- On 25 February, International IDEA, together with the Canadian Mission to the European Union (EU), hosted the regional launch of the Integrated Framework for Protecting Elections at the Canadian Mission to the EU in Brussels. The event brought together representatives from international and intergovernmental organisations, EU institutions and bodies, national governments and permanent representations, as well as civil society organisations and think tanks. The event provided an opportunity to explore in greater depth the experiences and lessons learned from the Finland pilot project, while also discussing the Framework’s potential application and future use across Europe. Read more about the event in this Article.
Protecting Elections
An Integrated Framework for Protecting Elections
The Framework is a unique collection of resources that can assist users in learning about key concepts for protecting elections, assessing and improving their policies and practices, and developing related skills and capacity. It promotes systematic use of risk management, resilience-building and crisis management in elections. All resources are gender sensitive.
Guide
Introduces the concept and resources that form the Integrated Framework For Protecting Elections and to chart avenues for their practical use.
Self-Assessment Survey
Assists user organizations in systematically assessing the importance, scope and quality of their existing safeguards to protect electoral integrity.
Training Curriculum
Enables users to quickly find and gather comparative knowledge, experiences, policies and other tools to deal with specific electoral challenges.
Resources Portal
Enables users to quickly find and gather comparative knowledge, experiences, policies and other tools to deal with specific electoral challenges.
About Protecting Elections
Inspired by its work on electoral risk management, democracy resilience, and conduct of elections during emergencies and crises, International IDEA will develop an Integrated Framework for Protecting Elections that promote the use of risk management, resilience-building, and crisis management methods. While these concepts are indispensable in many sectors that face high risks, the original research conducted by International IDEA confirms that they remain mostly unexplored in the field of democracy and electoral assistance.
The project has two main objectives namely 1) to develop a set of gender-sensitive global public goods, including a guide for practitioners, an assessment tool, a training curriculum and toolbox, that can inspire, enable and empower Electoral Management Bodies (EMBs) and other stakeholders in protecting the integrity of electoral processes; and 2) to improve the capacity and practices of EMBs and other stakeholders in countries that test, pilot, and use the framework to protect electoral integrity in the face of various risks and crises.
This landing page includes information and materials on the protecting elections project which started in January 2023 and is expected to be finalized in December 2025. The page was first published on 09 May 2023 and will be updated on a regular basis.
The project is supported by the Government of Canada.
For more information on background research, see discussion paper: Protecting Elections: Risk Management, Resilience-building and Crisis Management in Elections.
Event photos can be found at https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBwyZf
Project details
| Donors | Global Affairs Canada | |
| Funding / Award amount | 2,000,000 CAD | |
| Project Duration | January 2023 - December 2025 |
Project updates
2026
2025
- On 10-11 December, the Electoral Commission of Ghana and International IDEA jointly hosted a two-day workshop on Protecting Elections: Addressing Gender-Based Discrimination and Violence in Electoral Processes, in Accra. The workshop brought together nearly 30 participants representing the Electoral Commission, political parties, civil society organisations—including women’s rights organisations, disability inclusion organisations and youth-focused groups—academia and the media. Discussions emphasized that preventing and mitigating gender-based discrimination and violence is essential not only to protect individuals, but also to safeguard electoral integrity as a whole. Read more about the workshop in the Event Article.
- On 20 November, International IDEA hosted the Global Launch of the Integrated Framework for Protecting Elections at UN Headquarters in New York. The event was co-hosted with the Permanent Mission of Finland and Panama and organized in partnership with the Permanent Missions of Canada. It brought together around 45 participants, including representatives of International IDEA Member States and colleagues from UNDP, UN Women, and other UN entities. Watch recordings of the event at UN WebTV.
- Between 10 and 14 November 2025, International IDEA organized a "Protecting Elections Framework Training the Trainers" event in Nacka, Sweden. The five-day workshop brought experienced facilitators from 20 countries from Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America to receive training on the Framework's resources. The objective of the workshop was to build a pool of regional and multilingual experts able to effectively deliver Protecting Elections activities in their respective regions. Read more about the event here.
- On 15–16 October, around 50 electoral experts and practitioners from over 15 countries met in Stockholm for the Global Expert Meeting on Protecting Elections. The meeting highlighted the practical value of the Integrated Framework for Protecting Elections and provided a space for peer exchange and lessons learned from pilot countries. Discussions will inform the next phase of the project, supporting partners in strengthening electoral integrity worldwide. Read the full article here.
