International Foundation for Electoral Systems: Difference between revisions
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==Publications== |
==Publications== |
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Among subject specific publications, IFES publishes two magazines and an annual catelogue:<ref name = collection /> |
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;Buyer's Guide to Election Supplies |
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IFES annually updates and distributes a catelogue of election vendors and technology title ''Buyer's Guide to Election''.<ref name = collection/> The ''Buyers Guide" is sent to every national election authority in the world gratis. <ref name = collection/> |
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;Democracy at Large |
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IFES publishes a quarterly magazine titled ''Democracy at Large''. <ref name = collection> [http://www.ifes.org/collection.html F. Clifton White Collection], IFES, 2009. Accessed July 27, 2009. </ref> The magazine is intended for individuals invested in democracy devolopment. <ref name = collection/> The magazine was first published in 2004. <ref name = collection/> |
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;Elections Today |
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Since 1993 IFES has produced a magaizine titled ''Elections Today'' which discusses the contemporary issues in the advancement of democracy. <ref name = collection/> |
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==Personnel== |
==Personnel== |
Revision as of 18:41, 27 July 2009
File:Logo-ifes.gif | |
Established | 1987 |
---|---|
President | William Sweeney |
Chair | Peter G. Kelly |
Budget | $70 million |
Address | 1101 15th Street |
Location | |
Website | www.ifes.org |
IFES, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems, is an international, non-profit, Washington, DC-based development organization founded in 1987 to provide assistance and support for elections in new and emerging democracies. [1] They currently have programs in more than 25 countries throughout Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas and have worked in over 100. [1] IFES depicts five areas of activity they take part in: Elections, Civil Society, Rule of Law, Good Governance and Applied Research. They help countries implement these concepts in a variety of different ways.
The current president of IFES is Bill Sweeney, a member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE).[2] He replaced Jean-Pierre Kingsley,the former chief election officer of Canada, in 2009.[3]
History
F. Clifton White founded the International Foundation for Election Systems on September 19, 1987 as a direct response to Ronald Reagan’s definition of America’s role in promoting democracy, which was established during a speech in 1982. IFES's establishment followed the formation of similar organizations, such as the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI), and the International Republican Institute(IRI), established in 1983, which were also in response to Reagan’s speech. IFES’ first project was focused on the Paraguayan elections of 1989.[4]
- Major Events
In 1990, IFES’ first field office was established in Haiti.[4]
In 1991, a conference convened by IFES established the Association of Central and Eastern European Election Officials (ACEEEO).[4]
In 1995, IFES embarked on a joint venture with IRI and NDI to create the Consortium for Elections and Political Process Strengthening (CEPPS).[4]
In 1998, IFES entered into a partnership with Administration and Cost of Elections(ACE) .[4]
In 2002, IFES embarked on its first ever domestic project, focused on 2002 Florida elections.[4]
In 2003, IFES accepted a contract for electoral supervision in Iraq for the first elections held post-Saddam Hussein.[4]
Areas of activity
The International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES) is committed to extending the reach of democracy through technical assistance and support to governmental and nongovernmental organizations in new and emerging democracies [5] by providing professional advice and technical assistance on democratic activities. IFES also serves as an information clearinghouse on elections, rule of law, governance, and civil society.[6]
- Elections - IFES states that "IFES provides comprehensive assistance to governments, political parties and civil society organizations in election planning and administration, electoral law development, and voter education. IFES seeks to bring transparency to elections by involving civil society in the process (in observer training, negotiations with national election commissions, etc.) and by incorporating anti-fraud mechanisms, such as political finance instruments, transparent ballot boxes, or inking voters’ fingers."[7]
- Civil Society- IFES states that civil society is integral to their operations and contains two parts: citizens understanding the rights and all citizens being included in the governmental process and encouraging the growth and establishment of organizations that promote civil society.[8]
