Electoral Law
Clear legal frameworks are essential for the protection of fundamental suffrage rights, the design and implementation of effective electoral systems, and the efficient and transparent management of elections. Drawing on international law, best practices and comparative experience, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) works globally with local partners in the design and reform of electoral systems and the legal and regulatory frameworks that govern their implementation – ultimately promoting the effectiveness and credibility of democratic institutions and processes.
As a learning organization, IFES has an internal Knowledge Management Initiative Working Group on Electoral Integrity, Law and Anti-Corruption to help grow the research, tools and technical expertise we offer our partners worldwide.
Related Experts See All IFES Experts
Vice President, Global Strategy and Technical Leadership
Director, Center for Applied Research and Learning
Senior Global Legal Advisor; Director, Center for Anti-Corruption and Democratic Trust
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15 Jan 2015 | News and Updates
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17 Nov 2014 | Publication
IFES conducted the first systematic nationwide survey of its kind in the Maldives. The survey was conducted to measure the prevalence of vote buying in the Maldives during the March 2014...
23 Sep 2014 | Publication
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9 Sep 2014 | News and Updates
The International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) and the Organization of American States (OAS) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on September 8 in order to further cooperation on...
13 Aug 2014 | Publication
The 2014 Hybl fellow is Megan Hauser, a Ph.D. candidate in the School of Government and Public Policy at the University of Arizona. Her research at IFES explored elections in non-democratic hybrid...
17 Jul 2014 | Publication
Burundi is one of few countries in the world to have adopted a gender quota for its legislature in an effort to promote the inclusion and participation of women in the political process. As such, it...
19 Jun 2014 | News and Updates
In November 2013, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) conducted a comprehensive electoral integrity assessment in Pakistan, in cooperation with the Election Commission of...
14 May 2014 | Publication
The International Foundation for Electoral Systems’ (IFES) briefing paper Egypt’s 2014 Presidential Election Law provides expert insight into the legal framework that governs Egypt's...
19 Feb 2014 | News and Updates
Egypt’s January 2014 constitutional referendum process faced heavy scrutiny. The much-watched poll took place amid an aggressive crackdown on political dissent following the ouster of President...
29 Oct 2013 | Publication
IFES' Political Finance Oversight Handbook is the product of extensive research and fieldwork by leading political finance experts and practitioners. It represents a comprehensive effort to...
11 Oct 2013 | Publication
Elections in Egypt: The Electoral Framework in Egypt’s Continuing Transition, examines Egypt’s new roadmap toward democracy, analyzing changes to the broader electoral framework in Egypt since...
30 Sep 2013 | Publication
Financing Politics: The Middle East and North Africa is a collaborative effort between the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) and the Arab Region Parliamentarians against...
6 Jun 2013 | Multimedia
Credible, transparent elections are critical to ensuring the voices of all citizens are heard. Building safeguards against fraud is integral to establishing a trustworthy electoral process. In this...
21 Mar 2013 | Publication
Money in politics, or political finance, is linked to key aspects of any modern society. Management of political finance is necessary for credible and genuine elections and electoral campaigns...
16 Nov 2012 | Publication
This primer provides an overview of all aspects of the American electoral process, from how campaigns are conducted to the mechanics of the voting process.
5 Oct 2012 | News and Updates
IFES’ 2012 Hybl Fellow Geoffrey Macdonald, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Denver, is exploring how electoral system design and party rules incentivize ethnic groups to form political...
12 Sep 2012 | Multimedia
Stakeholders gather to discuss electoral, management and logistical issues from recent election.
9 Aug 2012 | Publication
Egyptian electoral systems underwent several significant changes in the lead-up to the 2011-2012 parliamentary and presidential elections.
12 May 2012 | Multimedia
On May 10, 2010 Filipinos went to the polls to cast ballots for president, vice-president, senators, congressmen, governors, mayors and other key offices in their national and local election. For...
9 May 2012 | Publication
In the third white paper in an ongoing series on electoral fraud, IFES presents a set of practical definitions that will help election managers, experts and observers to accurately identify and...
9 Mar 2012 | Multimedia
As Zimbabwe’s Unity Government marks its third anniversary, Staffan Darnolf, IFES Chief of Party in Zimbabwe, tells us where the government stands on fulfilling the agreement that brought it into...