- From 26–28 August 2025, International IDEA, in partnership with the Electoral Commission of Benin (Commission Electorale Nationale Autonome / CENA) and Le Réseau des compétences électorales francophones (RECEF), hosted back-to-back workshops in Cotonou: the Protecting Elections Workshop and the Capacity Development Workshop. The events gathered electoral stakeholders to both identify and assess risks to electoral integrity and to strengthen capacities to address electoral risks, threats, and crises ahead of the 2026 elections. To read more about the event, check out the event article or the article in Le Matinal.
- On 26 August, International IDEA, in partnership with the Electoral Tribunal of Panama, hosted a Technical and Advisory Support Event in Panama City. The event brought together representatives from the Tribunal, key state agencies, and civil society to discuss strategies for identifying and mitigating risks of fraud and corruption, with a particular focus on political and campaign financing. See the event article for more details!
- On the 16-18 June, International IDEA in partnership with the African Union (AU) and Malawi Election Commission (MEC), organized a “Protecting Elections Workshop” and a “Protecting Elections: Addressing Gender-Based Discrimination and Violence Workshop” in Lilongwe, Malawi. The event brought together around 60 participants representing a diverse group of Malawi stakeholders from organizations with mandates or interests in supporting electoral integrity and gender equality. The event was organized under the EU-funded SPEC project, although the materials and methodology have been developed under the Canada-funded Protecting Elections Project.
- On 15th of May, a Protecting Elections: Addressing Gender-Based Discrimination and Violence in Electoral Processes Workshop was co-organized by Le Réseau des compétences électorales francophones (RECEF), the Office of the Electoral Commissioner of Mauritius (OEC), and International IDEA. It focused on identifying risk factors to gender-based discrimination and violence in elections, as well as explored strategies to address this challenge. This event was held back-to-back with the Protecting Elections Workshop earlier in the week, bringing together the same group of participants. Read more in the event article or watch the participants' testimonials video.
- Between 13–14 May, a Protecting Elections Workshop was co-organized in Mauritius by Le Réseau des compétences électorales francophones (RECEF), the Office of the Electoral Commissioner of Mauritius (OEC), and International IDEA. This event brought together 40 participants from 20 RECEF member states, the African Union, ECONEC, Réseau électoral de l’océan Indien (REOI), Organisation internationale de la Francophonie, and Global Affairs Canada. The workshop focused on identifying and classifying risk factors to electoral integrity, as well as appropriate courses of action. Read more in the event article or watch the participants' testimonials video.
- On 9th of May, a Lessons Learned Report on the Protecting Elections project was presented in Port Louis, Mauritius. Authored by two external experts, the report confirms the project’s impact and relevance, based on interviews with 11 officials and a review of key activities piloted in 2024 together with the Office of the Election Commissioner of Mauritius. The event gathered past participants who shared reflections on the project’s value and future potential.
- From 29–30 April, International IDEA and the Electoral Tribunal of Panama co-organized a Capacity Development Workshop in Panama City , building on a previous event held in February. The workshop brought together 31 participants from key national institutions to strengthen their capacity to protect electoral integrity, with sessions tailored to the Panamanian context. More details are available in the article.
- On 2–3 April 2025, International IDEA held a high-level workshop with Ukraine’s Central Election Commission (CEC) in Chișinău, focusing on advancing electoral risk management, resilience building, and crisis management processes as part of broader efforts to protect electoral integrity. The workshop marked an important milestone in the ongoing cooperation between the Institute’s Ukraine office and the CECs, benefiting from resources developed under the global Protecting Elections Project. Participants also had a unique preview of the new web-based Electoral Risk Management Tool (ERMTool2.0), fully aligned with the Integrated Framework for Protecting Elections and its Resources Toolkit. Read more about the event in the articles: "Scaling up impact through Canadian support: Moldova and Ukraine strengthen electoral protection" and "Ukraine’s Central Election Commission Works Toward Institutionalizing Electoral Risk Management". *This initiative was supported by the Government of Canada, Sweden, Finland, and Liechtenstein.
