On August 9, an estimated 22 million Kenyans went to the polls to elect their next president. Despite being one of the most competitive elections in the country’s history, it resulted in a peaceful transition of power and a step forward in Kenya’s democratization process.
When Muammar Gaddafi’s 42-year autocratic rule came to an end in 2011, Libya turned its eye towards a new form of government, one in which the Libyan people’s interests would be represented under democratic principles. After decades of a government-enforced ban, political parties are emerging across Libya, giving Libyans the opportunity to organize their political beliefs under a collective banner.
Against the backdrop of full-scale war, missile attacks and infrastructure outages, Ukrainian citizens, civil society, political parties, media, business leaders and key democratic institutions continue to drive recovery and reconstruction planning.
In 2022, it is hard to imagine Armenia's parliament without young professionals in the corridors, rushing into a committee session, a parliamentary hearing, or patiently taking notes while talking to citizens at the reception center. You may even run into a group of young professionals sitting at the cafeteria preparing for important national and international events. Many of these young professionals are NDI Parliamentary interns and fellows.
The United Nations has designated September 15 as “International Day of Democracy.” Its stated purpose is to enable the global community to “review the state of democracy in the world” and advance the goal of ensuring democracy may be “made into a reality to be enjoyed by everyone, everywhere.”
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February, countless individuals and organizations across Ukraine have risen to the challenge of supporting their communities and addressing challenges that have emerged as a result of the war. The Rizni.Rivni project, launched in collaboration between the National Democratic Institute (NDI) and a group of Ukrainian LGBTQI+ equality organizations in 2020, has played a key role in that effort.
For the past three years, Women’s Advisory Boards (WABs) in Iraq have engaged with local officials to advance projects and policies that respond to the needs of their communities through a gendered lens in order to improve the lives of some of society’s most vulnerable members. This summer, more than 100 WAB members and guests came together for a conference in Erbil to celebrate their progress and to share ideas to further elevate women’s influence in policy-making.
In August 2022, the National Democratic Institute’s research team in Ukraine designed and deployed a national telephone survey to gauge the impact of the full-scale war on the lives of everyday Ukrainians and identify opportunities and challenges on the road to Ukraine’s democratic transition.
