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COVID-19 pandemic has placed unprecedented pressure on countries and states as to whether to hold or postpone scheduled elections, amid controversies in either case.

International IDEA's Senior Programme Manager for Asia & the Pacific, Adhy Aman, in a webinar with an Indonesian audience organized by the Association for Elections and Democracy (Perludem) on Monday, 6 April 2020, suggested the need for alternative methods of elections to be considered during the COVID-19 crisis, in addition to considering alternative dates for the postponed or suspended elections.

Myanmar’s 2008 Constitution is hard to amend. It includes a high parliamentary threshold: to pass any amendment proposal more than 75 per cent of parliamentarians need to approve, and also entrenches an effective veto power for the armed forces of Myanmar (the Tatmadaw).

As more than forty countries worldwide have postponed their elections to minimise the spread of the COVID-19, a handful of countries proceeded with theirs in the month of March. Vanuatu, an archipelagic nation in the South Pacific with a population of around 300,000, was one of them.

In ethnically diverse countries emerging from conflict, it is becoming increasingly common to see federalism as a means of conflict transformation.

However, wherever constituent unit boundaries are drawn to give a particular group a majority, this creates a situation where minorities within those constituent units fear marginalization, deprivation of equal opportunity or even oppression.

With more than 70 national elections scheduled for the rest of year worldwide, the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is putting into question whether some of these elections will happen on time or at all.  

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this commentary are those of the staff member. This commentary is independent of specific national or political interests. Views expressed do not necessarily represent the institutional position of International IDEA, its Board of Advisers or its Council of Member States.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this commentary are those of the staff member. This commentary is independent of specific national or political interests. Views expressed do not necessarily represent the institutional position of International IDEA, its Board of Advisers or its Council of Member States.

International IDEA and the Afghanistan Constitutional Studies Institute (ACSI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding to strengthen their cooperation and collaboration in supporting discussions and processes of constitution-building in Afghanistan.

International law is an increasingly relevant consideration in constitution-building.

It is therefore helpful for a constitution to prescribe the effect of international law in domestic law. If all or some international law has automatic effect, it is helpful for the constitution to describe its position in the hierarchy of domestic law.

To commemorate the 33rd anniversary of the ratification of the Philippine Constitution, the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Accountability (International IDEA), and the University of the Philippines’ Center for Integrative and Development Studies (UP CIDS), launched the Constitutional Performance Assessment of the 1987 Philippine Constitution: Summar

Since President Duterte was elected in 2016 on a promise of constitutional change for the Philippines, debates among politicians and citizens have centred on the question of whether the 1987 Constitution addressed the aspirations of the Philippine people and nation.

The 12th Bali Democracy Forum (BDF), organized by the Indonesian Ministry for Foreign Affairs in Nusa Dua, Bali on 5-6 December 2019, brought together hundreds of delegates representing government, civil society, media, students and business sector to discuss democracy and inclusivity in Asia and the Pacific region and beyond. The Forum focused on the intertwined concepts of  political and economic inclusivity in view of democracy to thrive.

A series of Learning Sessions on constitutional change and federalism was held in the Philippines in 2018 and 2019.

A series of Learning Sessions on constitutional change and federalism was held in the Philippines in 2018 and 2019.

A series of Learning Sessions on constitutional change and federalism was held in the Philippines in 2018 and 2019.

A series of Learning Sessions on constitutional change and federalism was held in the Philippines in 2018 and 2019.

A series of Learning Sessions on constitutional change and federalism was held in the Philippines in 2018 and 2019.

The passage of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) represents great progress towards realization of the autonomy promised to the Bangsamoro in the 1987 Philippines Constitution (Article 10). That said, the BOL is merely the starting point for realizing BARMM’s right to self-determination; making this right, as well as the autonomy envisioned, meaningful will in large part depend on the tone and form of the relationships between BARMM and the central government of the Philippines.

This report summarizes the contextual background and processes of writing the 1987 Philippine Constitution, its contents and a preliminary mapping of its implementation, covering elections held under the Constitution, major laws enacted as mandated by the Constitution and critical judicial decisions of the Supreme Court interpreting provisions of the Constitution.