Tools & Resources
Filter by
Type
Publication date
Language
Type
Publication date
Language
Publication
Report/Paper
Electoral Rights of Environmentally Displaced Persons
How can key stakeholders plan for climate-related risks to democracy? How can environmentally displaced persons participate safely and equally in political life?
April 01, 2021
News & Updates
Feature
Emergency Powers and the COVID-19 Pandemic: Protecting Democratic Guardrails
Without a strong foundation for democratic resilience, a global health crisis can shock democratic institutions and offer a blank check to governments to use emergency powers to curtail political rights. IFES has identified four indicators that help to understand whether state actions during this time are “limited to the extent strictly required by the exigencies of the situation.”
News & Updates
Feature
Low Voter Turnouts, Fear, Disinformation and Disrupted Supply Chains: How Election Commissions Are Unprepared for COVID-19
All electoral activities planned for the near future will be affected one way or another by the COVID-19 pandemic. Election commissions need sound advice and technical assistance to navigate the complexity of each election context, coordinate with the relevant health authorities, consider all relevant public health and political factors, and make sensible decisions to safeguard voters and electoral processes.
News & Updates
Feature
Message from President and CEO Tony Banbury: IFES’ Response to Coronavirus
Read IFES President and CEO Anthony Banbury's message about the impact of the novel coronavirus crisis and how IFES is responding.
News & Updates
Announcement
Letter from President and CEO Tony Banbury: IFES’ New Vision and Mission
Democracy for a better future. | Together we build democracies that deliver for all.
News & Updates
Feature
A Vote for Every Voice in 2015: IFES’ Year in Review
For nearly three decades, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) has been at the forefront of promoting democracy, compelled by a vision of a world in which strong democratic institutions empower citizens to have a voice in the way they are governed.
Publication
Report/Paper
Lithuania: Money and Politics Case Study
Lithuania has rapidly developed both politically and economically since emerging from the Soviet Union in 1991. While the country has built a functioning parliamentary system of government, has become a member of NATO, and is on the verge of joining the European Union, it still faces many problems associated with the many consolidating democracies around the world. As in all democracies, populations need to trust that those they elect will represent their interests. Problems such as corruption, weaknesses in laws concerning the political financing, and unaccounted for political income and expenditures threaten the credibility of the process and hinder the speed at which democracy is consolidated. Additionally, Lithuania lacks the high level of vibrant debate about the issue of political financing among scholars, journalists and civil society bodies required to promote meaningful reform. Recognizing this, Lithuania has developed an independent Central Electoral Committee (CEC) and adopted laws requiring detailed and public disclosure of political finance accounts. Prior to conducting Money and Politics programming in Lithuania, the CEC had made a demonstrable interest in making information public. While scanning summary report of accounts and placing them on the internet, the user could not search, not easily compare and analyze the information. Interested parties were required to make an appointment to view more detailed, paper-based information. Further, while the Tax Authorities are required to audit final political party reports, enforcement is widely considered to be weak. Few, if any, cases of political finance violations have been forwarded and investigated, not to mention prosecuted. By addressing the difficult issues surrounding political finance with the support of IFES in 2002 and 2003, Lithuania is emerging as a model for other consolidating democracy to follow. Significant areas remain to be addressed. While Lithuania has taken concrete steps to reform political finance legislation, open political finance information to public scrutiny and oversight, and encourage debate, further efforts are required to actively enforce laws and regulations and raise the level of debate among the various governmental, legislative, and civil society groups. By addressing these areas, Lithuania has the potential for being an example of best practices while making local expertise and resources to other countries undergoing similar reforms.
December 31, 2002