- On April 1, 2025, International IDEA, in partnership with Moldova’s Central Election Commission (CEC), held a Protecting Elections Workshop. CEC officials and district representatives explored best practices for preventing and mitigating electoral risks, cyber threats, and hybrid attacks. Participants also conducted a self-assessment and worked with International IDEA’s Electoral Risk Management Tool (ERMTool) to enhance electoral integrity. As Moldova prepares for its parliamentary elections, a coordinated approach to election protection remains crucial for ensuring free and fair elections. Read more on the CEC website: LINK. *This initiative was supported by the Government of Canada, the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, and the European Union (FPI).
- On February 14, 2025, a Technical and Advisory Support Event was organized together with the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) in Helsinki, Finland. The event focused on reinforcing Finland’s electoral integrity in the information environment through combating mis- and disinformation in elections. Building on past workshops, the event brought together key electoral stakeholders to assess existing strategies and identify areas for improvement, including through enhanced collaboration. Read more about the event here.
- On 6-7 February 2025, a Protecting Elections Workshop was organized in Panama City, in collaboration with the Electoral Tribunal (ET) of Panama. Participants from ET, government officials, academics, electoral experts and civil society organizations came together to discuss electoral risks, threats, and crises, and to develop strategies to address them. The workshop provided a valuable opportunity to exchange experiences and reinforce efforts to protect electoral integrity in Panama and beyond. Read more about the event in the full article.
2024
- 25-27 November 2024, a Protecting Elections Capacity Development Workshop was jointly organized in Helsinki by International IDEA and the Ministry of Justice, Finland. Following the success of the first workshop held in June 2024, the purpose was to further strengthen participants' knowledge and skills in electoral risk management, resilience-building and crisis management practices. For more details see the event article (November, 2024).
- In August 2024, the project was presented in Lusaka at the New Commissioners’ Orientation (NCO) Program for Southern Africa. The event was organized by International IDEA and the SADC-ECF, hosted by Electoral Commission of Zambia, and brought together 17 electoral commissions comprising commissioners and CEOs from Botswana, Eswatini, Malawi, Tanzania, Namibia, Seychelles, Zanzibar, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. The project conceptualization and methodology were greatly appreciated amongst the participants. To read more about the event, check out the event article.
- In August 2024, EMBs of Ethiopia, Malawi, Sierra Leone, Kenya and Botswana were exposed to the methodology of the Protecting Elections Workshop through the Regional Electoral Risk Management Workshop for Africa. The Workshop aimed to provide a platform for comparative learning on electoral risk management and provide guidance to EMBs that are working towards elections in the coming years. As part of the Workshop, the Integrated Framework for Protecting Elections - developed with the support of the Government of Canada - was introduced. Participants conducted several risk identification and classification exercises by using risk factors guides and Electoral Risk Heat Maps and indicated enthusiasm for conducting such exercises within their organizations.
- In mid July, a ‘Technical and Advisory Support Event’ on the topic ‘Inter-agency Collaboration in Countering Hybrid Threats’ was organized in Port Louis together with the Office of the Election Commissioner of Mauritius. The event built on the previous workshops organized in the country and served to empower participants to understand, identify, and counter hybrid threats to elections in a collaborative way. To read more about objectives and outcomes, see the event article (July, 2024).
- 17-18 June 2024 a Protecting Elections workshop was organized together with the Finnish Ministry of Justice in Helsinki, Finland. Read more about it in the event article (June, 2024).
- In early June, a mission was conducted to Sri Lanka to explore the Election Commission's interest in taking part in the project's implementation phase. After presenting the project's objectives and activities, the team received positive feedback and a formal partnership is now being considered (June, 2024).
- 7-9 May 2024 a Protecting Elections Capacity Development Workshop was jointly organized in by International IDEA and the Office of the Election Commissioner (OEC) of Mauritius. The workshop took place in Port Louis and served as a sequel to the event held in February earlier this year. The objective was to further empower national stakeholders in protecting electoral integrity. For more details see the event article (May, 2024).
- Using the curriculum developed as part of the project, International IDEA hosted a "Protecting Elections Capacity Development Workshop" for 11 members and senior management of the Central Election Commission (CEC) of Ukraine. The training was an opportunity to test the project resources while at the same time support the CEC in strengthening their knowledge and skills in electoral risk management, resilience-building and crisis management (April, 2024).
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- As part of the project, a standard risk heat map has been adapted and developed to improve the understanding of overlaps and transitions between risk management, resilience-building and crisis management practices in elections. The 'Protecting Elections Risk Heat Map' has thus far proven very helpful in International IDEA's efforts to structure the conversation and organize workshops with national stakeholders on on risk management, resilience-building and crisis management.
