IFES - Lebanon
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Lebanon
IFES’ involvement in Lebanon began just before the parliamentary elections of May 2005 when it collaborated with United Nations Electoral Assistance Division to provide the Lebanese government with technical assistance as it organized elections. After the elections, IFES evaluated the ability of Lebanon’s institutions to mount free and fair elections into the future. IFES’ work in Lebanon has been funded by the U.S. Department of State and USAID.
Current Projects
Reforming the Legal Framework for Elections
IFES is working with members of Lebanese civil society and representatives of the government while the country debates the best way to reform its electoral law. [in Arabic]
Drafting a new electoral law
In 2005, Prime Minister Fouad Siniora created the National Election Law Reform Commission to draft a new electoral law for Lebanon. Headed by ex-Minister Fouad Boutros, the Commission’s members were lawyers, academics and civil society activists. IFES collaborated with the United Nations Development Programme to provide the Commission with technical advice and information about the electoral experiences of other countries.
After the Commission presented its draft electoral law to Prime Minister Siniora in June 2006, IFES conducted a comprehensive assessment of this draft law and participated in several workshops where key findings were presented.
Engaging public debate and educating citizens
Since the publication of the proposed law, IFES has been actively supporting the Civil Campaign for Election Reform (CCER), which seeks to initiate nonpartisan examination of the draft law to provide a basis for public debate. Specifically, IFES has assisted in the development of (1) a user-friendly manual explaining the draft law and (2) a web-based simulation that enables users to assess the impact of the proposed law by entering voting data and viewing results generated using the current voter registration figures and the proposed electoral system.
Recently, IFES has become involved in initiatives to educate secondary school and university students in issues of democratic governance. The Lebanese civil society organization Nahwa Al Mouataniya has asked IFES to help design secondary school curricula about proper political representation. For example, the programs will enable students to conduct elections using different electoral systems. At the university level, IFES has collaborated with academic institutions in the University Initiative for Electoral Reform in efforts to involve students in the debate over electoral reform.
As part of its efforts to increase understanding of electoral reform, IFES participates in conferences and conducts briefings on Lebanese electoral reform. Interested members of the CCER, academic institutions, political parties and diplomatic missions (as well as university students) have participated in such events to learn more about the reform process.
In Lebanon, IFES’ role remains to make its expertise available to all local players involved in the electoral reform process. This includes members of the government and parliament—who will be framing the debate by drafting the legal text—as well as civil society organizations (like the CCER) and the media.
IFES is working with members of Lebanese civil society and representatives of the government while the country debates the best way to reform its electoral law. [in Arabic]
Drafting a new electoral law
In 2005, Prime Minister Fouad Siniora created the National Election Law Reform Commission to draft a new electoral law for Lebanon. Headed by ex-Minister Fouad Boutros, the Commission’s members were lawyers, academics and civil society activists. IFES collaborated with the United Nations Development Programme to provide the Commission with technical advice and information about the electoral experiences of other countries.
After the Commission presented its draft electoral law to Prime Minister Siniora in June 2006, IFES conducted a comprehensive assessment of this draft law and participated in several workshops where key findings were presented.
Engaging public debate and educating citizens
Since the publication of the proposed law, IFES has been actively supporting the Civil Campaign for Election Reform (CCER), which seeks to initiate nonpartisan examination of the draft law to provide a basis for public debate. Specifically, IFES has assisted in the development of (1) a user-friendly manual explaining the draft law and (2) a web-based simulation that enables users to assess the impact of the proposed law by entering voting data and viewing results generated using the current voter registration figures and the proposed electoral system.
Recently, IFES has become involved in initiatives to educate secondary school and university students in issues of democratic governance. The Lebanese civil society organization Nahwa Al Mouataniya has asked IFES to help design secondary school curricula about proper political representation. For example, the programs will enable students to conduct elections using different electoral systems. At the university level, IFES has collaborated with academic institutions in the University Initiative for Electoral Reform in efforts to involve students in the debate over electoral reform.
As part of its efforts to increase understanding of electoral reform, IFES participates in conferences and conducts briefings on Lebanese electoral reform. Interested members of the CCER, academic institutions, political parties and diplomatic missions (as well as university students) have participated in such events to learn more about the reform process.
In Lebanon, IFES’ role remains to make its expertise available to all local players involved in the electoral reform process. This includes members of the government and parliament—who will be framing the debate by drafting the legal text—as well as civil society organizations (like the CCER) and the media.
To learn more about our experts from this region, visit here.
For more information, please contact us at mena.programs@ifes.org.
Applications and resumes are not accepted at this address.
Lebanon News and Materials
February 5, 2008
Press Release: Workshop Prepares Journalists to Cover Elections (.pdf)
Press Release: Workshop Prepares Journalists to Cover Elections (.pdf)
May 15, 2007
IFES.org Feature: Reports: Arabs Open to Democratic Reforms despite Setbacks
IFES.org Feature: Reports: Arabs Open to Democratic Reforms despite Setbacks
May 2007
White Paper/Report: Comparative Report on the State of the Media in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Morocco (.pdf)
White Paper/Report: Comparative Report on the State of the Media in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Morocco (.pdf)
May 2007
White Paper/Report: Comparative Report on the State of the Judiciary in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Morocco (.pdf)
White Paper/Report: Comparative Report on the State of the Judiciary in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Morocco (.pdf)
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