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News & Updates
Feature
Dignity for Indian Girls
Female feticide, infanticide and neglect of girls has been widely practiced in India with alarming implications on the rate of missing girls. By 2005, India’s ratio of girls to boys had declined so steeply that there were fewer than 900 Indian girls born for every 1,000 boys – one of the lowest rates worldwide.
News & Updates
Feature
A Look at Burkina Faso’s November General Elections
On November 29, citizens of Burkina Faso headed to the polls to elect their next President and Deputies who will represent them in the National Assembly.
Election FAQ
Elections in Burkina Faso: November 29 General Elections
On November 29, citizens of Burkina Faso will head to the polls to elect their next President and Deputies who will represent them in the National Assembly. These elections were originally scheduled for October 11, 2015, but were postponed until November 29 due to a coup d’état on September 17.
Election FAQ
Elections in Kazakhstan: 2015 Presidential Election
Following incumbent President Nursultan Nazarbayev’s call for early elections, Kazakhstani citizens will head to the polls on April 26 to vote for their next President. In a nationwide address, President Nazarbayev said the presidential election had been moved in order to prevent an overlap with upcoming parliamentary elections.
Publication
Brochure/Fact Sheet
Burkina Faso: Partnership for Participation and Poise in Epic Polls
Burkina Faso’s political landscape changed dramatically on October 31, 2014, when President Blaise Compaoré stepped down after nearly three decades in power and fled the country. The 2015 elections offer an unprecedented opportunity for deepening citizen involvement in electoral and political processes, increasing citizens’ confidence in the integrity of voting processes and systems, and enabling young people to channel their new-found activism into peaceful political participation. The elections also carry considerable risk. Unless they are viewed as credible and their outcomes accepted as a legitimate expression of popular choice, alienated citizens, in particular energized young people, could be compelled to reject political processes they deem illegitimate or unfair.
January 28, 2015
News & Updates
Feature
An Undocumented Wonder: The Making of the Great Indian Election
On September 23, 2014, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) hosted a conversation between IFES President and CEO Bill Sweeney and the former Chief Election Commissioner of the Election Commission of India (ECI), S.Y. Quraishi. Sweeney and Quraishi discussed Quraishi’s book An Undocumented Wonder: The Making of the Great Indian Election, a first-person account of the recent electoral history of India and a must-read for those interested in understanding how the world's largest democracy works. Quraishi was also presented with the IFES’ prestigious Hutar Award, which honors those who express a commitment to improving democratic practices.
News & Updates
Feature
An Undocumented Wonder: The Making of the Great Indian Election
On September 23, 2014, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) hosted a conversation between IFES President and CEO Bill Sweeney and the former Chief Election Commissioner of the Election Commission of India (ECI), S.Y. Quraishi. Sweeney and Quraishi discussed Quraishi’s book An Undocumented Wonder: The Making of the Great Indian Election, a first-person account of the recent electoral history of India and a must-read for those interested in understanding how the world's largest democracy works. Quraishi was also presented with the IFES’ prestigious Hutar Award, which honors those who express a commitment to improving democratic practices.
During the event, Sweeney marveled at the immense technical undertaking of elections in India, noting that as the Chief Electoral Commissioner of India, Quraishi oversaw elections that involved over 11 million Indian government personnel. Indeed, elections in India generate both wonder and interest globally. Polls have been held at regular intervals in the country since independence, and on an unprecedented scale, surmounting the massive challenges posed by the geography of the land and the diversity of the Indian populace.
During the event, Sweeney marveled at the immense technical undertaking of elections in India, noting that as the Chief Electoral Commissioner of India, Quraishi oversaw elections that involved over 11 million Indian government personnel. Indeed, elections in India generate both wonder and interest globally. Polls have been held at regular intervals in the country since independence, and on an unprecedented scale, surmounting the massive challenges posed by the geography of the land and the diversity of the Indian populace.
News & Updates
Interview/Speech/Testimony
IFES Q&A with Former Chief Election Commissioner of India Dr. SY Quraishi
As a former Chief Election Commissioner of India, Dr. SY Quraishi has a deep understanding of the intricacies of how the world’s largest democracy works. He also has more than 35 years of experience in civil service. Dr. Quraishi is well known in India and abroad as a development thinker, for his inclusive style of leadership, and for bringing together wide varieties of groups and institutions to achieve the common objectives of development. In this Q&A, Dr. Quraishi discusses challenges the Election Commission of India (ECI) faces in preparing to conduct credible elections and shares lessons learned. India’s five-week general elections started on April 7.
News & Updates
Feature
A Rights-Based Approach to Electoral Security
In India, Maoist rebels killed 14 people in attacks in Chhattisgarh state as part of a campaign of violence aimed at disrupting the ongoing five-week national election in the world’s most populous democracy. Similarly, in the days leading up to the April 5 presidential election in Afghanistan, the Taliban unleashed a campaign of violence to discredit the electoral process and keep voters from the polls. Many hope this election will be known for delivering the first peaceful transfer of power in the country’s history.