- Rule of Law - IFES states "Every citizen of every country deserves the opportunity to live under the Rule of Law, and every country has an obligation to enforce the law fairly and effectively."[9] IFES proposes to support this through the establishment of judicial independence, judicial enforcement, transparency, accountability, open government, access to information, whistle blowing, coalition building and human rights promotion.[9]
- Good Governance - IFES states that "Good governance prevails when government officials manage public institutions in an efficient, transparent manner that is responsive to citizens’ concerns. It also requires that citizens work collaboratively with officials in the pursuit of common social, political, economic and cultural goals."[10] IFES proposes to increase good governance in it's realms of activity by "(1) fostering dialogue among government agencies, political parties and civil society organizations; (2) designing programs to increase public participation in the decision-making process; (3) offering government institutions research-based public policy guidelines; and (4) promoting responsive, transparent and accountable governance at the national, regional and local levels."[10]
- Applied Research- IFES sponsors research to "enhance the practice of democracy-building and to bolster the development of democratic and participatory institutions, processes and culture." [11] The research program operates out of its library named after the founder F. Clinton White. [11]
IFES, in completing the above agendas agendas, has defined electoral work very broadly. They use the term “elections plus” to describe their body of work. [1] IFES offers countries assistance in the areas of:[1]
- Electoral law design
- Party & Candidate registration
- Political Finance Reform
- Boundary delimitation
- Election-day operations
- Disputes resolution
- Media development
- Inclusion of marginalized groups
- Civic and voter education
- Commission & poll worker training
- Results tabulation & transmission
Election Commentary
Due to the international nature of IFES's work, their staff will often provide commentary on international elections events for media publications. Examples include the president's commentary on Middle East elections, and a staff member's commentary on Sri Lankan politics.
Funding
IFES receives funding from the following donors (among others) as listed on their website: [12] Template:MultiCol
- U.S. Government
- State & Municipal Governments
- Virginia State Board of Elections
- Board of Elections and Ethics, District of Columbia
- Election Commission of Puerto Rico
- Office of the Secretary of State of Minnesota
- Office of the Secretary of State of Nebraska
- St. Louis County Board of Elections
- Bilateral Donors
- AusAID (Australia)
- CIDA (Canada)
- DFID (United Kingdom)
- Elections Canada
- Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs
- JICA (Japan)
- Norwegian Royal Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- SIDA (Sweden)
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- Multilateral Donors
- Inter-American Development Bank
- Inter-Parliamentary Union[13]
- International Organization for Migration
- Organization of American States
- Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
- United Nations, UNDP, and other UN agencies
- Major Foundations/Nonprofits
- British Council
- Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy
- OSI Development Foundation
- Wallis Foundation
Regions with an IFES Presence
The following section is incomplete, it does not contain all IFES activities.
Africa
IFES lent significant support to the development of the AAEA.
- African Union
IFES works with the African Union Democracy and Electoral Assistance Unit (DEAU).[14] With IFES's help the DEAU was able to make 8 election observation missions in 2008. [14] This support was done in conjunction with the Carter Center and the Electoral Institute of Southern Africa (EISA). [14]
- Angola
IFES provided assistance to Angola for its 2008 Election.[15] IFES has a permanent office there.[15]
- Burundi
Beginning in 2000, IFES has supported Burundi in anti-corruption, government transition and Civil Society projects. [16]
- Liberia
As of 2001, IFES funded STAR radio as part of their "good governance" support for Liberia.[17]
- Nigeria
In March 2009, IFES along with the International Republican Institute and the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs sponsored a discussion of electoral reform in Nigeria.[18] The conference titled "National Dialogue on Electoral Reform" discussed the electoral reform process as well as the recommendations provided by the Electoral Reform Committee. [18] The event was attended by a number of political leaders in the country, including a Chief Justice and Head of State General.[18]
Americas
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Asia
- Afghanistan
IFES has worked in Afghanistan since 2002 helping the Independent Election Commission (IEC). [19] Also, CEPPS particpates in additional programs in the country.
