Nigeria Urged to Take Swift Action to Salvage 2007 Polls

Nigerians can still have a credible democratic election in April if key stakeholders make decisions quickly and choose to work together, said Rudolph Elbling, IFES' chief of party in Nigeria. read more » December 11, 2006

IFES Launches Anniversary Year with Tribute to Canada

IFES kicked off its 20th Anniversary year by honoring Canada’s contribution to advancing the cause of democracy worldwide. read more » December 06, 2006

IFES Survey: Acehnese Lack Information about Upcoming Election

In an IFES survey of 1,233 residents of Aceh, Indonesia, almost 90 percent said they were likely to vote in the upcoming local elections. However, most respondents did not understand how the elections would work, for example not knowing whether voting would occur over one or two days. read more » December 01, 2006

IFES to Develop Global Political Finance Standards

IFES will play a leading role in developing the international standards for political finance as part of a project funded by the United Nations Democracy Fund. read more » December 01, 2006

Q&A with the Russian Election Commission Chairman Alexander Veshnyakov

Alexander Veshnyakov, Chairman of Russia’s Central Election Commission, observed voting in Illinois during November’s midterm elections. He had the opportunity to see new voting technology in action and later discuss his impressions with the U.S. Election Assistance Commission and IFES. read more » December 01, 2006

Field Notebook: Building Partnerships in Pakistan

IFES' Langdon Miller writes from Pakistan that the process of improving the country's electoral system will ultimately be determined by the will of the local population. read more » Langdon Miller November 30, 2006

International Delegates Observe U.S. Elections

25 international observers were invited by IFES to monitor the November 7 midterm elections in the District of Columbia and Montgomery County, Maryland. read more » November 30, 2006

From the Field: Crisis in Kyrgyzstan Averted, For Now

Opponents and supporters of Kyrgyzstan President Kurmanbek Bakiev are drafting a new constitution that could end a week of protests read more » November 08, 2006

Kyrgyz Protests Continue - Result Uncertain

The Kyrgyz opposition continued a sixth day of 'unending' protests. They have been camped out in Bishkek's main square and the demonstration on Monday was the largest to date read more » November 07, 2006

From the Field: Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
IFES Chief of Party Discusses Demonstrations

Thousands of protesters are taking to the streets of Kyrgyzstan's capital to call for the resignation of President Kurmanbek Bakiev. IFES Chief of Party in Kyrgyzstan David Mikosz is monitoring events in Bishkek read more » November 03, 2006

IFES Urges Support for Tajikistan on Capitol Hill

IFES Program Manager Anthony Bowyer sounded a note of hope about Tajikistan’s November 6 elections in testimony on Capitol Hill, encouraging the international community to continue its involvement in Tajikistan read more » November 02, 2006

Vote Count Presents New Challenge in Congo

Congo's election workers face a gruelling job of collecting, compiling and counting ballots in Congo, a country the size of Western Europe read more » November 02, 2006

Guineans to Address Possible Reform Efforts

More than 200 Guinean party leaders and government and international representatives are expected to consider several proposed reforms to the country’s economy, democracy, legal system, public services and media structure at a conference organized by IFES read more » November 01, 2006

IFES to Poll U.S. Voters on Election Initiatives

Starting this fall, IFES will study whether two proposed initiatives will encourage more Americans to get out and vote read more » October 31, 2006

Afghan Delegation Observes, Studies Bosnia and Herzegovina Elections

On October 1, Bosnia and Herzegovina administered multi-level elections with no international support for the first time since the Dayton Accords of 1995. A delegation from Afghanistan's Independent Election Commission (IEC) was on hand to witness this historic milestone read more » October 31, 2006

Electoral System Choice Key to Democratic Success

Political scientists and democracy practitioners shared the spotlight on a panel that examined the strengths and weaknesses inherent in the world’s electoral systems, including the one used in the United States read more » October 31, 2006

Yemen Honored for Bold Election Reforms

IFES and the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI) co-hosted a “celebration of democracy” to honor Yemen’s first competitive presidential election read more » October 16, 2006

IFES Director: New Approaches Key to Promoting Mideast Democracy

Promoting democracy in the Middle East is a difficult business, yet IFES’ new director for the region said there are “baby steps” of progress taking place that need more attention and support. read more » October 02, 2006

