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On 2 February, none of the presidential candidates in Costa Rica reached the minimum percentage of votes prescribed by legislation to win the election (40%). Therefore, a runoff will be held on 6 April be-tween the two leading candidates: Luis Guillermo Solís with Partido Acción Ciudadana (PAC), receiving 30.95% of the vote, and Johnny Araya, of the incumbent Partido Liberación Nacional (PLN), with 29.59% of the votes.

En Costa Rica, el domingo 2 de febrero ninguno de los candidatos a presidente alcanzó el porcentaje de votación que establece la legislación para llegar al poder (40%). La decisión final se conocerá en segunda ronda electoral, el próximo 6 de abril, entre los dos candidatos que obtuvieron un mayor porcentaje: el candidato del Partido Acción Ciudadana (PAC) Luis Guillermo Solís con 30.95%, y el candidato oficialista Johnny Araya del Partido Liberación Nacional (PLN), con 29.59% de los votos.

Election primaries have the capacity to improve the quality of democracy by engaging citizens and political party members more in the political process of candidate selection. On 23 – 24 January, International IDEA, UNDP and the Central Electoral Board (JCE) of the Dominican Republic convened a seminar in Santo Domingo on Election Primaries in Latin America and the Dominican Republic: experiences, balance, and perspectives.

Los días 23 y 24 de enero de 2014, se realizó en Santo Domingo, República Dominicana el Seminario Internacional “Elecciones Primarias en América Latina y República Dominicana: experiencias, balance y perspectivas”, organizado por la Junta Central Electoral, IDEA Internacional y el PNUD, en la cual se reunieron especialistas en derecho, política y asuntos electorales, de América Latina, así como magistrados electorales, senadores, diputados y dirigentes políticos dominicanos, quienes tuvieron

Elections involve much more than organizing a single polling day. Instead they are a continuous process - a huge logistical exercise leading up to the vote, and also dealing with what happens afterwards.

Around 4.6 million Salvadorans are eligible to cast their votes in the presidential elections on 2 February for the 2014-19 term. The latest opinion surveys indicate that the contest will be close and have to be decided in a runoff –scheduled for 9 March– because none of the candidates will reach the 50% plus one of all valid votes needed to win.

Alrededor de 4.6 millones de salvadoreños podrán votar en elecciones presidenciales el próximo 2 de febrero para el período 2014-2019. Los últimos sondeos de opinión indican que la contienda será cerrada y deberá resolverse en segunda vuelta –programada para el 9 de marzo– ya que ninguno de los candidatos alcanzaría el 50% más uno de los votos válidos.

On 2 February 2014, Costa Ricans will cast their votes in elections for the President of the Republic, two vice-presidents, and 57 deputies to the Legislative Assembly (LA).

El próximo 2 de febrero los costarricenses están convocados a votar en las elecciones nacionales. En esta ocasión se elige al Presidente de la República en conjunto con dos vicepresidentes y 57 diputados de la Asamblea Legislativa a través de listas cerradas y bloqueadas.

Just when football passions start to simmer, fights for political power in Latin America are also in the making because 2014 will be a year of intense electoral activity in Latin America. More than 50% of Latin American citizens will be summoned to cast their vote. There will be seven presidential elections in total —in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Panama, Colombia, Bolivia, Brazil and Uruguay— and local, regional, and legislative elections in Ecuador, Colombia, Peru, and Haiti.

Las pasiones futboleras ya comienzan a espumar y, a la par, se cocinan luchas políticas. Este 2014 será de intensa actividad electoral en la región. Más de 50% de la población latinoamericana está convocada a las urnas.

2013 was an intense year in Latin America, full of important developments, including the death of Hugo Chavez and Nicolas Maduro’s succession via tight and questioned elections; Rafael Correa’s re-election in Ecuador and the return of Michelle Bachelet to power in Chile. The political situation in Paraguay returned to normal through general elections; however, in Honduras (because of claims of electoral fraud) the situation became entangled once more.

Plagado de importantes acontecimientos, 2013 fue un año intenso en América Latina. La muerte de Hugo Chávez y la sucesión de Nicolás Maduro, en elecciones ajustadas y cuestionadas. La reelección de Rafael Correa en Ecuador y el regreso al poder en Chile de Michelle Bachelet. La situación política se regularizó mediante elecciones en Paraguay, sin embargo, la de Honduras (denuncia de fraude mediante) se volvió a complicar.

The State of Local Democracy (SoLD) assessment framework is designed to facilitate a citizen-led and -owned approach to assessing the quality of democracy at the local level.

It is a practical resource for citizens to conduct self-assessments of democratic life in their locality, identify democratic strengths and weaknesses, and translate these into reform agendas for further broadening and deepening of their local democracies.

One of the biggest threats to democracy today is infiltration of political processes by transnational organized crime.

It undermines constitutional frameworks and the rule of law, it violates the integrity of the electoral process, and it corrupts political parties and the very principle of democratic representation.

The ERMTool: from pilots to launch

On a crystal clear day, set against a backdrop of the snowy Himalayan mountains, around 78 per cent of registered voters turned out to vote in Nepal’s second Constituent Assembly elections on 19 November 2013.

This report identifies hurdles preventing marginalized people from taking active part in customary and democratic decision-making.

It highlights strategies for managing transition from political exclusion to inclusion and identifies lessons that could be adopted by marginalized groups.

The content of a constitution provides a blueprint for the operation of a state, guarantees rights and outlines mechanisms for their enforcement, as well as shapes the future of a nation.

Constitutions that emerge after conflict are often a result of negotiated settlements and competition between many forces including identity-based groups, former parties to conflict, political and military actors and international actors.