- Azerbaijan
IFES cooperated with Azerbaijani government through their central election commission.[20] Their cooperation began in an agreement signed in 2000 and was renewed 2002.[20] In 2005, the Azerbaijani CEC had 2 IFES election observers registered along with a number of other international observers.[21] IFES's support of the Azerbaijani CEC was accepted by the head of the commission, Mezair Penahov; he stressed that "they have efficient cooperation with both international organizations in the direction of raising voter’s awareness and awareness of the members of lower election commissions," regarding IFES's help. [22] While coordinating efforts with the Azerbaijani CEC, IFES has consulted the UK based Association of Electoral Administrators. [23]
- Bangledash
In 2009 IFES was commsioned by UNDP to take a series of surveys to check the accuracy of the digitized voter registration list in Bangledash.[24] The poll showed that 99% of the people that thought it was accurate. [24] This is an improvement over the previous undigitized system which had ~ 13 million ineligable votes.[24]
- Indonesia
A series of tracking surveys conducted by the International Foundation for Electoral Systems between December 2003 and late June 2004 showed the popularity of each presidential candidate among voters throughout the selection and campaign periods in Indonesia.[25] IFES also conducted a tracking survey in the Indonesian legislative elections in 2004 which showed that not all voters knew how to vote for candidates of the new DPD or were even aware of its existence.[26]
IFES helped establish the TV station Swara Channel in 1999.
- Pakistan
In 2006, IFES contracted to implement a 9 million dollar contract through USAID used to install a computerised electoral rolls system for the Pakistani government. [27]
IFES advised the Pakistani Election Commission during the 2008 elections which were delayed by the death of Benazir Bhutto. [28] After the election IFES stated that the elections had a "result [that was] not as transparent as at polling stations, and it needs to be for the result system to meet international standards." [29]
- Philippines
IFES is currently supporting the Election Process in the Philippines. Leading up to the 2010 elections IFES conducted a study that determined which populations in the Phillipines were least likely to vote and began designing programs to increase voter registration in these regions. [30] This program is funded by the British government in an effort to get marginilized groups like indigenous peoples, the disabled, youths and women ready for the May 2010 elections. [31]
Europe
- Russia
IFES, along with IRI and NDI, was a principal recipient of USAID contracts to help Russia establish democratic institutions during the Clinton Administration. [32] During the Yeltsin years, IFES acted like an election and democracy information clearing house. [33] IFES also helped the Russian Central Election Commission train election administrator and create voter education programs. [33] After Yeltsin, IFES left Russia leaving an indigenous orginization titled the Institute for Election Systems Development, when it discontinued it's own activities. [33]
Middle East
- Iraq
Since September 2004 IFES has provided technical support to the Independent High Electoral Commission, also Independent Election Commission of Iraq (IECI); [34] this support is part of a $40 million grant to IFES and as part of an agreement with the Consortium for Elections and Political Process Strengthening (CEPPS).[35] The grant was designed to help IECI establish an election administration body, establish facilities, gain security for election equipment, and the recruitment and training of election staff. [35] This program was done in conjunction with the UN Election Assistance Mission in Iraq. [35]
During the period leading up to the elections that took place on January 30, 2005 IFES was the main supporter of the United States government and the Iraqi Independent Electoral Commission in establishing democratic institutions.[36] Condoleezza Rice saw the election as "due in no small part to [IFES's] diligence and the dedication of [the] highly skilled staff. IFES's guidance on election regulations and operations,complaints adjudication, and public information not only helped to ensure transparency but also served to buoy confidence that these historic elections were indeed credible and transparent."[36] IFES continued to maintain a presence in Iraq after those elections.[36]