IFES Survey Finds Many Tajiks Choose Basic Needs Over Ballots

A significant number of adult labor migrants from Tajikistan say they are unlikely to cast ballots in the November 2006 presidential election because they either do not know about the facilities and procedures set up to allow them to vote outside of the country or are simply unmotivated to vote, according to a read more » October 02, 2006

Author Examines Drama of U.S. Election Disputes

Recent elections in the United States have provided the perfect stage for high human drama. Attorney Barry Weinberg focuses on these human elements in his new book, The Resolution of Election Disputes: Legal Principles That Control Election Challenges read more » September 29, 2006

The Public Square, Lubumbashi-Style

The Congolese people are proving they can find their own way through the most contentious questions of the transition, such as “Who is Congolese?” “What shape should citizens give public life?” “Who is going to represent us?” A good political process doesn’t produce quick conclusions. In fact, the democratic process is slower than most people might… read more » Carole Kraemer September 28, 2006

Afro-Ecuadorians to Observe October Vote

African descendants in Ecuador are preparing to observe elections in their communities for the first time during the presidential and legislative polls on October 15. read more » September 27, 2006

Yemeni President Leads Vote Count

Early election results in Yemen indicated a resounding lead for President Ali Abdullah Saleh, as opposition parties accused his supporters of disrupting the vote counting process at some polling centers read more » September 21, 2006

Vote Count Begins in Yemen

Vote counting is underway in Yemen’s election which pits President Ali Abdullah Saleh against four rivals, a rare competitive vote for the Middle East. read more » September 20, 2006

Yemeni President Faces Competition in Key Election

Yemenis cast their ballots on Wednesday in an election that pits President Ali Abdullah Saleh against four rivals, a rare competitive vote for the Middle East read more » September 19, 2006

Camp Inspires Young Citizens in Central Asia

Up until recently, Cholpon Koshalieva had little faith in her power to make a difference in her community in Kyrgyzstan. The secondary school student was like many people living in former Soviet republics, expecting change to come from the national government and feeling powerless as a common citizen read more » September 18, 2006

Groundbreaking Book Examines U.S. Election Dispute Resolution

A new book from IFES provides the first comprehensive study of the legal principles that courts in the United States use to resolve election disputes. The book was launched Sept. 12 at the Georgetown Public Policy Institute read more » September 15, 2006

Guyanese Opposition Urges Power Sharing

The leading opposition party in Guyana is calling for power sharing between the country’s racial groups after a loss to the ruling People’s Progressive Party (PPP). read more » September 08, 2006

Joint Commission Investigates Congo Election Violence

Delegates from the Democratic Republic of Congo’s two presidential candidates will investigate the violence that erupted between the two sides following the announcement of first round election results. read more » September 05, 2006

Special Report: 2006 Democratic Republic of the Congo Elections

A Special Report on the 2006 DRC Election, including video, photos, interviews, news and analysis read more » September 05, 2006

Training Helps Poll Workers Tackle New Challenges

About 100 residents of the District of Columbia file into a lecture hall early on a Saturday morning and take their seats. While their peers sleep in or enjoy the last days of summer, they are here to learn the basics of being a poll worker for the upcoming primary elections on September 12. read more » September 01, 2006

Guyana Vote Passes Peacefully

Vote counting is under way in Guyana after an election that has so far proved peaceful in contrast to the country’s last three polls. read more » September 01, 2006

Fellowships Support Next Generation of Democracy Advocates

Two doctoral candidates from Latin America had the chance to learn how their academic theories work in practice during their summer fellowships at IFES. read more » August 31, 2006

UN Ceasefire Holds in the Congo

A United Nations-brokered ceasefire is reportedly holding in the Democratic Republic of Congo after three days of clashes between forces loyal to the country’s top two presidential contenders. read more » August 25, 2006

Calm Urged as Congo Faces Runoff

The international community is urging calm in the Democratic Republic of Congo after violence marred the announcement of a runoff election in the country’s presidential race. read more » August 24, 2006

Kyrgyz Constitutional Reform Process Criticized for Lack of Transparency, Public Awareness

As the Kyrgyz Republic moves forward with its current constitutional reform effort, experts from IFES, the International Republican Institute (IRI) and the National Democratic Institute (NDI) voiced concern that the process suffers from a lack of transparency and insufficient public education. read more » August 18, 2006

IFES Supports Afghanistan's Moves toward Electoral Reform

Afghan and international electoral experts examined proposed reforms to Afghanistan’s electoral law at a two-day conference in Kabul July 9-10. The conference attracted more than 90 participants, many of whom are involved in helping the country prepare for general elections in 2009 read more » August 02, 2006

