BRUSELAS – Con una presión cada vez mayor sobre la democracia a nivel mundial y el nuevo contexto de seguridad en Europa, la ampliación de la Unión Europea (UE) a nuevos miembros en Europa del Este y los Balcanes Occidentales vuelve a estar en la agenda de los líderes europeos. Pero para mantener la coherencia interna y facilitar la toma de decisiones conjunta, todos los miembros, ya sean aspirantes o actuales miembros de la UE, deberían abrazar plenamente el Estado de derecho.
Search
Region
Country
Type
BRUSSELS – With increasing pressure on democracy globally, and the new security context in Europe, the enlargement of the European Union (EU) to new members in Eastern Europe and the Western Balkans is back on the agenda of European leaders. But to maintain internal coherence and ease joint decision making, all members be it aspiring or current EU Member States, should fully embrace the rule of law.
International IDEA’s collaborative efforts with partners such as the European Partnership for Democracy, have significantly influenced the formulation of the European Commission’s Defence of Democracy package. This success is marked by a series of impactful joint initiatives conducted throughout 2022 and 2023:
The European Commission adopted its Defence of Democracy Package on Tuesday, 12 December 2023. The package encompasses a directive, two recommendations and a communication aiming at shielding European Democracy from malign foreign actors and bolstering democratic resilience from within.
“Democracy is our most valuable asset. Our defense against extremism, dictatorship and war. Our most precious gem that shines well in the hands of the people." – H.E.
La Oficina Electoral de Fiji (OFE) y el Instituto Internacional para la Democracia y Asistencia Electoral (IDEA Internacional) firmaron conjuntamente un Memorando de Entendimiento (MoU) en Canberra, Australia y Suva, Fiji, el jueves 25 de mayo de 2023 que restablece los lazos entre las organizaciones.
In a bid to deepen relationships across the Asia-Pacific region, the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance’s (International IDEA) Secretary-General Dr Kevin Casas-Zamora met with multiple political, electoral and stakeholder groups in Australia and India during his October 2022 mission to the regional headquarters in Canberra.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
One of the major challenges related to money in politics is the considerable lack of transparency surrounding political party and election finance.
In recent years, the debate about lowering the voting age has intensified in many countries. Typically, young people around the world can head to the polls between 16 and 18 years of age, although some nations like Singapore and Taiwan set the age at 21 and 20, respectively.
The Fijian Elections Office (FEO) and the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) jointly signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Canberra, Australia and Suva, Fiji, on Thursday, 25 May 2023 that re-establishes ties between the organisations.