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Elections on Trial Project: Inaugural Meeting of the Europe and Eurasia Electoral Jurisprudence Working Group
IFES is working to establish peer networks in Europe and Eurasia and Africa, supported by the United States Agency for International Development. Regional knowledge exchange allows judges and election commissioners to discuss best practices and share comparative examples of how other countries deal with specific categories of complaints and disputes.
Election FAQ
Elections in Ghana: 2016 General Elections
On December 7, Ghanaian voters will elect their new president, vice president, and members of Parliament for the 275 electoral constituencies in the country.
Publication
Report/Paper
Elections in Ghana: December 7 Presidential and Parliamentary Elections
Ghana’s December 7 elections will be the first since the country’s 2012 biometric voter registration initiative, which produced new voter ID cards and generated a voter list of over 14 million. To help observers better understand the backdrop of these elections, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) has put together a series of frequently asked questions (FAQs).
December 05, 2012
News & Updates
Press Release
Top Elections NGO Honors Pioneer of Electoral Democracy in Africa
Dr. Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, chairman of Ghana’s Electoral Commission, is the recipient of this year’s Joe C. Baxter Award. The Baxter Award is presented annually to professionals whose work epitomizes the mission of IFES—to promote citizen participation, transparency, and accountability in political life and civil society. “Dr. Afari-Gyan has made remarkable contributions to electoral democracy in Ghana, Africa, and throughout the world. He is a shining example of how much one individual can contribute to the advancement of a human right,” says Bill Sweeney, IFES president and CEO.
Publication
Report/Paper
Corruption in China: Half-way Over the Great Wall
The legal-judicial transformation taking place behind China’s Great Wall outpaces most other developing and transitional countries, but is reaching a critical crossroads.
November 08, 2006
Publication
Report/Paper
Global Lessons and Best Practices: Fighting Corruption and Promoting the Rule of Law Through Transparency, Openness and Judicial Independence
IFES believes all countries, including China, should publish an annual State of the Judiciary Report that will serve as both an internal and external tool that can be used by multiple stakeholders for multiple purposes, including promoting and systematically reporting on needed reforms and key issues. It should be disseminated to the public at large, as well as to targeted stakeholders, such as the business and human rights communities, bar associations, judges, reformers, policy-makers and donors. We believe the publication and distribution of the report will increase the quality and quantity of concrete information on the judiciary, more transparency, accountability and public awareness, qualitative comparative research and valuable cross-country lessons learned and judicial competition. We invite and challenge you to demonstrate your firm commitment to the important task ahead.
January 19, 2006
Publication
Report/Paper
Lithuania: Money and Politics Case Study
Lithuania has rapidly developed both politically and economically since emerging from the Soviet Union in 1991. While the country has built a functioning parliamentary system of government, has become a member of NATO, and is on the verge of joining the European Union, it still faces many problems associated with the many consolidating democracies around the world. As in all democracies, populations need to trust that those they elect will represent their interests. Problems such as corruption, weaknesses in laws concerning the political financing, and unaccounted for political income and expenditures threaten the credibility of the process and hinder the speed at which democracy is consolidated. Additionally, Lithuania lacks the high level of vibrant debate about the issue of political financing among scholars, journalists and civil society bodies required to promote meaningful reform. Recognizing this, Lithuania has developed an independent Central Electoral Committee (CEC) and adopted laws requiring detailed and public disclosure of political finance accounts. Prior to conducting Money and Politics programming in Lithuania, the CEC had made a demonstrable interest in making information public. While scanning summary report of accounts and placing them on the internet, the user could not search, not easily compare and analyze the information. Interested parties were required to make an appointment to view more detailed, paper-based information. Further, while the Tax Authorities are required to audit final political party reports, enforcement is widely considered to be weak. Few, if any, cases of political finance violations have been forwarded and investigated, not to mention prosecuted. By addressing the difficult issues surrounding political finance with the support of IFES in 2002 and 2003, Lithuania is emerging as a model for other consolidating democracy to follow. Significant areas remain to be addressed. While Lithuania has taken concrete steps to reform political finance legislation, open political finance information to public scrutiny and oversight, and encourage debate, further efforts are required to actively enforce laws and regulations and raise the level of debate among the various governmental, legislative, and civil society groups. By addressing these areas, Lithuania has the potential for being an example of best practices while making local expertise and resources to other countries undergoing similar reforms.
December 31, 2002
Publication
Report/Paper
Learning How to Make Democracy Work: The IFES Project in Ghana Midterm Evaluation
This report serves as a midterm report on progress towards decentralized democratic governance in Ghana and the implementation of Project ECSELL (Enhancing Civil Society Effectiveness at the Local Level). This report focuses on two IFES programs; communications training and capacity building.
May 31, 1999