- In anticipation of the International Women's Day 2024, an article discussing the interconnections between gender equality and electoral integrity, as well as the project's efforts to advance both objectives, was published on International IDEA's website (March, 2024)
- 21st of February the first Protecting Elections' Workshop was organized in Port Louis together with the Office of the Election Commission (OEC) of Mauritius. The workshop brought together a diverse group of representatives from state agencies to jointly map challenges to electoral integrity in the country, and possible actions to deal with related risks, threats, and crises. For more information on the findings and ways forward, see event article (February, 2024).
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Commissioner Rahman presenting at the Protecting Elections' Workshop, Mauritius - In the beginning of 2024, a mission was organized to Panama to explore the Electoral Tribunal's (ET) interest to engage with the project. After fruitful discussions with the full panel of magistrates, interest was shown in participating in the project's implementation activities. More details about the discussions and the way forward can be found in the event report (February, 2024)
2023
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Project Manager, Sead Alihodzic, introducing the project at the SADC-ECF Annual General Conference, Cape Town. - In November 2023, the project was introduced to a broad group of election officials and organizations at the 25th Annual General Conference (AGC) of the Electoral Commissions Forum of the SADC Countries (ECF-SADC) in Cape Town. This was an important opportunity to increase visibility for the project’s resources, objectives and activities in the region. Also, a meeting with electoral experts from the Electoral Commission of South Africa helped to validate the relevance of the concept and documents produced as part of it (November, 2023).
- The Protecting Elections case studies on Timor-Leste and Brazil (see below) were promoted in The Electoral Integrity Project (EIP) Fall Newsletter 2023 (October, 2023).
- The Electoral Integrity Project (EIP) Spring Newsletter 2023 included an article on the Protecting Elections project launch as well as some key take-aways from the Expert Group Meeting (see below).
- An Expert Group Meeting was held 14-15 March 2023 and attended by 26 experts from EMBs, international organizations and academia, including International IDEA experts. Experts’ input strengthened and validated the project’s key concepts and implementation steps. Also, experts benefited by expanding their knowledge of challenges, policies and practices for protecting elections in different contexts. See more information in the event report (March, 2023).
- International IDEA to Develop an Integrated Framework for Protecting Elections (Press Release, April 2023)
- Canada refers to the Protecting Elections project as it announces over $50 million in funding during second Summit for Democracy, (29 March 2023)
- PM Justin Trudeau refers to Canada's support to International IDEA as he speaks at Summit for Democracy 2023 (YouTube, 29 March 2023)
Case studies
Protecting Elections
The Case of Peru
Protecting Elections
The Case of Ukraine
Protecting Elections
The Case of Guatemala
Protecting Elections
The Case of Poland
Protecting Elections
The Case of Sri Lanka
Protecting Elections
The Case of Sweden
Protecting Elections
The Case of Kenya
Protecting Elections
The Case of South Africa
Protecting Elections
The Case of Timor-Leste
Protecting Elections
The Case of Brazil
Varieties of Electoral Integrity Risk: Protecting Elections in Brazil. Case study, September 2023
Read more
Key contacts
Sead Alihodzic
- Principal Adviser, Elections, Conflict and Risk Management
Principal Adviser, Elections, Conflict and Risk Management
Sead Alihodzic is the Principal Adviser for Elections, Conflict and Risk Management in the Electoral Processes Programme. Alihodzic works on a broad portfolio of election-related topics, including electoral risk management, electoral conflict and…
Erik Asplund
- Senior Advisor, Elections and Crisis
Senior Advisor, Elections and Crisis
Erik Asplund is a Senior Advisor in the Electoral Processes Programme, International IDEA.His research covers elections during emergencies and crises, risk management in elections, and training and professional development in electoral…
Julia Thalin
- Associate Programme Officer, Electoral Processes
Associate Programme Officer, Electoral Processes
Julia Thalin is an Associate Programme Officer with International IDEA’s Electoral Processes Programme. Her current work focuses on the Protecting Elections project, which promotes strengthening gender-sensitive risk management, resilience-building…
Therese Pearce Laanela
- Head of Electoral Processes
Head of Electoral Processes
Therese Pearce Laanela is the Head of Electoral Processes at International IDEA. Pearce Laanela has a background working with elections on the field, headquarters and policy levels. She served as a founding staff member at International IDEA and as…
