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IFES Features 2008

Special Report: IFES welcomes entry of UN Convention on Persons with Disabilities into force

The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities enters into force on May 3, 2008. For the United Nations this is a significant milestone in its efforts to protect and ensure fundamental human rights of persons with disabilities and promote respect for their inherent dignity. read more » May 02, 2008

Nepal holds historic Constituent Assembly Election

April 10, 2008, heralded Nepal’s historic Constituent Assembly election. Brightly colored queues of people all over the country waited enthusiastically since dawn to cast their vote in 9,821 polling centers, in hopes of shaping the political future of their nation. read more » April 18, 2008

IFES Urges Paraguay to Increase Election Transparency

IFES observers in Paraguay are urging electoral officials to change the way they transmit and release preliminary results before general elections on April 20. read more » April 04, 2008

IFES Announces Launch of BRIDGE, Election Administration Training

IFES and its partners launched Version Two of the Building Resources in Democracy and Governance (BRIDGE) Project in New York on March 26, 2008. The event drew dozens of international electoral experts and members of the diplomatic, non-profit and United Nations communities at International IDEA’s headquarters. read more » April 02, 2008

IFES Project Aims to Cool Tensions in East Timor

Concern that political tensions in East Timor could lead to more violence is the driving force behind a new IFES project that seeks to teach citizens about the laws that govern peaceful political transition. read more » March 26, 2008

Nepali Actors Set Scene for Upcoming Elections

Men climbed trees and a woman peered between the legs of audience members to get a glimpse of the drama unfolding in Kathmandu’s Ratna Park. More than 1,000 Nepalis came to watch the Aarohan theater group entertain and inform citizens about the Constituent Assembly election scheduled for April 10. read more » March 24, 2008

Analysis: What Next for Kosovo?

Kosovo’s Prime Minister Hashim Thaci declared Kosovo’s independence from Serbia on February 17. The announcement was widely anticipated following the inability of the international community to broker a compromise between Kosovo and Serbia. read more » Dickson Bailey March 24, 2008

New Pakistan Parliament Faces Challenges

Pakistan’s voters signaled their strong desire for democratic change on election day, but domestic and international analysts question whether the country’s new parliament will be able to deliver meaningful reform. read more » March 02, 2008

U.S. Debates: A Model for Export?

U.S. presidential candidates are spending hundreds of millions of dollars on campaign ads while research suggests that voters care more about their performance in the presidential debates. “Debates are the single most important decision maker for people,” said Diana Carlin, a leading expert on political communications and former member of the a… read more » March 01, 2008

Summit Promotes Peaceful Elections in Mindanao

Filipinos fed up with the violence that mars elections in the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao pledged to work together to find solutions at the second Summit on Election Security in Cotabato City on February 25. Policemen, media, community leaders, soldiers and election officials were among the 72 participants at the summit, organized by IFES … read more » February 28, 2008

Europe's Experiments in E-Voting

During federal elections last month, more than 1,500 Swiss electors voted online in the Neuchâtel canton, one of Switzerland’s 26 states. This is the sixth time that voters have used this electronic voting system in Neuchâtel for federal elections and it went off without a hitch. read more » Richard Twigg February 28, 2008

IFES Supports Launch of Nepali Election Portal

The Democracy and Election Alliance Network, one of the largest networks of domestic election observers in Nepal launched a new election portal in late February at a ceremony in Kathmandu. DEAN, an initiative of the National Democratic Institute, created the website with support from IFES. read more » Ben Goldsmith February 27, 2008

IFES Taps International Electoral Talent

With the enthusiastic approval from his Board of Directors, IFES CEO and President Jean-Pierre Kingsley announced the creation of the IFES Executive Advisory Council. This is an exclusive group of internationally-renowned and experienced senior practitioners recognized for their seasoned contributions in the field of electoral cycle assistance and… read more » February 08, 2008

New Thai Parliament Faces Tough Legal Legacy

A civilian government is back in power in Thailand, but the country’s new parliament faces a host of challenges including laws enacted by the outgoing military government that shape the conduct of elections and the power structure of the new government. IFES consultants Catherine Barnes and Robert Dahl examined these challenges and future prospects… read more » February 08, 2008

IFES Helps Thailand Reduce Vote-buying, Return to Democracy

Candidates have been buying votes in Thailand since at least 1936 when the practice was first recorded, according to King Prajadhipok’s Institute, a respected Thai organization partnering with IFES. Since then, the practice has become highly sophisticated, with a Thai government commission finding evidence of at least... read more » Andrew Matthews February 08, 2008

Guinea Faces New Strike Deadline

In January, the country’s main coalition of labor unions demanded that the government led by Prime Minister Lansana Kouyaté meet its obligations under the three-party accords signed January 27, 2007. The call for a new strike was meant as a wake-up call on the anniversary of last year’s unrest and it worked. read more » Elizabeth Coté February 06, 2008

Security Key Challenge in Pakistan Election
Q&A with IFES Chief of Party Staffan Darnolf

Pakistan’s government is urging political parties to avoid large rallies in the lead up to the February 18 parliamentary election, citing an increased threat of terrorism. The announcement follows a series of deadly bombings, including a bomb attack this month in Karachi that killed 10 people. read more » January 18, 2008

Pakistan Presses Ahead with Election Preparations

IFES is advising the Election Commission of Pakistan, or ECP, as it prepares for the election. IFES Chief of Party in Islamabad Staffan Darnolf recently spoke with IFES.org about the challenges ahead. read more » January 09, 2008

Kenya at the Crossroads

Following the recent botched elections, mayhem enveloped Kenya resulting in over 300 dead and more than 100,000 persons displaced. Important urban areas including Nairobi, Eldoret and Kisumu became battlegrounds pitting neighbor against neighbor and offering opportunities for looting, arson, score settling and rape. read more » Chris Hennemeyer January 04, 2008

Pakistan in Crisis
Q&A with IFES Chief of Party Staffan Darnolf

The public outcry and violence following the assassination of former Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto has led the country’s election commission to postpone elections until February 18. IFES is advising the Election Commission of Pakistan, or ECP, in this difficult time. IFES Chief of Party in Islamabad Staffan Darnolf recently spoke with … read more » January 03, 2008

Program Helps Nicaraguans Probe Politicians' Finances

Giselle Poveda knew IFES’ political finance program in Nicaragua was making a difference when a politician gave an unexpectedly frank answer at a public forum in Matagalpa. A woman had just stepped up to the podium and asked the representative where his party was getting the money to finance his campaign. read more » January 03, 2008