Tblisi – Heading into Georgia’s last direct presidential election in October 2018, a pre-election assessment delegation of the National Democratic Institute (NDI) found an atmosphere of uncertainty about its relevance. The election date still has not been set; the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party has not yet determined whether it will field a candidate; the current president has not decided whether or not he will run; parties are divided about the importance of this election given the limitations of the office, sending a message of ambivalence to the public.
Abuja, Nigeria – Today, the International Republican Institute (IRI) and the National Democratic Institute (NDI) joint pre-election assessment mission delegation released its pre-election statement of findings and recommendations for Nigeria’s February 2019 general elections.
Harare, Zimbabwe – The National Democratic Institute (NDI) and International Republican Institute (IRI) and tare pleased to announce that former Liberian President and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and former Interim President of the Central African Republic Catherine Samba-Panza will co-lead the joint international observer delegation for the July 30 Zimbabwe elections. They will be joined on the leadership team by U.S. Congresswoman Karen Bass, and former U.S.
This afternoon, NDI Regional Director for Latin America, Jim Swigert, testified before the House Foreign Affairs Western Hemisphere Subcommittee on the upcoming elections in Latin America and their implications for U.S. Foreign Policy. Other witnesses included Katya Rimkunas from IRI and Michael Svetlik from IFES.
See full testimony below.
Monrovia, Liberia - On October 10th, Liberians went to the polls in large numbers in the hope of further consolidating peace and strengthening their democracy.
According to National Democratic Institute (NDI) delegation co-leader and Regional Director, Chris Fomunyoh, “These elections mark a historic milestone for Liberia. Given the country’s experience of conflict and developmental challenges, Liberians should take great pride in the electoral process the country has conducted thus far.”
NAIROBI, KENYA -- The National Democratic Institute's (NDI) international election delegation to Kenya's August 8 general elections released a preliminary election statement assessing the credibility of the election. The delegation found that the people of Kenya made their voices heard in a peaceful fashion through credible election processes.
Kosovo’s snap parliamentary elections on June 11, 2017, have offered the country an opportunity to move past recent political impasses and reorient political institutions to the pressing needs of its citizens. Continuing a pattern of extraordinary elections, these elections were precipitated by a long-running political crisis set off by the previous parliamentary election, in June 2014. A six-month deadlock over forming the new government led to opposition protests in parliament, some of which turned violent.
The National Democratic Institute (NDI) and the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) have released this report on Afghanistan political and election reform developments based on a mission they conducted in Kabul last month. Recently, the National Unity Government passed a new election law and appointed new election commissions. Now the government is considering when and how to conduct overdue parliamentary elections.
Credible elections are underpinned by transparency, accountability and trust. However, anti-democratic actors are increasingly engaging in information manipulation to obfuscate credible sources for information surrounding elections, tilt the playing field for unfair advantage, and erode confidence in electoral institutions and safeguards. Amidst these efforts to undermine credible elections comes the emergence of widely available generative AI (gen AI) tools, exacerbating these concerns and complicating ongoing efforts to improve electoral integrity.