Hybl Fellow Hopes to Instill Change in Moldova

Democracy in post-Soviet countries is different from democracy in any other country, according to Moldova native Petru Culeac. Culeac, the current William and Kathy Hybl Fellow at IFES, is intrigued by the mechanics and subtleties of his country’s political system, as well as the attitude of its voters. read more » Vincent Hunter August 02, 2006

Congo Begins Vote Count, Extends Balloting in Boycott Area

Poll workers in the Democratic Republic of Congo posted first results from Sunday’s historic elections outside some voting bureaus, even as other polling sites affected by violence gave voters a second day to cast their ballots. read more » Laura Ingalls August 02, 2006

IFES Hosts First Student Local Government Day Forum in Tajikistan

Tajik government officials worked side by side with high school students during a historic forum that looked for ways to adopt an IFES program as their own. read more » Alexis Glassman August 01, 2006

New Project Aims to Change Indian Men's Attitudes toward Women

A new IFES project aims to change the attitudes of young Indian men toward women, transforming them from “potential perpetrators” of abuse and female inequality to the protectors of women’s rights. The project, “Youth Forums Against Gender Based Violence,” was launched in June in Karnataka. read more » Alexis Glassman August 01, 2006

IFES Leads Congo's Largest Voter Education Project

The average voter in the industrialized world has never faced a six-page, poster-sized ballot, or had to make an informed choice among 33 presidential contenders. But millions of voters in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a country where multiparty elections have not been held for more than 40 years, are preparing to do just that and … read more » July 25, 2006

Mexico Votes 2006 Q&A with IFES' James Vermillion

James Vermillion, IFES’ executive vice president, was in Mexico to observe the election with IFE, Mexico’s independent elections commission. IFES.org spoke with Vermillion about key elec… read more » July 24, 2006

Democratic Republic of the Congo Prepares for Historic Vote:
Q&A with Gisèle Poirier and Matthieu Valot

Gisèle Poirier and Matthieu Valot are key members of IFES’ team in Congo. Poirier, IFES’ deputy chief of party for tehnical assistance, provides support to elections offices countrywide as they process candidate registrations and prepare for the historic vote. Valot is involved in recruiting and training thousands of poll workers. read more » Gisèle Poirier and Matthieu Valot July 19, 2006

Voter Registration Field Notebook, DRC

Olivier Matunga smiled as he led me into the cavernous warehouse filled with elections materials in Kinshasa. He casually brushed off pieces of pink and blue plastic from a stack of large, silver boxes. Matunga, a day laborer for the Independent Electoral Commission’s (IEC) Operations Bureau, explained that the 9,000 identical cases in the depot we… read more » Gabrielle Bardall July 19, 2006

Capitol Hill Event Urges Support for DRC in Critical Year

Congressmen, diplomats, clergy and aid workers attended a reception on Capitol Hill that urged support for the Democratic Republic of Congo as it prepares for its first multiparty elections in more than 40 years. The July … read more » July 14, 2006

Special Report: 2006 Mexican Elections

Special Report on the 2006 Mexico Election read more » July 13, 2006

Unrest in East Timor Symptom of Political, Social Divide

Jose Ramos Horta, East Timor’s new interim prime minister, is pledging to restore order in the country after months of violent political turmoil. The Nobel Peace Prize laureate took over the position on Monday, about two weeks after Mari Alkatiri resigned the post under intense pressure over his handling of the crisis, which erupted after he dismis… read more » July 11, 2006

New Reports: Tracking Political Money Key First Step in Post-Conflict Countries

Countries recovering from violent conflict benefit when political finance regulations are introduced early in the rebuilding process, according to one of two new studies released by IFES' Center for Transitional and Post-Conflict Governance. read more » July 11, 2006

IFES targets voters and marginalized populations in remote Yemen

In some isolated areas of Yemen, voter registration is as low as 10 percent. Marginalized populations such as women, young people and the disabled face challenges that deter them from engaging in the political process read more » Kathryn Lynch May 26, 2006

IFES Engages Women in Politics in Pakistan

In Pakistan's Northwest Frontier Province, many women who attempt to become engaged in politics are threatened and fined read more » Kathryn Lynch May 26, 2006

Azerbaijan Election: Q&A with IFES Chief in Baku

IFES Azerbaijan Chief of Party Daniel Blessington is taking stock of the country's May 13 parliamentary elections in his role as a technical adviser to the country's Central Elections Commission. read more » May 15, 2006

