Nigerian Conference to Consider Election Reforms

Abuja, Nigeria – August 20, 2007 – IFES will host a conference this week to give Nigerians a chance to reflect on the April elections and offer recommendations to improve the process in the future. The 2007 Elections and the Way Forward Conference will take place August 22-23 at the Abuja Sheraton Hotels and Towers.

An estimated 100 participants from Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones are expected to attend including members of election management bodies, lawmakers, media, the judiciary, security agencies and community leaders, as well as representatives from international organizations.

The results of public opinion surveys conducted by IFES before and after the elections will be released on the first day of the conference, as well as a report on the outcome of IFES’ presidential campaign finance monitoring project. The rest of the conference will focus on four topics: Election Administration and Electoral Assistance; Media and Elections; Political Parties and Contestants; and Civil Society, Political Access, Electoral Violence and Civic Education.

Participants will break into smaller groups on the second day to discuss and prepare recommendations on the four topic areas. Those recommendations will be compiled and presented to all election stakeholders in a manual that can be used to guide future activities in the lead up to the 2011 elections.

The conference is part of IFES’ election support project in Nigeria, which is supported by the UK Department for International Development.

CONTACT: Joy Ogala in Abuja , 234 (0) 9 413 5907, joy@ifes-nigeria.org

Laura Ingalls in Washington, 202-350-6729, lingalls@ifes.org

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IFES is an international, nonprofit organization that supports the building of democratic societies.