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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
Annex to IFES, Republic of Kyrgyzstan, Final Project Report Oct 1, 1997-Sept 30, 2002: Procedural Guidebook for PECs and Pollworkers, Sept 2000, Feb 2000
November 30, 2002
Publication
Report/Paper
Republic of Kyrgyzstan, Final Project Report: USAID Cooperative Agreement, Oct 1, 1997 to Sept 30, 2002
The following report is designed to provide a comprehensive, theme-oriented overview of IFES' work under this Cooperative Agreement in Kyrgyzstan, from 1997-2001. The report discusses activities designed to assist local, non-governmental organizations' development, building upon the successful "Strategies for Citizen Involvement" and civic education.
November 30, 2002
Publication
Report/Paper
Annex to IFES, Republic of Kyrgyzstan, Final Project Report Oct 1, 1997-Sept 30, 2002: Election Day Code of Conduct Manual, Sept 2000, February 2000
November 30, 2002
Publication
Report/Paper
Annex to IFES, Republic of Kyrgyzstan, Final Project Report Oct 1, 1997-Sept 30, 2002: Guidelines for Polling Station Commissions (2nd ed), 2000,
November 30, 2002
Publication
Report/Paper
Annex to IFES, Republic of Kyrgyzstan, Final Project Report Oct 1, 1997-Sept 30, 2002: Booklet, Election Violations: Penalties and Responsibilities, October 1999
November 30, 2002
Publication
Report/Paper
Young Womens Leadership Conference, May 9-11 2002
This report discusses IFES findings from the Young Women’s Leadership Conference where students received training through interactive activities designed to promote understanding of gender equality issues, leadership, and a woman's role in a democratic society.
May 31, 2002
Publication
Survey
2001 IFES Survey in Kyrgyzstan
The purpose of this survey was to analyze the views of the Kyrgyzstani public on political and economic developments, public institutions performance, media, elections, civil society, democracy and human rights, and to gauge any shifts in the opinion environment since the 1996 International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES) public opinion survey. A similar public opinion poll was also implemented by IFES in 1995. The results of these surveys have been used by IFES and other international assistance organizations to design programs for voter information, civic education and civil society development. Feedback from the surveys has proved to be useful when shaping such IFES’ activities as its civic education course, civil society development programs and technical elections assistance. Currently, IFES is piloting its civics textbook and course in schools throughout Kyrgyzstan, with all materials available in Kyrgyz, Uzbek and Russian. It also encourages greater student activism in the community/school and greater political efficacy and involvement in representative governance through programs like Student Action Committees (SACs), Student Local Government Days (SLGDs), Democracy Summer Camps, and University Student Elections Assistance. In addition, IFES, in close coordination with USAID and the U.S. Embassy, continues to monitor ongoing electoral reform efforts in Kyrgyzstan and provides necessary technical elections assistance. IFES is confident that the data from this 2001 survey will prove integral to the development of these ongoing programs. This report’s findings are based on the IFES nationwide opinion survey fielded in Kyrgyzstan between July 27 and August 17, 2001. The survey was conducted with a sample of 1,600 respondents, including an oversample of 100 interviews with young adults aged 18-25. The data file has been weighted to be nationally representative by region, age, and gender. The margin of error for a sample of 1,600 respondents is plus/minus 2.4%. All interviews were conducted face-to-face at a respondent’s home. The Executive Summary of the survey provides an overview of the survey data and its major findings in all of the categories of questions, while the body of the survey analysis focuses on individual categories in greater detail and discusses the data in terms of their meaning. The presentation of the survey results, organized thematically, reports opinions on the following subjects: • Information and Major Media Sources • Overall Situation and the Economy • Political Interest, Efficacy, and Knowledge • Democracy and Human Rights • Institutional Performance, Confidence and Corruption • Elections and Civic Society
April 30, 2002