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NDI

The National Democratic Institute is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization working to support and strengthen democratic institutions worldwide through citizen participation, openness and accountability in government.

Democracy Updates

Afghan Women Take Seats in Parliament, Prepare for Road Ahead

After several months of controversy and delays in the certification of election results, 249 members have now taken their seats in Afghanistan’s Wolesi Jirga or lower house of parliament. Among them are Farida Hamidi and Frishta Amini, two women who make up the entire delegation from Nimroz province in the far southwest corner of the country.

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NDI President Urges International Support for Belarusian People

NDI President Kenneth Wollack outlined ways the international community can provide moral support and practical assistance to political and civic leaders, media and ordinary citizens in the aftermath of the brutal crackdown by government forces in Belarus following failed elections Dec. 19.

Wollack spoke at a Jan. 27 hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on European Affairs.

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Partner Spotlights

Project 2011 Swift Count (PSC), a coalition of four Nigerian civil society groups from across the country, has released two preliminary reports on voter registration based on reports from approximately 1,000 observers who were deployed across all of Nigeria's 774 local government areas. PSC will monitor all aspects of the election process, and has started observing the voter registration process, which began on Jan. 15 and is scheduled to run through Feb. 5.

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In-Country Perspectives

Indigenous women in Guatemala are working to become more active in political life. To help them, NDI designed and carried out a six month leadership academy in 2009 and a three-course training program for potential candidates last year. These are among programs the Institute carries out in many countries to encourage better representation of excluded populations. One of the participants candidate in the training program, Izabel Francisco, sat down for an interview to discuss her experiences as an indigenous woman preparing to run for mayor in the upcoming September 2011 general elections.

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