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Below is the abstract of the article published in The ELECTION LAW JOURNAL (Volume 19, Number 3, 2020) authored by Sead Alihodzic, Senior Programme Manager in the Electoral Processes Programme, International IDEA and Toby S. James, Professor of politics and public policy in the School of Politics, Philosophy, Language, and Communication Studies at the University of East Anglia, UK.

On 29 September, the Union Election Commission of Myanmar launched a mobile application mVoter2020 in order to provide information on candidates for the November 2020 general elections as well as voter education. The content of the app is the sole responsibility of the Election Commission under the applicable law and regulations of Myanmar.

In several countries, political parties are stepping up their digital presence in the online world. This creates opportunities for political parties to reach a wider potential audience or membership base. Digitalization has been an ongoing process in political parties across the globe, and the current pandemic is likely to accelerate this process.

The state of democracy in 163 countries around the world, the encouraging and worrying trends and the challenges faced by governments and peoples in guaranteeing the rule of law and human rights are some of the components of the report titled: “The State of Democracy, from a Global and Regional Perspective in 2020-2021”, which was prepared by International IDEA, and presented on Tuesday, 2

As the COVID-19 pandemic is unfolding, with a second wave of infections already being experienced by various countries, a wide range of approaches are being taken by authorities

Determined to strengthen its support to democracy practitioners who face ever-increasing risks in the organization of elections, International IDEA provides open access to its Electoral Risk Management Tool (ERM Tool) source codes.  With this initiative, the Institute encourages users to further customize the instrument to their needs and share any improvements with their peers.

El estado de la democracia en 163 países del mundo, las tendencias alentadoras y las preocupantes; así como los retos que enfrentan los gobiernos y los pueblos para garantizar el estado de derecho y los derechos humanos son algunos de los componentes del informe “El estado de la democracia en el mundo y en las Américas”, elaborado por IDEA Internacional y presentado

September 15 marked the International Day of Democracy. To date there is agreement that the pandemic is not only the worst health, socioeconomic, and humanitarian crisis ever seen in Latin America; it is accompanied by a serious challenge to governance.

The current moment is particularly apt for taking the region’s pulse as regards the effects of the coronavirus on democracy in Latin America.

Should corporate taxes be condoned until the health crisis is over? What do the political parties think about federalism, the free commercialization of marijuana or the legalization of same-sex marriage? Do they agree with our views? These are some of the issues addressed by CANDIDat@s, the web tool developed by International IDEA, with the support of the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany.

Interim governance arrangements are an institutional framework established to create a ‘bridge’ from a situation of governance that has been interrupted by political or violent crisis often situated in an authoritarian past, towards a more peaceful, inclusive and democratic government. 

This Report provides an understanding of how temporary governance during major political transitions is structured and how it works in practice.

The European Union is currently preparing a European Democracy Action Plan, to be released by the end of 2020. The plan’s purpose is to ensure that European citizens are able to participate in the democratic system through informed decision-making free from unlawful interference and manipulation. The action plan will also build on the lessons learnt from the COVID-19 crisis and include measures on electoral integrity, media freedom and pluralism, and disinformation.

¿Se deben condonar los impuestos de las empresas hasta que pase la crisis sanitaria? ¿Qué piensan los partidos políticos sobre el Federalismo, la comercialización libre de la marihuana o la legalización del matrimonio entre personas del mismo sexo? ¿Coinciden ellos con nuestras opiniones?

The inclusion and participation of combatants in constitution-building processes raises a number of distinctive issues.

Constitutional INSIGHTS No. 5 examines the rationales for including combatants in constitution-building, the challenges this presents and some of the mechanisms that might be used to support their participation in constitution-building processes.

Direct public participation is a feature of almost every exercise in constitution-building in the 21st century.

This issue of Constitutional INSIGHTS examines three different forms of direct public participation in constitution-building—consultation, deliberation and decision-making—and identifies ways to promote inclusive and meaningful direct public participation.

The key findings on tracking the progress on SDG 16 using the Global State of Democracy Indices data are as follows:

Más de 160 mujeres y hombres líderes políticos de América Latina, incluyendo a 21 exmandatarias y exmandatarios, han firmado una declaración conjunta llamando a defender la democracia en la región. El documento, impulsado por renombradas organizaciones prodemocráticas, advierte que las libertades que tanto apreciamos están amenazadas por actores políticos que podrían utilizar la pandemia para reforzar ilegítimamente su poder.

More than 160  leaders from Latin America, including 21 former presidents, have signed a joint declaration calling to defend democracy in the region. The document, brought forward by renowned pro-democracy organizations, warns that our cherished civil freedoms are threatened by political actors who could use the crisis to illegitimately tighten their grip on power.

A grouping of 16 of Bolivia’s civil society organizations (CSOs) has set itself the task of recruiting and training 2,500 volunteers to carry out observation activities during the upcoming general election to be held on 18 October 2020. The reason behind this initiative, given the name “Observa Bolivia”, is to contribute to the transparency of the electoral process, the strengthening of democracy and the promotion of citizen participation.

Un conjunto de 16 organizaciones de la sociedad civil (OSC) boliviana se ha trazado una misión: reclutar y capacitar a 2.500 voluntarios para que desarrollen labores de observación en los comicios generales del 18 de octubre.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this commentary are those of the authors. 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.