6 Mar 2012 | Publication
Now that Yemen's former Vice President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Al-Hadi has been officially voted in as president of the republic, what are the next steps in Yemen's transition?
27 Feb 2012 | Publication
The difficulties the ISIE and other stakeholders experienced in enforcing campaign finance regulations were aggravated by both a lack of expertise and the shortcomings of the Decree law No 35 on...
1 Nov 2011 | Publication
Analysis of Egypt’s 2011 Parliamentary Electoral System provides insight into the election laws regulating parliamentary elections in Egypt.
24 Oct 2011 | Multimedia
Tunisia held the country’s first free and fair election on 23 October. Millions of Tunisians went to the polls to cast their ballots for the National Constituent Assembly, which will have one year...
19 Oct 2011 | Publication
IFES has released an updated and expanded list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about the 23 October election for a National Constituent Assembly, the body that will be charged with writing a...
19 Sep 2011 | Publication
On October 30, 2011, Kyrgyzstan will hold its first presidential election since the momentous constitutional referendum in June 2010 that established the first parliamentary system in Central Asia...
17 Aug 2011 | Publication
As Egypt prepares for parliamentary elections under newly amended electoral laws, it is important to understand the ongoing changes to the electoral framework and the impact these changes will have...
27 Jul 2011 | Publication
The purpose of this report is to give a brief analysis of the Law on Political Financing which was published in the “Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia” on 14 June 2011. In addition,...
7 Jun 2011 | Publication
IFES’ latest briefing paper on Yemen offers a snapshot of where things are now, potential areas of improvement in the electoral framework and steps to consider if President Saleh steps down.
26 May 2011 | Multimedia
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...
16 May 2011 | Publication
While electoral complaints adjudication does not often garner as much attention as the casting of ballots, it is a crucial part of the elections process.
26 Apr 2011 | Publication
Since protesters began to fill Cairo’s Tahrir Square in late January demanding sweeping political changes and the start of a truly democratic era, Egypt has seen a series of momentous...
1 Mar 2011 | Publication
The term ‘electoral system’ is used to describe the structure by which votes cast in an election result in legislative seats (or executive offices) won by political parties and candidates. The...
1 Mar 2011 | Publication
The role of money in politics has a profound effect upon the legitimacy of elections and the quality of democracy, governance and development. All countries, including advanced democracies,...
25 Feb 2011 | Publication
On Tuesday, 8 February 2011, the Palestinian Authority issued a renewed call for local elections to be held on 9 July 2011. The call follows last June’s Cabinet decision to cancel elections and...
24 Feb 2011 | Publication
As Tunisians focus much of their attention on events unfurling across the region, there remains political commitment and activity towards ensuring progress with democratic transition through...
14 Feb 2011 | Publication
Throughout the past two decades, IFES has been dedicated to providing technical elections assistance throughout the world. During this time, it has become clear that an effective resolution of...
14 Feb 2011 | Publication
This paper deals with the role of money in politics, and in particular with certain efforts by countries around the world to regulate this role. In the current world (and probably since we first...
14 Feb 2011 | Publication
The purpose of this series of papers is to offer an assessment of electoral fraud from an international comparative perspective with the aim of providing a better understanding of the current nature...
8 Feb 2011 | Publication
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...
22 Dec 2010 | Multimedia
On December 13, 2010, the Palestinian High Court issued its final verdict on the lawsuits challenging the Council of Ministers (Cabinet) of the Palestinian Authority decision to cancel the local...
16 Dec 2010 | Publication
On December 13, 2010, the Palestinian High Court issued its final verdict on the lawsuits challenging the Council of Ministers (Cabinet) of the Palestinian Authority decision to cancel the local...
15 Dec 2010 | Publication
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17 Nov 2010 | Multimedia
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29 Oct 2010 | News and Updates
The International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) is hosting a two-day visitor’s program focusing on the U.S. elections. The program will bring together over 100 diplomats,...
10 Oct 2010 | Multimedia
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5 Oct 2010 | Multimedia
On September 26, 2010, IFES and the Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies (ACPSS) hosted an Electoral Symposium to spread electoral awareness before the upcoming People’s Assembly...
30 Sep 2010 | Survey
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27 Sep 2010 | Multimedia
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27 Sep 2010 | Multimedia
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