Political Parties

Taking the Wheel and Piloting Change: A Framework for Party Reformers

This toolkit is designed to aid visionary, ambitious party members who are on the peripheries of power, but eager to plan and implement internal reforms aimed at improving a party’s internal democracy and electoral appeal. Taking the Wheel seeks to equip party change agents with a roadmap for the implementation strategies and soft skills needed to navigate the arduous party reform process.

September 19, 2019

Do I Stay or Do I Go?: Youth-Driven Policy Solutions to Emigration in Bosnia-Herzegovina

Although official statistics on emigration do not exist, anecdotal evidence suggests that Bosnia-Herzegovina’s (BiH) population of roughly four million is plummeting, as thousands of citizens head elsewhere, with 64 percent citing the economy as the primary driver and 61 percent of people under 30 indicating that they have personally considered leaving BiH for better opportunities.

April 17, 2019

Supporting Ecuador’s Democratic Institutions in a New Political Era

A record 80,281 candidates representing 278 political parties and movements competed in Ecuador’s March 24 regional elections – over three times as many candidates as in 2014. These were the first regional elections since Lenin Moreno was elected president and adopted a reform agenda opposed by former President Rafael Correa, effectively splitting the Country Alliance (Alianza Pais, AP) which had governed Ecuador for ten years. The results suggest a reshuffling in Ecuador’s political coalitions ahead of the 2021 presidential and National Assembly elections.

IRI & NDI Deploy Second Joint International Delegation to Assess Pre-Election Environment in Nigeria

Abuja, Nigeria – The International Republican Institute (IRI) and the National Democratic Institute (NDI) are currently fielding the second joint delegation to Nigeria to assess preparations for the upcoming national elections in early 2019. The assessment takes place from September 19-28, 2018.

The delegation consists of the following members:

● Robert Benjamin, Senior Associate & Regional Director for Central and Eastern Europe, NDI (USA);

The National Democratic Institute Welcomes Ambassador Derek Mitchell as its New President

Washington, DC, - Today, September 4th, former Ambassador Derek Mitchell takes the helm as the National Democratic Institute’s (NDI) new president. Now in its 35th year, the change in leadership comes at an important moment in NDI’s history.

August 27, 2018

Building Better Parties in the Balkans, One Reform at a Time

Political parties play an essential role in a democracy, for which they must exercise good leadership, conduct regular outreach to their constituents, and demonstrate that government is delivering on citizen concerns. When parties cannot fulfill this role, democracy suffers.

Full Testimony by NDI President Ken Wollack on Democracy Promotion in a Challenging World

On June 14, 2018, NDI President Kenneth Wollack testified before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. The hearing discussed support for democracy and human rights as an important American value and a core tenant of U.S. foreign policy. The hearing also discussed democratic backsliding and other challenges to the spread and consolidation of democracy.

May 22, 2018

Belfer Center, IRI & NDI Launch European Cybersecurity Playbook

Brussels, Belgium — The Defending Digital Democracy project (D3P) at Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center joined the International Republican Institute (IRI) and the National Democratic Institute (NDI) for the public launch of the “The Cybersecurity Campaign Playbook: European Edition” in Brussels on May 22, 2018.

The Cybersecurity Campaign Playbook: Global Edition

This Global Edition of the Defending Digital Democracy Cybersecurity Campaign Playbook was written by a multi-partisan and international team of experts in cybersecurity, politics, and law to provide simple, actionable ways of countering the growing cyber threat.

November 24, 2017

In Advance of Honduras Elections, Groups Collaborate to Launch Vote for Equality Campaign

Hondurans will head to the polls on November 26 to vote in the country’s general election. On September 26 and 27 -- two months prior to this week’s election -- representatives of civil society organizations gathered in Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula, Honduras, to launch a campaign titled Vote for Equality. The campaign provides a platform for marginalized populations, pooling their efforts to advocate for equality. The campaign also publishes information on candidate platforms related to inclusion to inform voters in advance of the election.