Direct democracy - the right path for Sweden?
What’s better – for citizens to vote directly on issues, or for their elected officials to cast the vote? Some 30 Swedish parliamentarians and political party representatives wrestled with that question during ‘Instruments for Direct Democracy Today’, a conference at IDEA headquarters 15-16 September. The event, co-sponsored by the Embassy of Switzerland in Sweden, builds upon IDEA’s work in electoral processes and is part of IDEA’s work on direct democracy.
Peru talks prepare ground for constitution-building processes
In October, Peru’s Congress is set to debate the issue of constitutional reforms. To help contribute to national understanding and debate on this issue, IDEA, the Andean Community of Nations, the Comision Andina de Juristas and the Asociacion Civil Transparencia held a workshop on ‘Constitutional Reform Processes in the Andes’ (Reforma Constitucional en la Región Andina) in Lima. The 28 September event attracted some 150 people representing government, political parties, civil society organizations, think tanks, academia, the media, and Acuerdo Nacional (a national forum made up of political parties and civil society groups). Read more
Constitutional dialogues draw hundreds of Nepalis
In Nepal, IDEA-organized dialogues in August and September reached hundreds of people interested in such topics as electoral system design, constitutional monarchy, and constitution making. Participants included political scientists, election experts, civil society representatives, lawyers, government officials, and local citizens. One weeklong dialogue, held against the backdrop of riots protesting the death of 12 Nepalese migrant workers in Iraq, ended with a peace rally of 25,000 Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists. The discussions were part of 'Constitutional Dialogues in Nepal', a six-month project initiated in May by IDEA with the support of the European Commission. The Nepal South Asia Centre, the Collective Campaign for Peace, and local organisations in Nepalgung, Chittwan and Jhapa are also project contributors. Read more
Georgians speak out on state power
In September, IDEA hosted both working group meetings and public discussions throughout Georgia on the topics of 'State power at the national level: balance between its branches' and 'Distribution of state power between the national and sub-national levels'. The events were part of IDEA’s 'Voices of Georgia in Constitutional and Political Reform'. The project builds on the policy analyses and dialogue processes IDEA supported prior to the 2003 Rose Revolution. Read more
DID YOU KNOW ...?- As of September, the Development Gateway portal of the World Bank features a section about IDEA, highlighting its work on election processes and offering links to IDEA’s resources on electoral issues. Since June, IDEA has been a cooperating organisation on the issue of governance for Development Gateway.
- On the road: IDEA participated in the Gothenburg Book Fair in Sweden in September with a stand of books and information. The largest such event in the Nordic states, this year’s book fair attracted some 108,000 people (97 percent Swedes). The fair is famous for its “International Square”, where current issues are debated by leading experts. Speaking to an audience of 100, IDEA Board Chairperson Lena Hjelm-Wallén and IDEA staffers Roger Hällhag and Maja Tjernström discussed political party financing.
- In Jakarta, IDEA recently opened a liaison office at the Secretariat General of the Indonesian Parliament. Located in the parliament building, IDEA’s office provides publications and other resources to help the new Regional Representative Council, known locally as the DPD, whose members were elected in April elections this year. IDEA is assisting the brand-new council on operational procedures and media relations, among other issues.
- In the news: Quoting IDEA Secretary-General Karen Fogg and Project Manager Maja Tjernström, Sweden’s largest newspaper Dagens Nyheter ran an article on political party financing in September. The article referenced IDEA’s global database and publication on political parties.
- Information leaflets about IDEA are now available in six languages: Arabic, English, French, Russian, Spanish and Swedish.
