Money and politics are inextricably linked.
The functioning of contemporary democracies necessitates political financing, and sometimes the combination of private and public funding sources. However, there is a strong need to control unfair and illegal practices and to regulate political finance in the light of the role that political parties play in the democratic process.
On 14 and 15 November, the Africa and West Asia Programme of International IDEA (AWA IDEA) organized (in partnership with the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF)) a technical training and capacity development workshop on inter-party dialogue. The focus of the workshop was on natural resources governance and socioeconomic transformation in Central African countries.
On 15 November 2016, International IDEA welcomed Hon. Donatille Mukabalisa, Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies of the Republic of Rwanda, with a delegation of Members of the Chamber of Deputies, to the International IDEA Headquarters in Stockholm.
International IDEA is hosting the 6th High Level Meeting of the Inter-Regional Dialogue on Democracy (IRDD), to discuss the theme of Gender Equality and Political Empowerment of Women. This year the High Level Meeting will take place on 8 November 2016, at the Headquarters of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, France.
On 4 September 2016 the African Union Commission (AUC) launched its first election observation mission exclusively staffed by women to the Republic of Seychelles.
ADDIS ABABA - As part of their ongoing efforts to support the consolidation of sustainable democracy in Africa, the African Union Commission (AUC), the International Organization of La Francophonie (IOF) and the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) are jointly organizing a technical workshop on “Civil Registration and Elections in Africa” in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from September 29 to 1 October 2016.
The low level of youth participation in political life is one of the biggest challenges facing representational democracy across the globe. In recent years, many countries have seen a sharp increase in their youth population. Over half the world’s population of 7.4 billion is currently aged between 20 and 44. In Africa, a combination of high fertility rates and low life expectancy has resulted in a “youth bulge”.
ADDIS ABABA – Dans le cadre de leur partenariat pour la consolidation de la démocratie en Afrique, la Commission de l’Union africaine (CUA), l’Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF) et l’Institut International pour la Démocratie et l’Assistance Electorale (International (IDEA), organisent à Addis-Abeba (Ethiopie), du 29 septembre au 1 octobre 2016, un atelier technique sur le thème « Les registres d’état civil et les élections en Afrique ».
Countries across Africa are struggling to consolidate democracy.
Elections often serve to deepen divisions rather than build social cohesion. There is pressure to change term limits for presidents and election-related violence persists.
The obligation to uphold the rule of law is an integral part of the overall commitment to governance and democracy by African heads of state and government.
This commitment was expressed in the AU Constitutive Act during the period of transformation of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) into the AU.
This Discussion Paper compares how three regional organizations—the African Union, the European Union and the Organization of American States—protect constitutionalism in their member states.
It focuses on the types of measures to protect constitutionalism in cases of fundamental threats to and violations of the constitutional order, rather than on the mechanisms to promote constitutional governance.
This report documents the Round Table on Elections and Youth: Entry points for Electoral Management Bodies, which took place in Centurion, South Africa, on 24–26 November 2015.
In response to the complexities embodied in youth inclusion in the democratic process, International IDEA has initiated a process for documenting the challenges and practices directed at youth inclusion in politics and within electoral processes from across the continent.
This report summarizes the Policy Dialogue on Democracy and Service Delivery, which took place in Pretoria, South Africa, on 23–24 November 2015.
The event was timely, as it unfolded in a context of a growing and common concern, among all of the collaborating partners, regarding service delivery challenges in the region and their potential impact on governance and democracy.
The proportion of women in the Tunisian Parliament is impressive, but is not matched by gender equality in other areas, such as in the cabinet or the leadership of parliamentary committees.
Creating opportunities for further advances in gender equality requires work on many fronts, such as addressing social attitudes to women and men, improved education and training for women and legal protection with regard to violence against women.
This report documents the Policy Dialogue on how to deepen the transition to democratic governance in Central Africa, the second in the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) Africa and West Asia Regional 2015 Policy Dialogue Series, which took place at the Meridien Re-Ndama Hotel in Libreville, Gabon, on 14–15 December 2015.
For decades, the Middle East has experienced persistent violence and protracted conflict.
Since the beginning of the Arab Awakening in 2010—widely referred to in the coverage of developments in the region as the Arab Spring or the Arab Uprisings—the Arab world has gone through massive change.
The influence of money in politics is a significant threat to democracy, affecting established and emerging democracies alike.
Inadequately controlled flows of money undermine the credibility of elections and the integrity of democratic institutions and processes around the world. Well-designed political finance regulations that are enforceable and anchored in their country’s context play a vital role in ensuring that money is a positive force in politics.
In recent years the African continent, and the West African subregion, have made significant progress in the area of democratization.
On 25 September 2015 the United Nations General Assembly adopted ‘Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development’ (the 2030 Agenda) as an outcome of the UN Sustainable Development Summit.
Since the adoption of the 2030 Agenda, development experts, statisticians and organizations have discussed the follow-up and review mechanisms for monitoring implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The legal systems in West African countries are diverse.
They have their foundations in different colonial heritages and have been shaped by a variety of customary and religious norms, which affects the design of each country’s judicial system. At the same time, this region is growing together under the umbrella of the Economic Community of West African States.
