On August 22, 2017, the Pakistani National Assembly passed Election Bill, 2017, a major achievement for electoral reform in Pakistan. Most notably, Election Bill, 2017 consolidates nine election laws and empowers the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to operate independently, including establishing rules without the approval of the government.
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“The vote of an illiterate voter carries the same weight as that of the president of the Republic,” commented Chafik Sarsar, president of the High Independent Authority for Elections (ISIE), after the presentation of the results of the first-ever study of electoral participation of illiterate Tunisians.
During any democratic election, the need for transparency and up-to-date information is paramount to the credibility of the vote. As Election Day looms, an election management body (EMB) faces increased scrutiny from local and international journalists and observers. What's more, EMBs are ultimately accountable to provide citizens with accurate information.
To further strengthen its collaboration with the National Electoral Institute (Instituto Nacional Electoral [INE]), the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) has renewed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Mexican electoral body.
On June 28, 2017, International Foundation for Electoral System (IFES) Chief of Party Haiti Alessandra Rossi visited Voice of America (VOA), a multi-media broadcasting service that provides news to countries across the world in 40 different languages. For the past five years, Rossi has served as IFES chief of party in Haiti.
The current generation of youth are the largest in history and are critical actors in conflict prevention and sustaining peace. The United Nation’s International Youth Day 2017 is dedicated to “Youth Building Peace.” As a global leader in democracy promotion, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) recognizes the importance of cultivating the next generation of leaders.
On August 1, 2017, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) joined nearly 100 organizations and agencies who currently have programs in Africa at the Mandela-Washington Fellowship’s flagship Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) Expo.
In order to build the foundation for sustained civic and political engagement, IFES works with educational institutions and other youth-serving organizations around the world to provide both school-based and non-school based civic education for young people.
As the ongoing political crisis continues to uproot Syrian citizens from their homes, the displacement has been felt keenly by Syrian youth. Young Syrians have few avenues to express their desperation and even fewer platforms for civic engagement.