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News & Updates
Feature
Nigeria: All eyes on 2015
With the approach of national elections in February 2015, there is increased interest in the Nigerian Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) preparations for the polls. The Adamawa gubernatorial election, which had been scheduled for October 11, was cancelled just days before it was scheduled to be held, following a decision by the country’s Federal High Court. Unfortunately, this development has removed an opportunity to test Nigeria’s preparations for the security challenges that will be faced during the general election in 2015, as Adamawa is one of three northern states that are currently under emergency rule and have borne the brunt of attacks by the terrorist group Boko Haram.
News & Updates
Feature
Celebrating the 2014 Charles T. Manatt Democracy Awards Dinner
On October 1, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) celebrated its fifth annual Charles T. Manatt Democracy Awards with a gala dinner and ceremony at the Washington, D.C. Marriott at Metro Center. This ceremony brings diverse groups of domestic and international leaders together who share a belief in advancing good governance and democratic rights by empowering and encouraging active citizen participation.
IFES presents the awards annually to three individuals who embody the character and spirit of former U.S. Ambassador and IFES Board of Directors Chairman Charles T. Manatt. This year’s honorees were Venezuelan opposition leader and Congresswoman Maria Corina Machado, Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) and Congressman Steny Hoyer (D-Md.). Machado was unable to attend in person due to an order by the Venezuelan government not to leave the country. Her son Henrique Sosa Machado and the former President of Colombia, Andres Pastrana, accepted the award on her behalf.
IFES presents the awards annually to three individuals who embody the character and spirit of former U.S. Ambassador and IFES Board of Directors Chairman Charles T. Manatt. This year’s honorees were Venezuelan opposition leader and Congresswoman Maria Corina Machado, Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) and Congressman Steny Hoyer (D-Md.). Machado was unable to attend in person due to an order by the Venezuelan government not to leave the country. Her son Henrique Sosa Machado and the former President of Colombia, Andres Pastrana, accepted the award on her behalf.
News & Updates
Feature
IFES 2014 Democracy Awards Dinner: Maria Corina Machado Acceptance Message
In a recorded message, Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado accepted the 2014 Charles T. Manatt Democracy Award and discussed the state of democracy in Venezuela.
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.
Publication
Book
Gender Equality & Election Management Bodies: A Best Practices Guide
The full participation of women and men in a country's political and decision-making processes as voters, candidates, elected officials and electoral management body (EMB) staff is crucial. Yet, despite a set of robust international instruments and many positive developments in recent years, women represent only 21.7 percent of world's parliamentarians and in many countries they continue to be marginalized and underrepresented in political and electoral processes. Clearly, major steps still need to be taken before true gender equality is achieved in this arena.
September 23, 2014
News & Updates
Feature
Selima Ahmad: Business Leader and Peace Advocate
Women in Bangladesh subject to violence and intimidation. IFES’ Women Against Violence in Elections (WAVE) program gathers students and academics, civil society and media and business and political leaders in one forum to advance peace in Bangladesh. Selima Ahmad is a prominent member of the Bangladeshi business community and a member of the WAVE advisory group.
News & Updates
Feature
Democracy Camps in the Kyrgyz Republic benefit Students with Disabilities
The International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) recently completed its annual Democracy Camp program in the Kyrgyz Republic, which brought together 120 secondary school students from across the country, including – for the first time – seven students with disabilities.
News & Updates
Interview/Speech/Testimony
IFES Q&A with the Director of the Organization of American States’ Department of Electoral Cooperation and Observation, Gerardo de Icaza Hernández
Gerardo de Icaza Hernández is currently the Director of the Department for Electoral Cooperation and Observation at the Organization for American States, responsible for coordinating election observation missions. In this Q&A, Hernández discusses the challenges of effective election observation.
Election FAQ
Elections in Scotland: 2014 Independence Referendum
On September 18, voters in Scotland will cast their ballots to decide whether or not Scotland should be independent from the United Kingdom and Great Britain, and end its 307-year long union with England.