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Brochure/Fact Sheet
Burkina Faso: Partnership for Participation and Poise in Epic Polls
Burkina Faso’s political landscape changed dramatically on October 31, 2014, when President Blaise Compaoré stepped down after nearly three decades in power and fled the country. The 2015 elections offer an unprecedented opportunity for deepening citizen involvement in electoral and political processes, increasing citizens’ confidence in the integrity of voting processes and systems, and enabling young people to channel their new-found activism into peaceful political participation. The elections also carry considerable risk. Unless they are viewed as credible and their outcomes accepted as a legitimate expression of popular choice, alienated citizens, in particular energized young people, could be compelled to reject political processes they deem illegitimate or unfair.
January 28, 2015
Publication
Brochure/Fact Sheet
Guinea: Support Political and Electoral Processes
Guinea held a legislative election on September 28, 2013, after six years of delays attributable to a variety of factors, including a military coup d’état. This election, despite being preceded by a series of violent demonstrations, was conducted peacefully, and was widely considered a positive step in Guinea’s democratic transition. Challenges persist, however, that must be addressed prior to the presidential election that is currently scheduled to take place in 2015. The Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) continues to struggle to demonstrate the institutional and operational capacity necessary to administer elections in a credible and transparent manner and the promotion of electoral reform is further inhibited by a generally weak understanding among citizens of democratic principles, electoral processes, and decentralization.
January 28, 2015
Publication
Brochure/Fact Sheet
Liberia Elections and Political Transition
While post-conflict elections relied heavily on international technical and financial assistance, Liberia’s National Elections Commission (NEC) oversaw the general elections in 2005 and 2011 with decreasing levels of international technical assistance, and both elections were widely deemed as credible. Despite these successes, however, the NEC faces challenges as opposition parties often express doubts about the body being independent and non-partisan.
January 28, 2015
Publication
Brochure/Fact Sheet
Election Support in the Central African Republic
Since the country’s independence in 1960, the Central African Republic (CAR) has witnessed severe political unrest, violent coups d’état, and most recently a civil war that culminated in the Séléka invasion of Bangui in March 2013.
January 28, 2015
Publication
Brochure/Fact Sheet
Support for Electoral Reforms Project (SERP)
Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has been working to institutionalize reforms to ensure the continued consolidation of Nigeria’s democracy through more credible and accountable electoral processes.
January 28, 2015
Publication
Brochure/Fact Sheet
Elections and Political Processes Program in Burundi
Burundi is scheduled to hold presidential and parliamentary elections in 2015, amid a political climate marked by a sense of polarization that has endured since the local election in 2010, when the ruling National Council for the Defense of Democracy-Forces for the Defense of Democracy (CNDD-FDD) won by a wide margin, and opposition parties boycotted the four elections that followed.
January 28, 2015
Publication
Brochure/Fact Sheet
Kenya Electoral System Support
The new Kenyan Constitution puts forth a vision of a democracy where all voters are fully enfranchised. In particular, it emphasizes the inclusion of women, youth, persons with disabilities and other groups who have historically been marginalized by, or underrepresented, in the governance of the country.
January 28, 2015
Publication
Brochure/Fact Sheet
Côte d’Ivoire Electoral Reform Support
In Côte d’Ivoire, mistrust among political contestants and their supporters and alleged manipulation of electoral processes during each presidential election since the advent of multiparty politics has undermined confidence in electoral systems.
January 28, 2015
Publication
Book
Gender Equality & Election Management Bodies: A Best Practices Guide
The full participation of women and men in a country's political and decision-making processes as voters, candidates, elected officials and electoral management body (EMB) staff is crucial. Yet, despite a set of robust international instruments and many positive developments in recent years, women represent only 21.7 percent of world's parliamentarians and in many countries they continue to be marginalized and underrepresented in political and electoral processes. Clearly, major steps still need to be taken before true gender equality is achieved in this arena.
September 23, 2014
Publication
Report/Paper
Analysis of the Status of Women in Burundi’s Political and Electoral Processes
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 presents an informative case study on the impact a gender quota can have as a catalyst for more progressive and inclusive governance. Given the International Foundation for Electoral System’s (IFES) commitment to gender equality and women’s participation in electoral processes and government, a thorough analysis demonstrating the effectiveness of quotas is a vital effort that aids IFES in supporting their use as a tool for democratic progress.
July 17, 2014