Despite widespread claims that parliamentary systems with an indirectly elected president produce better outcomes for democratic governance, constitutional reform to move away from a directly elected president to an indirectly elected president is extremely rare.
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During a crisis such as a public emergency, the effectiveness of parliaments should be assessed by considering their ability to activate in a timely manner the necessary disaster management legislative framework, and to provide oversight to ensure that such legislation is applied by the executive in a necessary, non-discriminatory and proportional way.
The 2019 elections in Mozambique were preceded by two cyclones that directly and significantly affected the electoral process in the central and northern regions. In addition to the cyclones, terrorist attacks which began in 2017 had a negative impact on voter registration and voting processes.
This case study provides several findings and lessons learned.
Armenia, Georgia and Moldova continue to strengthen their democratic systems. Achievements, albeit with many challenges, include improvements to the conduct of elections, increasing the transparency and accountability of government institutions, and maintaining an open civic space for citizens and media to openly debate, question, or challenge their governments.
African countries are still far from achieving women’s equal and effective participation in political decision-making.
Gender inequality in the political process remains an important problem in all countries.
Women often have less access than men to the resources needed to successfully seek a party nomination or stand in an election, and political parties tend to nominate men to winnable positions.
Political parties are the centrepiece of political representation in democratic systems.
Post-conflict democratization has always been regarded as an ordeal, and democracy-building in the South Caucasus countries is no exception.
The countries of the region—Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia—are telling examples of the fact that elections are insufficient for the establishment of democracy.
Electoral reform is an integral part of democratic development.
An effective electoral justice system is a key element in the unfolding of a free, fair and genuine democratic process.
Without a system to mitigate and manage inequality or perceptions of inequality, even the best management of an electoral process may lead to mistrust in the legitimacy of the elected government.
International IDEA and the Caucasus Institute for Peace, Democracy and Development (CIPDD) organized a conference in Tbilisi, Georgia, in 2005 on constitutional and political reform in Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan. It was dedicated to the exchange of information about the reform process in the three South Caucasus countries and the prospects for their European integration.
This 2005 edition of Women in Parliament: Beyond Numbers covers women’s access to the legislature in three steps.
These essays tell the story of elections that took place in 2003 in the three countries of the South Caucasus, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia, seen through the eyes of nine regional participants and commentators.
The authors therefore write with the immediacy and the vibrancy that comes with close engagement, and sometimes take strong judgments based on their individual standpoints as the processes unfolded.