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_{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.}

_{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.}

On 15 September 2017, International IDEA´s Secretary-General, Mr Yves Leterme, visited the Swedish city of Falun on the occasion of the International Day of Democracy, where he participated in a panel discussion on the topic of strengthening democracy, in the framework of this year´s 'Falun Democracy Week'.

^{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.}

In a democracy, formal popular votes are important to the exercise of people power.

Traditionally, in most representative democracies, the power of citizens to make decisions at the ballot box was restricted to the elections of other people and parties to offices and parliament. However, in recent years more and more countries have adopted new possibilities and channels for citizens to make their voices heard—even between election days.

Professional and skilled electoral management body (EMB) staff are essential in ensuring successful elections and in maintaining the sustainability of the EMB. Continuous training and professional development contributes to this end. EMBs have a wide range of training and development demands and as a result, EMBs are actively involved in raising the capacity of staff as well as other electoral stakeholders.

This is a series on the process of democratic accountability as defined by its three main principles: answerability, responsiveness and enforceability.

On 18-19 July 2017, International IDEA together with the Institute of Philosophy of the Mongolian Academy of Science got together with the staff of the Municipality of Ulaanbaatar, representatives from civil society and group of researchers to discuss and customize assessment methodology based on International IDEA’s Democratic Accountability in Service Delivery and

This is a series on the process of democratic accountability as defined by its three main principles: answerability, responsiveness and enforceability.

Elections, if they are inclusive and fair, can have a stabilizing effect on post-conflict and transitioning democracies. The competitive nature of elections can however provide entry points for violence and conflict, which can derail peace and the first steps in a transition. The conduct of political parties is central to the protection of peacebuilding and democratic efforts. Political parties can either fuel electoral violence, or, help to deter or resolve violent situations.

This is a series on the process of democratic accountability as defined by its three main principles: answerability, responsiveness and enforceability.

The most evident difference between the UN’s former Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the current Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is the inclusion of a goal addressing peace, justice and strong, inclusive institutions. Given that the goals were formulated through an inclusive and deliberative process, the SDGs also provide opportunities for people-centred monitoring of their progress on the national level.

The challenge of migration to democracy

 “No citizens, no true democracy” is a widely held perception in academic research and among democracy building practitioners. Previous research from advanced democracies has shown that democratic citizenship and political engagement develop early in life and thereafter stay relatively unchanged. So, how do we build democratic citizenship in transitioning countries, how do citizens learn to be democratic and what role do young people have?

The Union Election Commission of Myanmar held a Post-Election Review Conference in Yangon, Myanmar, on 22-23 June 2017. The conference brought together a wide array of stakeholders to discuss some of the key lessons learned during the 2017 by-elections, and to build on those achievements for the preparation of the 2020 general elections.

Today, nearly two-thirds of the world’s countries provide political parties and/or candidates with public funding, through either monetary or indirect financial support such as subsidised access to media.

International IDEA’s newly released film LGBTI Political Inclusion Journeys follows the trajectories of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) groups in Malawi and Nepal, aiming to showcase strategies for political inclusion of LGBTI people as a principle of democratic participation in public life.

No voice should be left unheard. No one should be left behind. No one should be subject to any form of exclusionary rhetoric. For democracy to be sustainable, International IDEA believes that democracy should allow each and every citizen to participate in political processes and represent their interests and concerns.

A credible voter register gives legitimacy to the electoral process and helps prevent electoral fraud.

However, voter registration remains a complex and contested task. It is one of the most important activities that an electoral management body needs to conduct, but it is also one of the most costly in terms of both time and resources.

On 12-15th June 2017, International IDEA´s Secretary-General Yves Leterme took part in the 23rd Conference of Montréal: “A New World: Managing Change”, organized by the International Economic Forum of the Americas in collaboration with International IDEA.