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News & Updates
Feature
Kyrgyzstan's Upcoming Election
Anthony Bowyer, IFES Program Manager for the Caucasus and Central Asia, tells us why all eyes are once again on Kyrgyzstan as it heads toward general elections on October 30.
News & Updates
Feature
Popular Protests Might Pave Way for Women’s Rights in Yemen
The protests that have swept across the Middle East and North Africa are creating an opening for political dialogue, which could potentially benefit women by resulting in reforms that increase gender equality.
News & Updates
Press Release
Yemenis Are Open to Improving Status of Women, but Obstacles to Gender Equality Remain.
CAIRO (December 5, 2010)— The latest nationwide survey conducted by the Status of Women in the Middle East and North Africa (SWMENA) project finds that while majorities of both Yemeni women and men indicate support for introducing gender quotas in elected bodies and setting a minimum marriage age for girls, overall, different roadblocks remain on Yemeni’s path to achieving gender equality.
News & Updates
Feature
Kyrgyzstan's Democratic Experiment
On June 27, 2010 Kyrgyzstan adopted a new constitution via nationwide referendum. Introducing a new or revised governing charter was nothing new for the Central Asian republic—they have seen many since their independence in 1991. This new constitution, however, ushered in a new era for the country as it established a parliamentary system that would allow power to be decentralized and shared among different political parties.
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.
News & Updates
Feature
Kyrgyzstan Votes to Adopt a New Constitution
On Sunday, 27 June 2010 Kyrgyzstan held a referendum to consider adopting a new constitution. The referendum, administered by a new (interim) Central Election Commission (CEC), was held just 80 days after the violent overthrow of President Kurmanbek Bakiyev and just weeks after a violent ethnic clash between Kyrgyz and Uzbeks in the south of the country. With a near 70% turnout, voters overwhelmingly approved changes to the constitution affecting the electoral system, the separation of powers, the judicial system, human rights, and local self-government. With the changes Kyrgyzstan is set to become Central Asia’s first parliamentary republic, though the serious work of implementation lay ahead.
News & Updates
Press Release
IFES Launches Project to Empower Women in the Middle East
The Status of Women in the Middle East and North Africa (SWMENA), a project to improve the legal, political and social standing of women, is underway. IFES, the Institute of Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) and the Canadian Parliamentary Center (CPC), the partners in this endeavor, hope that the project will remove some of the roadblocks to women’s self-empowerment in the region.
News & Updates
Feature
IFES Hosts Capacity-Building Workshop For Yemens Women Department
The Women's Department within Yemen's Supreme Commission for Elections and Referendum (SCER) was established in 2005 to encourage access for women to all stages of the electoral process. IFES-Yemen is helping to strengthen the capacity of the SCER Women’s Department, the first of its kind in the region, to achieve its mandate by providing training workshops. These images were taken during the four workshops that addressed topics such as budgeting and proposal writing, organizational management skills, communicating issues of gender, and developing materials to promote women's electoral participation.
News & Updates
Press Release
Will Yemen's Democracy Take a Step Back?
Pivotal issues of electoral reform and appointment of the SCER Commissioners are at a critical point in furthering Yemen’s democracy.
News & Updates
Press Release
IFES to Launch New Program Focusing on Yemeni Youth
IFES is launching a new program this month aimed at educating young Yemenis about their rights and responsibilities as active citizens in a democracy