Raising Professionalism Key to New ACE Project

Some of the world's leading election experts launched a new tool to improve the professionalism of their colleagues worldwide at a ceremony read more » May 06, 2006

New Prime Minister Appointed in Nepal

Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala was sworn in on April 30 after King Gyanendra reinstated parliament following weeks of pro-democracy read more » Kathryn Lynch May 01, 2006

IFES Development Director Battles Corruption in Africa

Bradley Austin fights corruption where corruption is ubiquitous -- Eastern and Southern Africa. He said the practice exists at a level where curbing it is difficult, especially since one of the most corrupt institutions in this region is the police read more » Kathryn Lynch April 26, 2006

British Columbia Considers Historic Election Change

British Columbia is considering a historic change to its electoral system that proponents believe will hold the Canadian province’s government more accountable. If voters approve the change in late 2008, Elections British Columbia (Elections BC) will have only four months to adopt the new system before holding general elections, a situation that le… read more » April 26, 2006

Vermillion Says Reform of U.S. Foreign Assistance Presents Dangers, Opportunities

IFES' Executive Vice President said current efforts to reform the system that distributes U.S. foreign assistance presents key challenges as well as opportunities for the nongovernmental organizations funded by that aid read more » April 13, 2006

Reformer Feels Pressure, Pride on the Job in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Branko Petric is bracing for what he believes will be the most difficult part of his job to date as president of the Central Election Commission in Bosnia and Herzegovina read more » April 01, 2006

Russian Emigrant Reflects on Change

Irina Zaslavskaya picked up her visa in Moscow in August 1991, just days after the fall of the Soviet Union read more » March 22, 2006

China Judicial Reform Program: Q & A with IFES President Richard Soudriette

IFES President Richard Soudriette recently returned from a week-long trip to Beijing where he spoke with judges from the Supreme People’s Court about IFES’ judicial reform program in China. IFES conducted two training seminars for judges in Chengdu and Kunming last year covering judicial independence and enforcement. IFES now is hoping to expand th… read more » March 10, 2006

Celebrating International Women's Day: IFES Profiles One of Its Notable Women

Denise Dauphinais was 13 when she decided she wanted to do development work and join the Peace Corps. “I told my mom and dad what I was going to do and my dad laughed. read more » Kathryn Lynch March 07, 2006

Field Notebook: Election Day in Kampala, Uganda

The final weeks of preparation for Uganda’s presidential and parliamentary elections on February 23 were full of activity read more » Vic Butler March 01, 2006

Ukraine Election Key to Democratic Progress

Since Ukraine gained independence 15 years ago, its transition to a democratic political system has been difficult and slow read more » Marcin Walecki March 01, 2006

IFES to Give Franklin County an Electoral Makeover

The Franklin County Board of Elections in Ohio found itself in the middle of a bitter controversy surrounding the 2004 United States presidential election read more » Kathryn Lynch February 23, 2006

Palestinian Election Analysis: How Hamas Won the Majority

Hamas won a powerful majority in the new Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) on January 25 read more » Jarrett Blanc February 20, 2006

Ugandans Vote in Landmark Elections

Ugandans go to the polls on February 23 to cast ballots for the president and parliament read more » February 20, 2006

Haitians Brave Large Crowds, Delays to Vote

Preliminary reports from IFES observers in Haiti indicate that most of the nation’s polling centers opened late read more » Laura Ingalls February 08, 2006

IFES Chief of Party Helps Kyrgyzstanis Make Impact at Home

David Mikosz was working at a non-profit organization in Uzbekistan when he met Victoria, a secretary. Mikosz encouraged Victoria to play a more proactive role read more » Kathryn Lynch January 31, 2006

Jordanian Empowers Iraqis with Disabilities

Mohammed Al-Tarawneh was 16 when he broke his back and suffered spinal cord injuries in a car accident in Baghdad read more » Kathryn Lynch January 31, 2006

IFES Expert Changes the Business of Politics in Transitional Countries

Marcin Walecki works hard to keep history from repeating itself. As a young man, the native of Poland watched as his country made the difficult transition from communism to democracy read more » Laura Ingalls January 18, 2006

IFES Staffer Returns to Nigeria to Support 2007 Vote

American Rosemarie McBean grew up learning about Nigeria from her family. Her aunt married a Nigerian man and has lived there for 45 years read more » Kathryn Lynch January 15, 2006