- Lebanon
IFES began working in Lebanon in 2005.[37] Currently IFES sponsors the Lebanese Physically Handicap Union (LPHU) which actively advocates the accessibility of polling places by the handicapped. [38] LPHU found in a recent survey that less than 1% of the polling places in the country of Lebanon are fully accessible by the handicapped.[38]
- West Bank/Gaza
IFES has been an active contractor since 2003 with the Elections Reform Support Group (ESRG).[39] ESRG is an international initiative to support the reform of elections in Palestine.[39] This initiative, a cooperative between the Quartet and the UN, wants to improve the potential for safe and democratic elections in this region.[40]
Marc Lynch, of Foreign Policy magazine, says, in an article commenting on the potential of elections in Palestine that "this new paper from IFES makes clear" that holding elections in Palestine will not be easy, after its recent release. [41]
- Yemen
IFES has been participating in the electoral process in Yemen since 1993.[42] They established a permanent office in Sana'a in 1999. [42] Currently the field office in Yemen is headed by Peter Williams, the country director.[43] The IFES field office in Yemen works with the Supreme Commission of Election and Referendum(SCER) in Yemen, headed by Khalid al-Sharif.[44] They have cooperated to create training for the local election officials.[43] IFES actively cooperates in enacting both parties agendas, which include training programs, building democratic institutions and raising awareness of democratic ideas.[44] The programs advocated by IFES are supported by the president of Yemen, Ali Abdullah Saleh.[45]
While reviewing the election voter lists of Yemen, IFES found 160,000 case of fraud including registration of under-age voters and repeating names.[44]
Also, IFES, with the help of the European Union and the Cultural Development Fund, supports the increased rights of women as they begin to take part in Yemen's Assembly of Representatives.[46] The SCER talked with IFES about women participation on June 10, 2009 and Yemen acknowledged IFES's support.[44]
Publications
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Among subject specific publications, IFES publishes two magazines and an annual catelogue:[47]
- Buyer's Guide to Election Supplies
IFES annually updates and distributes a catelogue of election vendors and technology title Buyer's Guide to Election.[47] The Buyers Guide" is sent to every national election authority in the world gratis. [47]
- Democracy at Large
IFES publishes a quarterly magazine titled Democracy at Large. [47] The magazine is intended for individuals invested in democracy devolopment. [47] The magazine was first published in 2004. [47]
- Elections Today
Since 1993 IFES has produced a magaizine titled Elections Today which discusses the contemporary issues in the advancement of democracy. [47]
Personnel
Board and Executives
- Executive
Executive Managers include the following:[48]
- William “Bill” Sweeney
- Carina Perelli: Executive Vice President
- Michael Svetlik: Vice President, Programs
- Michael Bryan: Vice President/ Chief Financial Officer
- Christian Hennemeyer: Vice President, Communications and Compliance
- Stephanie Hoke: Vice President, Human Resources and Administration
- Board
Current Board Members include the following:
- Peter G. Kelly, Chairman
- William J. Hybl, Vice-Chairman
- The Honorable Leon J. Weil, Secretary
- Lesley Israel, Treasurer
- The Honorable Howard Henry Baker Jr.
- The Honorable Mary Banotti
- Judy A. Black
- Ken Blackwell
- Hank Brown
- Sean Cleary
- Frederick P. Furth, Esq.
- Jeffrey L. Glassman
- Ambassador Stuart Holliday
- Representative Steny Hoyer
- The Honorable Barbara B. Kennelly
- Maureen A. Kindel
- Kathleen M. Linehan, Esq.
- The Honorable Robert L. Livingston
- Senator Richard Lugar
- Sheila Avrin McLean
- Denise Nappier
- His Excellency Andrés Pastrana
- R. Scott Pastrick
- Michael Pinto-Duschinsky Ph.D
- Richard C. Powell, Jr.
