In Honduras, a series of recent protests have taken place as citizens call attention to corruption and impunity. In response to the latest corruption scandal involving the embezzlement of $120 million from the Honduras Social Security Institute (IHSS), a growing movement led by young people using social networks has organized mass “torchlight marches” (Marcha de las Antorchas) in major cities across the country.  

Over the last several decades, Mauritania, a large desert nation on Africa’s west coast, has experienced frequent coups d’état and political deadlock.

Mauritania’s current president, Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, ousted the country’s first democratically elected president in 2008 and has won subsequent presidential elections since 2009. The 2013 parliamentary elections and the 2014 presidential election did little to heal the country’s long-simmering political tensions, as parties failed to agree on conditions necessary for the successful conduct of elections.

Many parliaments around the world are engaged in various forms of international cooperation—sharing experience and learning with other parliaments and the international community in an effort to strengthen their respective institutions.