Political Science Association (IPSA) biannual conference Whatever Happened to North-South? Held in Sao Paulo, Brazil from February 16-19, 2011, the conference is expected to host hundreds of scholars and practitioners across the field of political science and provide attendants the opportunity to discuss current political issues across the world.

Election Disputes, Election Observation, Electoral Systems, Elections, Political Finance

International Election Support: Helping or Hindering Democratic Elections?

February 14, 2011

Analyzing and explaining why an election is democratic, or not, has fascinated scholars for decades. Methodologies, used to measure the freeness and fairness of the electoral process, are plentiful and elaborate.

Electoral Systems, Elections, Election Observation

IFES Releases Briefing Paper on Key Challenges for Credible and Competitive Elections in Egypt

February 08, 2011

As the situation in Egypt continues to evolve, IFES has released a briefing paper that serves as a guide to understanding the current electoral system and identifies issues that must be addressed immediately in order to have credible and competitive elections in the near future.

Elections, Democracy Assistance, Constitutional Law, Legal Framework, Election Management

IFES Election Monitoring Partner in the Philippines Launches TV Show

February 04, 2011

LENTE (Legal Network for Truthful Elections)—the first nationwide network of lawyers, law students, paralegals and other trained volunteers set up by various non-partisan groups engaged in election monitoring work in the Philippines—has launched its own talk show in the Philippines’ Destiny Cable's GNN channel 8.

Elections, Election Observation

Cappuccinos and Independence: Experiencing the Kosovar Spirit

January 26, 2011

Kosovo has been on the news for enough years that I thought I knew what I was in for: a cold, gray winter, with the only color provided by a people struggling with the cultural inheritance of the Cold War… poor infrastructure, smog from coal-fired electricity plants, NATO troops patrolling the streets, and high unemployment.  I wasn’t entirely wrong; in particular, the acrid smell of coal in the air brought me back to my years in Prague in the early 1990s, after the fall of the Iron Curtain.

Elections, Election Observation

IFES Holds Conference on the Women’s Quota in Parliament in Egypt

January 19, 2011

IFES hosted a conference on the inclusion of women in politics in Cairo, Egypt. "The Introduction of Women's Quota in the Parliament 2010: Perception & Implementation" was held on January 13, 2011, at the Supreme Council for Culture Opera House. The goal of the conference was to hear the testimony of women who participated in People’s Assembly (PA) election under the quota and analyze the quota’s impact on the daily lives of Egyptians.

Civil Society, Elections, Election Observation