With parliamentary elections in Moldova less than three months away, debate on the funding of election campaigns is heating up. On 6 December 2018, International IDEA organized Moldova’s first roundtable dialogue on Third-Party Contributions in Political and Campaign Funding, together with the Center for Continuous Electoral Trainings (CICDE).
Civic education has taught us that showing up at the ballot box is the main way we can have our say in our democracies. By voting, we get to select the candidates or political parties that best represent our views. Through this, we can determine which laws and policies in the realms of education, healthcare and social welfare are sustained or enacted. Thereby, we decide which officials will represent us in determining the direction that our democracies will take.
In today’s democracies though, voting is no longer enough.
Today, we are sharing much more than just holiday pictures with each other online. We are sharing our car rides, our homes, our meals and our money. We are reconnecting with each other again in more direct ways. The old intermediaries—the taxi company, the travel agent, the bank—are being challenged by the Ubers, Grabs, Airbnbs, Snapgoods, and Kickstarters of today’s digital sphere.
The recent Irish constitutional referendum on abortion made global news, but what is less known to the international public is that the proposal for change came from a group of 100 randomly selected Irish citizens which formed a "Citizens’ Assembly", tasked with meeting, receiving public submissions and expert presentations, deliberating and producing recommendations.
Corruption in Peru has had a great impact on politics and government institutions. The perception that exists surrounding corruption in the public sector, combined with a local culture that is permissive of microcorruption (e.g. bribing the police and running red lights), generates a greater tolerance of corruption and leads to the normalisation of such actions. This situation heavily debilitates the democratic system, resulting in diminished citizen trust in democracy and government and a distancing of many from any form of political participation.
International IDEA has been supporting a democratic approach to consultative, collaborative and inclusive community building in Bhutan through funding of various activities of its partner civil society organizations. On 4 July 2018, International IDEA’s support saw over 90 town committee members come together in the collaborative visioning of the future of Paro town, which is home to the country’s only international airport.
This report summarizes the Regional Dialogue held in Cotonou, Benin, from 10 to 12 November 2017 on the theme: ‘Three decades of democratic transition in Africa: What are the dividends for citizens?’.
The event was organized by the International IDEA Africa and West Asia Programme in partnership with the Beninese Association of Constitutional Law and the International Organisation of La Francophonie, with the support of the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Morocco’s constitutional reform in 2011 forms the basis of new laws and practices which increased civil participation in the decision-making process, but more remains to be done. How to strengthen the role of civil society organizations (CSOs) as “the cement between government and citizens”?