- T. Timothy Ryan
- Ambassador Gerard Stoudmann
- EAC members
The Executive Action Committee (EAC) is comprised of the following:
- Carina Perelli, Chairwoman
- Jean-Claude Colliard
- Diane Davidson
- Nguyen Huu Dong
- Denis Kadima
- Johann Kriegler
- Rafael Lopez-Pintor
- Ambassador Gerard Stoudmann
- Carlos Valenzuela
- Sam Younger
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International Staff
The heads of IFES’s international field offices are called “Chiefs of Party,” as well as “Country Directors.” Chiefs of Party and Country Directors employed by IFES include the following:[48]
- Africa
- Rudolf Elbling: Country Director, Nigeria
- Jared Hays: Chief of Party, Malawi
- Elizabeth Côté: Chief of Party, Guinea
- Carl Dundas: Chief of Party, Ethiopia
- Yinka Oyinlola: Chief of Party, Angola
- The Americas
- Sophey Lagueny: Chief of Party, Haiti
- Asia
- Charles Lasham: Chief of Party, Afghanistan
- Darren S. Nance: Chief of Party, Nepal
- Peter Erben: Chief of Party: Pakistan
- Beverly Hagerdon Thakur: Chief of Party, Philippines
- Adam Schmidt: Chief of Party, Indonesia
- Europe and Eurasia
- Dan Blessington: Chief of Party, Azerbaijan
- Ched Flego: Chief of Party, Armenia and Georgia
- Dan Malinovich: Chief of Party, Kyrgyz Republic
- Staffan Darnolf: Chief of Party, Moldova
- Middle East and North Africa
- Jeffrey Carlson: Chief of Party, Egypt
- Richard Chambers: Chief of Party, Lebanon
- Vladimir Pran: Chief of Party, West Bank/Gaza
- Hermann Thiel: Chief of Party, Jordan
- Peter Williams: Chief of Party, Yemen
References
- ^ a b c d IFES 101 IFES. Accessed July 09,2009
- ^ IFES President Receives Honorary Award for Strengthening the UK-US Business Relationship. retrieved June 26, 2009
- ^ Kingsley to take international election monitoring post. CBC News. Retrieved 31 January, 2007.
- ^ a b c d e f g 2005-2006 Biennial Report. International Foundation for Electoral Systems. pp 4, 24-25. Accessed July 22, 2009.
- ^ Global Initiative to Enfranchise People with Disabilities - www.electionaccess.org
- ^ University of Minnesota Human Rights Library,STUDY GUIDE: The Right to Vote, http://www1.umn.edu/humanrts/edumat/studyguides/votingrights.html
- ^ http://www.ifes.org/elections.html
- ^ http://www.ifes.org/civil.html
- ^ a b http://www.ifes.org/rol.html
- ^ a b http://www.ifes.org/governance.html
- ^ a b http://www.ifes.org/arc.html
- ^ Working with IFES. IFES, 2009. Accessed July 9, 2009
- ^ Goodwin-Gill 5
- ^ a b c African Union IFES, 2009. Accessed July 9, 2009.
- ^ a b Angola IFES, 2009. Accessed July 9, 2009.
- ^ Burundi. IFES, 2009. Accessed July 10, 2009
- ^ STAR Radio - Liberia. The Communication Initiative Network. Retrieved on July 08, 2009.
- ^ a b c Nigeria: CSO Network and Dialogue on Electoral Reform. Daily Trust (Abuja), from allAfrica.com. April 2, 2009. Accessed July 07,2009
- ^ Support to the Electoral Process (STEP). USAID Afghanistan, July 20, 2009. Accessed July 22, 2009.
- ^ a b IFES and Azerbaijani CEC prolong term of cooperation memorandum. AZ Today, December 16, 2005. Accessed July 08, 2009.
- ^ Number of international observers reaches 1060 APA, October 31, 2005. Accessed July 08, 2009
- ^ Mezahir Penahov received representatives of USAID and IFES AZ Today, October 5, 2005. Accessed July 08, 2009.
