Protecting Elections: The power of interagency cooperation
Commissioner Irfan Abdool Rahman (left), Office of the Electoral Commissioner of Mauritius, and International IDEA’s Head of Electoral Processes, Therese Pearce-Laanela (centre), present a certificate to a participant during a workshop funded by Canada on developing capacity to protect elections, held in Mauritius in May 2024. Credit: Lume Production Company Ltd
The 2024 super-cycle election year highlighted the complexities involved in safeguarding electoral processes amid challenges such as democratic backsliding, natural and human-made disasters, cybersecurity threats, and the spread of mis- and disinformation.
As a global convener, International IDEA has a long history of promoting interagency cooperation to strengthen democracy and electoral integrity. Through two flagship initiatives—the Protecting Elections project and the Protecting Electoral Processes in the Information Environment project—the Institute has supported partners in Fiji, Finland, Libya, Mauritius and Paraguay in strengthening their collaboration with stakeholders.
By bringing together diverse actors through workshop and training events to identify and map risks, refine
response frameworks, develop road maps for strategy implementation and assess joint information needs, International IDEA has fostered stronger relationships, built shared capacity, and enhanced interagency coordination and preparedness among electoral stakeholders. This approach continues to drive innovations in how elections are managed and safeguarded worldwide.
‘For the first time in our history, ... we have had different stakeholders from different state agencies meeting together for a whole day under one roof and engaging with each other. ... [I]t was a unique experience and a very good platform to share and learn from one another.’
| Funding | Protecting Elections project, funded by Canada, and Protecting Electoral Processes in the Information Environment project funded by Germany |
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