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The Central Electoral Board (JCE) of the Dominican Republic celebrated a gala event in Santo Domingo, 11 November, acknowledging the contribution of different individuals to the development and consolidation of democracy, and the institutionality of the Dominican Republic over the past few decades.

NEW YORK — The International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA), the Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy (NIMD) and the Netherlands Institute of International Relations (Clingendael) today will conduct a book discussion about a publication that provides insights into the world of organized crime in Latin America and how these networks corrode democratic politics across the region.

Organized criminal networks are global phenomena that distort local and global economic markets, bring violence and blur the role of the state in providing basic services, all in the interest of increasing their wealth.

The main weapon used by such networks is corruption of politicians and of state institutions. This undermines the basic principles of democracy and puts the state at the mercy of illicit economic interests.

En los últimos años, se registra un aumento del repertorio de manifestaciones sociales, que muestran que la política importa, aunque de una manera diferente a la tradicional.

Esta obra colectiva presenta una selección de estudios de democracia directa y participativa en América Latina.

One of the most outstanding aspects of the general elections held recently in Bolivia is that the Plurinational Legislative Assembly will have 81 female representatives, equivalent to 48 per cent of the total composition of the Assembly (166 members).

Three parties, the Frente Amplio (FA), the Blancos, and the Colorados, are currently represented in the Uruguayan parliament.  The Partido Independiente, which inherited part of the Nuevo Espacio Party and did not follow its majority to the FA, is only represented in the Lower Chamber.

As predicted, the Movement for Socialism (MAS) has consolidated its hegemony in the 12 October general elections under the leadership of Evo Morales.

The elections on 12 October are dominating the political, institutional and social panorama of Bolivia. However, the general feeling is that there will not be any major surprises in the results. There is no doubt regarding the (re)election of Evo Morales and Álvaro García Linera. Surveys even suggest that the Movement for Socialism (MAS) will once again obtain a two-thirds majority in the Upper and Lower Chambers.

Minister Dias Toffoli, president of the Superior Electoral Court of Brazil, and Daniel Zovatto, International IDEA's regional director for Latin America and the Caribbean, signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Friday, 3 October , establishing a general framework for cooperation between both institutions with respect to electoral affairs.

October is a key month for the region. The 2014 Latin American electoral rally will end this October, when elections will be held in Brazil (Sunday the 5th), Bolivia (12 October) and Uruguay (26 October), following elections in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Panama and Colombia which were held earlier this year.

Last year, Latin America celebrated the 35th anniversary of the third wave of democratization in the region. Simultaneously in a climate of significant stability, an unprecedented electoral marathon began, with 34 presidential elections scheduled over a period of eight years (2009-2016). So far, 26 elections have taken place. Never before has the region experienced such an intense and important electoral agenda in such a short period of time.

The progress made in Latin America over the past 35 years in terms of free and fair elections, strength and respect of human rights, and democratization, is significant. However, its democracies still exhibit deficiencies and symptoms of fragility that need to be tackled.

Latin America has made considerable progress increasing political representation of women, but more active measures are needed to increase outcomes.

“Just because public financing of political parties is unpopular in Peru doesn’t mean it’s not important.”

The International Seminar “Elections in Central America and Dominican Republic: evaluation of experiences and lessons learned” was carried out in San José, Costa Rica, on August 12, 13 and 14, 2014. It was jointly organized by International IDEA and the Costa Rican Supreme Tribunal of Elections, through the Institute for Education and Studies in Democracy (IFED).

International IDEA and the Central Electoral Board of the Dominican Republic jointly organized the International Seminar “Elections and Technology”, held in Santo Domingo on August 21 and 22, 2014.

En nous basant sur le temps de la dictature des Duvalier et les 25 ans qui suivent la chute de cette dictature, il apparait que les investigations qui s’imposent devraient être ordonnées autour de l’interrogation centrale suivante : dans quelle mesure les partis politiques installés en Haïti depuis 1986 sont-ils des obstacles ou des facilitateurs à la démocratie ?

As Peru prepares for the coming regional and municipal elections, national and international experts will gather in Lima on 19 and 20 August for an international seminar on “Financing of Politics in Peru.” The aim is to analyze the role of money in politics, the role of political organizations in the country’s institutions and the financing of the current electoral campaign.

The “Domingo García Rada” Chair in Democracy will kick off its activities with a conference on 18 August, led by Dr Daniel Zovatto, regional director for Latin America and the Caribbean (International IDEA). The focus will be on ‘The State of Democracy in Latin America’.

2014 features an intense electoral agenda. In the first six months, four of the seven Latin American presidential elections expected this year took place. These have a strong Central American geographic focus (Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Panama), with the Colombian ballot as the only exception.