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The Cycle of Corruption: Elections and the Abuse of State Resources
In many ways, elections are a central component in cycles of systemic corruption. IFES conducted a two-year research project to develop an assessment methodology to evaluate the effectiveness of a given country’s framework for addressing the abuse of state resources in election campaigns. The final product of this project is a detailed methodology that specifically examines three categories of state resources: state personnel; state funds and physical resources; and official government communications to the public.
Election FAQ
Elections in Montenegro: 2016 Parliamentary Elections
On October 16, Montenegrins will elect 81 Members of Parliament in a single nationwide constituency for a four-year term under a proportional representation system with closed lists.
Election FAQ
Elections in Zambia: 2016 National General Elections
On August 11, Zambians will go to the polls to elect a President, National Assembly, Mayors, Chairpersons, and Councillors, as well as vote on a referendum to make changes to the constitution.
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Report/Paper
Understanding, Adjudicating, and Resolving Election Disputes
In an effort to guide stakeholders to effectively resolve election complaints, IFES has identified seven principle international standards in electoral complaints adjudication, outlined in this paper.
February 14, 2011
Publication
Report/Paper
Global Trends in The Regulation of Political Finance
This paper deals with the role of money in politics, and in particular with certain efforts by countries around the world to regulate this role. In the current world (and probably since we first started organising ourselves politically), money in politics or political finance as we commonly know it is a central aspect of any political system, whether democratic or undemocratic, "developed" or "developing" and regardless of political culture or tradition.
February 14, 2011
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Publication
Report/Paper
International Election Support: Helping or Hindering Democratic Elections?
Based on an analysis of the potential effectiveness of various modalities of electoral support utilized by international donors to promote democracy, this paper seeks to identify whether improvements to those democracy-promoting tools are warranted.
February 14, 2011
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