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Political Parties, Participation and Representation

Representative democracy cannot function properly without political parties. Political parties provide the vehicle for the electorate to express itself by accommodating diverse interest groups and offering voters different political options. They are also key institutions for inclusive participation and accountable representation, responding and delivering to the needs of the people.

Work programme

International IDEA's programme Political Parties, Participation and Representation supports political parties focusing on four areas;

  1. Party Law and Finance: to improve regulation on party and candidate finance;
  2. The Political Party Organization: to allow political parties to develop policy platforms;
  3. Political Party Dialogue: to seek consensus within the prevailing political culture of competition, through more effective interparty dialogue;
  4. Effective party assistance: stronger alignment of approaches in party assistance.

IDEA's Political Parties programme also supports gender equality, implementing its work across WANA, Americas, Africa (Sudan) and the Asia and the Pacific regions, working closely with regional IDEA offices.

Initiatives

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Documentary Film on Inter-Party Dialogue in West Africa
(Accra, Ghana , 2011-09)
http://www.youtube.com/user/InternationalIDEA#p/u/6/Nsrkq85t1Cg
Documentary Film on Inter-Party Dialogue in West Africa
Video
Accra, Ghana 
2011-09
Engage political parties
(New York, 2011-05-04)
http://www.youtube.com/user/internationalidea#p/u/30/9HZ2NBbOAx4
Engage political parties
Video
New York
“Democracy and Gender Equality Roundtable", organized by International IDEA, in association with the UN Department of Political Affairs, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and UN Women, 4-5 May 2011, United Nations Headquarters, New York
2011-05-04
New challenges for democracy building and different approaches to democracy assistance
(Stockholm, Sweden, 2008-09-10) On the occasion of the International Day of Democracy 2008, IDEA’s Secretary- Vidar Helgesen talks about new challenges for democracy building and different approaches to democracy assistance today
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/upload/WS_30047.WMA
New challenges for democracy building and different approaches to democracy assistance
Audio
On the occasion of the International Day of Democracy 2008, IDEA’s Secretary- Vidar Helgesen talks about new challenges for democracy building and different approaches to democracy assistance today
Stockholm, Sweden
International Day of Democracy, 2008
2008-09-10

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