- ^ CEC chairman Mezahir Penahov visiting UK. AZ Today, March 03,2007. Accessed July 08, 2009.
- ^ a b c Mehboob, Ahmed Bilal. Lessons from the Bangladesh polls, The International News Febuary 02, 2009. Accessed July 27, 2009.
- ^ Results from Wave XIV of Tracking Surveys (PDF), International Foundation for Electoral Systems, 1 July 2004, p. 5, retrieved 2009-06-28.
- ^ na Thalang, Chanintira (2005). "The Legislative Elections in Indonesia, April 2004". Electoral Studies. 24 (2): 326–332. doi:10.1016/j.electstud.2004.10.006.
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ignored (help) - ^ Computerised electoral rolls system installed Daily Times (Pakistan), September 10, 2008. Accessed July 23, 2009.
- ^ Pennington, Matthew. Pakistan Holds Election Key to Democracy. Associated Press, Feb 18, 2008. Accessed July 07, 2009.
- ^ Pennington, Matthew. Pakistan Fears Violence on Eve of Vote. Associated Press, February 16, 2008. Accessed July 07, 2009
- ^ UK hopeful RP polls will push through The Daily Trinune (Phillipines), July 9, 2009. Accessed July 23, 2009.
- ^ Marginalized, vulnerable sectors urged to vote, Business Mirror, July 09, 2009. Accessed July 23, 2009.
- ^ Marsden 138
- ^ a b c Marsden 140
- ^ Iraq IFES, 2009. Accessed July 9, 2009.
- ^ a b c USAID Support to the Iraq Election Process Press release by USAID November 18, 2004. Accessed July 22, 2009.
- ^ a b c Letter commending IFES from Condoleezza Rice. Government Printing Office, March 3, 2005. Accessed July 09, 2009.
- ^ Lebanon IFES, 2009. Accessed July 9, 2009.
- ^ a b Lee, Hayeon.With dignity and independence: Lebanese with disabilities push for their right to vote this June. NOW Lebanon. May 24, 2009. Accessed June 03, 2009.
- ^ a b http://www.ifes.org/westbankgaza.html?page=past IFES-West Bank/Gaza. Accessed June 30, 2006
- ^ UNDP/PAPP Support to the Electoral Process in Palestine. UN. Accessed June 30, 2009
- ^ Lynch, Marc. Should there be Palestinian elections?. Foreign Policy, July 7, 2009. Accessed July 8, 2009.
- ^ a b Yemen IFES, 2009. Accessed July 09, 2009.
- ^ a b SCER, IFES organize course on election system.Saba.net, The Yemen News Agency.July 4, 2009. Accessed July 6,2009
- ^ a b c d SCER, IFES discuss electoral, democratic cooperation Yemeni News Agency, Jun 10, 2009. Accessed July 08, 2009.
- ^ President receives IFES's Executive Director brietbart.com. May 11, 2009. Accessed July 07, 2009.
- ^ Program of supporting women's access to parliament launched. Yemen News Agency, May 10, 2009. Accessed June 26, 2009
- ^ a b c d e f g F. Clifton White Collection, IFES, 2009. Accessed July 27, 2009.
- ^ a b IFES Staff. International Foundation for Electoral Systems, 2009. Accessed July 22, 2009.
Book Sources
- Guy S. Goodwin-Gill (2006). Free and fair elections. Inter-parliamentary Union. ISBN 9789291422777. Found at Google Books
- Marsden, Lee (2005). Lessons from Russia: Clinton and US democracy promotion. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. ISBN 9780754646105. Can be accessed at Google Books
Major web sources
- International Foundation for Election Systems Official website
External links
- IFES Website
- ElectionGuide.org - Online guide to elections around the world
- DemocracyAtLarge.org - IFES' quarterly print publication
- IFES Buyer's Guide to Election Suppliers
- www.moneyandpolitics.net - Website for IFES’ Center for Transitional and Post Conflict Governance