At home in the Asia-Pacific region, Australia lives alongside some of the world's most populous and diverse democracies. As we all emerge from two years of acute COVID-19 restrictions, some things look a little different in our neighbourhood.
Búsqueda
Region
Country
Type
Successive Australian governments, for many years now, have not had an explicit policy for fostering and promoting democracy. One is needed, now more than ever.
Disclaimer: Opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the institutional position of International IDEA, its Board of Advisers or its Council of Member States.
Against a background of deteriorating informational environments, falling trust in state institutions and growing electoral result disputation, electoral processes and those who administer them are increasingly being placed under the microscope.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, numerous countries invoked different constitutional provisions and laws to respond to the unexpected health crisis. Constitutional INSIGHTS No. 6 examines the use and non-use of state of emergency powers by countries across Asia and the Pacific in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, and the implications for other democratic rights and processes.
The Covid-19 pandemic has seen the marked centralization and exertion of executive power, and, more broadly, a focus on the response of other elected organs. However, the pandemic has also shone a light on the key roles played by unelected independent institutions and international bodies, from public health actors to courts to international organizations and beyond. Constitutional INSIGHTS No.
Countries with a federal form of government responded in distinctive ways to the health and economic crises caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Constitutional INSIGHTS No.7 explores what can be learned from this experience about the purposes, design and operation of federations, including for the division and allocation of powers and fiscal resources; collaboration and cooperation between levels of government; and the challenges of democratic accountability.
Sweden, represented by Mr Robert Rydberg, State Secretary for Foreign Affairs, and Ambassador Niklas Kebbon, Head of Department for International Law, Human Rights and Treaty Law, handed over the Chairship of International IDEA to the Australian Ambassador to Sweden, Mr Bernard Philip, at the Council of Member States meeting held on 1 December 2020.
The Queensland (QLD) state election on Saturday 31 October 2020 was remarkable on several fronts. It was the first election in the state and Australia. The two leading candidates from the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and the Liberal-National Coalition (LNP) were females, Annastacia Palaszczuk and Deb Frecklington, respectively. In this election, surveys also predicted a close contest among the main parties. But the results proved polls wrong and granted Palaszczuk a third consecutive term.
International IDEA is an active and valued partner in the peace process
Disclaimer: Views expressed in this commentary are those of the staff member. This commentary is independent of specific national or political interests. Views expressed do not necessarily represent the institutional position of International IDEA, its Board of Advisers or its Council of Member States.
International IDEA co-hosted the Third Annual Melbourne Forum (MF3) on “Implications of Culture for Constitution Building” on 15-16 October 2018 in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The Melbourne Forum on Constitution-Building is organized jointly with the Constitution Transformation Network at Melbourne Law School.
On 30 April to 2 May 2018, International IDEA hosted a dialogue session on Yemen’s constitution. The dialogue session’s agenda focused on the type of governance arrangements that could be used to govern Yemen after a peace agreement enters into force. Amongst other things, participants discussed possible financial arrangements, and dispute-resolution mechanisms that could be used to govern the country in the interim period.
On 26-28 February 2018, International IDEA hosted a dialogue session in Tunis between Yemen’s main political entities regarding their country’s future constitutional system of government.
On Wednesday 24 and Thursday 25 January 2018, the Secretary-General of International IDEA, Yves Leterme, travelled to New Delhi, in order to attend an International Conference on the ‘Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities (PwD’s) in Electoral Processes’, and partake in the celebrations for India’s National Voters’ Day.
In April 2017, International IDEA initiated a one-year project to organize dialogue sessions between leading Yemeni actors in an effort to bridge the divide on the country’s future system of government. The project, “Support to the Yemeni Peace Process—Constitutional Dialogues”, is being organized in cooperation with the United Nations Office of the Special Envoy of the Secretary General for Yemen (UNOSESGY), which is leading the formal peace negotiations.
Banning donations by foreign interests to parties or candidates is a common regulatory measure.
“The rationale is quite simple: (…) to protect the principle of self-determination and national sovereignty,” International IDEA’s political finance expert Sam Jones stated in his testimony to the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters of the Australian Parliament, given on 16 February.
Elections are complex undertakings. Regardless of where they take place, election management bodies (EMBs) face numerous risks in organizing them.
These risks are linked to the legal, operational, technical, political and security aspects of electoral processes. When risks become certainties, the consequences can be serious in both well-established and transitional democracies.
One of the major challenges related to money in politics is the considerable lack of transparency surrounding political party and election finance.
All political parties need funding to play their part in the political process, yet the role of money in politics is arguably the biggest threat to democracy today.