The Center for the Implementation of Public Policies for Equity and Growth (CIPPEC) and the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) are jointly undertaking the “Elections in times of the pandemic” project.
North Macedonia was among the first countries to postpone and then hold elections in Europe since the pandemic started. Organizing elections amid a COVID-19 pandemic posed several challenges for the State Election Commission (SEC) in Macedonia, the Government and the various political parties competing.
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.
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 to mitigate the public health impact, with an equally varied effects across the electoral cycle.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
