POLITICAL PARTIES

Representative democracy cannot function properly without different political parties. Political parties provide the vehicle for the electorate to express itself by accommodating diverse interest groups and offering voters different political options. Yet there is widespread dissatisfaction with political parties throughout the world: parties often lack the trust of voters, or they suffer from institutional problems.

International IDEA has commissioned Global Partners & Associates to conduct an external evaluation of its political parties programme. The evaluation was finalized in early July 2009. Building on this evaluation International IDEA is right now in the process of identifying its new political parties strategy which will be finalized by December 2009.

Knowledge resources

• Research and Dialogue: Based on its worldwide Research and Dialogue with Political Parties programme, International IDEA published three regional reports on political parties in Africa, South Asia and Central and Eastern Europe in 2007. The reports look into the internal functioning of the parties as well as the external regulations and environment that govern them. See all reports
• Training and Capacity Building: International IDEA has developed training modules that respond to the needs of political parties and has established a network of political party trainers who are able to provide training both in English and /or a local language as required.
• Publications: International IDEA has produced a number of publications related to political parties, covering different regions and aspects of political parties (see full list). In 2008 International IDEA published a book on regulation of political parties in conflict prone societies and in 2009 a book on the Latin American experiences of political party development.
• Database: The International IDEA database on Political Finance Laws and Regulations contains information on the laws on funding of political parties for more than 100 countries in the world. More on political party finance.

Policy development

• Dialogue with the African Union (AU) on further cooperation on political parties development and the implementation of political parties policies and the AU Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance in the region.
• In 2007 a policy paper on effective party assistance was published.
  

Assistance to democratic reform

• Sudan: Since July 2006, International IDEA and partners have been engaged in a programme in Sudan that seeks to assist in transforming, developing and strengthening political parties and build their capacity to engage effectively both during and after the transition period in peace-building and national reconstruction processes. 
• Nepal: Currently, dialogues are carried out with all political parties, civil society, media and public intellectuals around policy advice for political party reform in Nepal.
• Bolivia: With the constitutional reform so crucial to the development of democracy in Bolivia, the “Democratic Strengthening Project”, jointly implemented by International IDEA and UNDP, seeks to support political parties and other groups in articulating constitutional reform proposals.
• Peru: In 2002-2003, International IDEA provided technical assistance that contributed to Peru’s first law on the regulation of political parties to make them more democratic and transparent.