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Election Material
Constitution
The Constitution of India
The Constitution of India to include all amendments passed by 1995 (Amendment 78).
Election Material
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India Manual Election Law Volume Ii
India Manual Election Law Volume Ii
Election Material
Election and Political Party Law
India Manual of Election Law Volume I
India Manual of Election Law Volume I
Election Material
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Sultanate of Oman: The Basic Statute of The State
Sultanate of Oman: The Basic Statute of The State
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
News & Updates
Interview/Speech/Testimony
IFES Alumni Goes Back to School, Looks to Level the Global Playing Field
Alexandra Matthews, a graduate student at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, tells us what she learned about empowering the vulnerable while at IFES, and how this work inspired her studies.
News & Updates
Interview/Speech/Testimony
IFES Q&A with Former Chief Election Commissioner of India Dr. SY Quraishi
As a former Chief Election Commissioner of India, Dr. SY Quraishi has a deep understanding of the intricacies of how the world’s largest democracy works. He also has more than 35 years of experience in civil service. Dr. Quraishi is well known in India and abroad as a development thinker, for his inclusive style of leadership, and for bringing together wide varieties of groups and institutions to achieve the common objectives of development. In this Q&A, Dr. Quraishi discusses challenges the Election Commission of India (ECI) faces in preparing to conduct credible elections and shares lessons learned. India’s five-week general elections started on April 7.
News & Updates
Feature
IFES CEO Presents Youth Engagement Strategies at Indian Election Commission Conference
On January 24, the Election Commission of India hosted an international conference in New Delhi focused on sharing successful strategies to empower young and future voters throughout the country. During the conference, International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) President and CEO William R. Sweeney, Jr. presented IFES’ approach to engaging young people, as well as some of the organization’s programmatic methods.
News & Updates
Press Release
India Facing Gender Imbalance Crisis
IFES will host a roundtable titled “45 Million Missing Women in India” on June 13 to examine the human rights and security effects of female feticide in the world’s largest democracy.
News & Updates
Press Release
IFES, Indian Election Commission Sign Agreement for Increased Global Collaboration
The International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) and the Election Commission of India (ECI) today signed a memorandum of understanding deepening the organizations’ partnership in promoting democratic processes and good governance around the world.