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By-elections are of great importance to a representative and credible democracy as seats need to be filled to ensure the legitimacy and function of Myanmar’s various parliaments. On 3 November 2018, Myanmar held by-elections to fill the 12 vacant seats of three houses and levels (Upper House, Lower House, and State and Region Parliaments), plus the vacant position of the Shan Ethnic Affairs Representative in Mandalay.

Relations between the media and electoral authorities can be strained or uneasy, and the result of such strained relations can be misinformation or missed opportunities. Since public confidence (and ultimately acceptance of the electoral results) is at stake, there can be no doubt of the importance for electoral management bodies (EMBs) to building solid working relations with the media to ensure that the electorate is well-informed  about the electoral processes and devel

Mongolian People’s Party, Democratic Party, Mongolian People’s Revolutionary Party, Civil Will Party and National Labour Party recently all came together at a training event to face common challenges: integrity and inclusivity in political party finance. The event allowed unprecedented dialogue on these issues to emerge. 

Centre-left Druk Nyamrup Tshogpa (DNT) will form the third elected government of Bhutan following Lotay Tshering’s win in the 18 October parliamentary election. With the ruling People’s Democratic Party eliminated in the first of the two rounds of the election, the country voted between DNT and the Druk Phunsum Tshogpa (DPT), which governed between 2008-2013.

This issue of Constitutional INSIGHTS deals with the questions presented by constitutional or legal arrangements that treat one region of a state differently from others.

Federalism or devolution involves the organization of public power so that government, on at least two levels, is responsive and accountable to the people that it serves.

More than 25 countries around the world operate as a federation of some kind. Many more devolve power in other ways, either across the country or in particular regions with special autonomy.

This issue of Constitutional INSIGHTS examines the choice between making a new constitution and amending an existing constitution to achieve substantial constitutional change.

Two secretarial officers from the Bhutanese Parliament underwent a vigorous two-week Fellowship Programme from 20-31 August 2018 at the state parliament of Tasmania, Australia. The Fellowship Programme was part of regular fellowship programme facilitated  by International IDEA since 2014 as part of strengthening institutional capacity of the Parliament of Bhutan.

^{إخلاء مسؤولية:  الآراء المعبر عنها في هذا التعليق خاصة بموظفي المؤسسة. يعد هذا التعليق مستقلاً عن أية مصالح وطنية أو سياسية. الآراء المعبر عنها لا تمثل بالضرورة موقف المؤسسة الدولية للديمقراطية والانتخابات ولا هيئة مستشاريها أو مجلس دولها الأعضاء.}

International IDEA is supporting constitution building processes as an integral part of the democratic transition in Myanmar. By working with various state institutions, ethnic based organizations, political parties, civil society organizations and academia, International IDEA supports a more inclusive and well-informed debate on constitutional issues also to create a common understanding of federal and constitutional principles.

Is democracy in decline around the world? If so, is it also the case in Myanmar? This year’s International Day of Democracy celebrations in Yangon were an opportunity to have broad ranging discussions on the state of democracy around the world.

Back in July 2015, the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) and the Fijian Elections Office (FEO) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which happened to be the FEO’s first since its creation in early 2014. The MoU was deemed necessary to form a basis for cooperation between the two institutions to enhance the evolvement of electoral practices in Fiji.

Electoral justice is crucial to ensuring the success, fairness and credibility of the electoral process, which is the bedrock for a robust and legitimate democratic system.

On 2–3 May 2018, the Indonesian Election Supervisory Board (Bawaslu) and International IDEA hosted a Pilot Conference with key stakeholders to gather input to the drafting and prospective implementation of the draft Electoral Justice System Assessment Guide.

On 17 August 2018, International IDEA Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific, Leena Rikkila Tamang and Antonio Spinelli, Head of Mission for Nepal met with Minister for Foreign Affairs, Hon Pradeed Kumar Gyawali in Kathmandu. Discussion covered Nepal’s current political context, and touched upon the journey Nepal has travelled toward consolidation of its democratic system since the signing of the Peace Agreement in 2006.

International IDEA has been supporting a democratic approach to consultative, collaborative and inclusive community building in Bhutan through funding of various activities of its partner civil society organizations. On 4 July 2018, International IDEA’s support saw over 90 town committee members come together in the collaborative visioning of the future of Paro town, which is home to the country’s only international airport.

The final front page of The Cambodian Daily  read “Descent into Outright Dictatorship”, before ending 24 years and 15 days of independent journalism in the country and being forcibly shut down over state-imposed legal threats over a disputed USD 6.3 million bill in back taxes. This final headline was perhaps symptomatic of the repressive actions of the Hun Sen-led government in Cambodia as it increased its authoritarian grip on the country.

As with many young people across the world, youth in Bangladesh are mobilizing to create innovative ways to better engage with politics and their political realities. From participating in organized political parties, social movements and civil society, Bangladeshi youth are striving to ensure their voices and needs are being heard at all levels.

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.

Being credible, transparent and democratic are the basic standards of elections. Myanmar successfully held general elections in 2015 and by-elections in 2017, and attention is now turning to elections for municipal representatives across the country. At the moment, the country’s system for municipal elections is quite different from international standards—even universal suffrage is not practiced for the voting.