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On 15 May the Dominican Republic held its most complex elections since 1994. On this occasion, not only were the president and vice president elected, but also all the members of the lower house, the Chamber of Deputies, and the Senate, as well as local authorities.

International IDEA’s Permanent Observer office to the United Nations (UN) will launch today the English version of The Quality of Democracies in Latin America.

Campaign finance is a key issue for the quality of a democracy. The inescapable fact is that while democracy has no price, it does have an operating cost. The use of economic resources is an essential element for democratic competition. Political financing is more than a pathology of democracy, when well-regulated, political financing is a normal part of democratic life.

As the second run of presidential elections draw near, International IDEA and RPP Group News will be launching the next stage of the Electoral GPS tool. The software evaluates the degree of affinity voters have with the candidates running for presidency, allowing the voters to identify with a candidate based on policies, not personality. The tool was used in the first round of elections to give voters more insight into the ten presidential candidates.

Dr. Daniel Zovatto, Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, International IDEA

On 10 April, for the first time in modern history, Peru held its fourth consecutive democratic election.

The Organization of American States (OAS) is the oldest regional intergovernmental institution in the Americas, having held periodic meetings of various states since 1889.

The OAS was formalized through the adoption of a charter in the post-World War II period. Since its inception, it has been dedicated to ensuring peace, security and democracy in the region.

STOCKHOLM, 19 April 2016 – Today, Brazil joined International IDEA, bringing the total number of Member States in the organization to 29. At the Council meeting held in Stockholm today, Member States welcomed the membership of Brazil, represented by Marcos Vinicius Pinta Gama, Ambassador of Brazil to Sweden.

In a ceremony held at Chile's National Museum of History, 11 April, President Michelle Bachelet passed a Law for the Strengthening and Transparency of Democracy (Law No. 20900), and a Law to Strengthen the Public and Democratic Nature of Political Parties and Facilitate their Streamlining (Law No. 20915).

These two laws supplement five other laws, and together they all make up the Probity Agenda. These five laws are as follows:

Over the past two decades, the Organization of American States (OAS) has accumulated a wealth of experience in post-conflict peacebuilding, dialogue promotion and conflict resolution, providing, in turn, invaluable lessons for strengthening democratic systems of governance.

Retour sur un processus électoral contesté

Après une longue crise électorale et politique fin 2015, le Président d’Haïti Michel Martelly et les présidents des deux chambres du Parlement sont finalement parvenus à négocier un accord en février 2016, devant permettre la reprise du processus électoral interrompu et le retour sur la voie de la transition démocratique.

Retour sur un processus électoral contesté

Après une longue crise électorale et politique fin 2015, le Président d’Haïti Michel Martelly et les présidents des deux chambres du Parlement sont finalement parvenus à négocier un accord en février 2016, devant permettre la reprise du processus électoral interrompu et le retour sur la voie de la transition démocratique.

Back on a contested electoral process

Following a tumultuous end of 2015 and start of 2016 Haiti’s President Michel Martelly and the presidents of the two chambers of parliament brokered a deal in February aimed at resuming the interrupted electoral process and return to the path of democratic transition.

Back on a contested electoral process

Following a tumultuous end of 2015 and start of 2016 Haiti’s President Michel Martelly and the presidents of the two chambers of parliament brokered a deal in February aimed at resuming the interrupted electoral process and return to the path of democratic transition.

On 16 March, International IDEA and the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) at ECLAC headquarters in Santiago, Chile. The MOU signals a continuation and strengthening of collaboration and cooperation for specific projects and agreements.

The areas of cooperation in which both institutions agreed to develop joint activities will be focused on the following aspects:

International IDEA is pleased to join the rest of the world in celebrating International Women's Day 2016.

Considerable progress has been made in women’s political participation in recent years. It seems that many countries in the world are seeking gender parity in politics but the question is how close we are? Below is an approximation of the present political participation of women in the different countries of Latin America. It is the basis for a reflection about the next steps to be followed for female representation to increase and for women to reach the much-desired equality.

Considerable progress has been made in women’s political participation in recent years. It seems that many countries in the world are seeking gender parity in politics but the question is how close we are? Below is an approximation of the present political participation of women in the different countries of Latin America. It is the basis for a reflection about the next steps to be followed for female representation to increase and for women to reach the much-desired equality.

Evo Morales suffered a historical defeat in the referendum held last February. He was seeking the support of the citizens for passing a constitutional reform that would have enabled him to run again in 2019. Had he succeeded he would have remained in office until 2025. Preliminary results released by the Supreme Electoral Tribunal suggest the ‘No’ vote won by a narrow margin (51.30 per cent to 48.70 per cent).

On February 29, the book The Cost of Democracy: Essays on Political Finance in Latin America was launched at the Inter-American Dialogue in Washington DC as part of an event on regulating campaign finance in the Americas.