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Poland’s democracy has undergone severe challenges over the past decade. The erosion of checks and balances and the weakening of judicial independence became a source of political contestation at home and abroad. The 2023 election, however, brought in a new government committed to restoring Poland’s democratic standards and adherence to the rule of law.

International IDEA's Secretary-General, Kevin Casas-Zamora, will speak at the World Justice Forum in Warsaw, Poland, on June 24 at 10:45 CEST.

Money is an essential resource for politics and voter outreach. However, if not effectively regulated, it can compromise the integrity of political processes and democracies. Effective state regulation of funding of political parties and election campaigns (commonly known as political finance) and their implementation are vital for promoting the integrity, transparency, and accountability of democratic systems of government.

On the 22nd and 23rd of November 2023, the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) in partnership with members of the Network for the Promotion of Constitutionalism in Eastern Europe is organizing a roundtable discussion 'Democratic Resilience: Does Institutional Design Matter?' in Yerevan, Armenia.

Join our online roundtable that aims to contribute to a better understanding of the current and likely future effects of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on democracies in Armenia, Georgia and Moldova. In addition, the discussion will aim to distill recommendations on how national and international democracy assistance providers should revise their actions in response to this crisis.

On October 24, International IDEA hosted an engaging discussion on “Reversing Democratic Backsliding: Experiences from Poland”, featuring a keynote address by Polish Minister of Justice Waldemar Żurek.

Since its first publication in 2013, the Annual Review of Constitution-Building has become a trusted global reference on how constitutions evolve, and what that evolution reveals about democracy, governance, and the rule of law around the world.

Desde su primera publicación en 2013, la Revista Anual sobre la Construcción Constitucional se ha convertido en una referencia global de confianza sobre la evolución de las constituciones y lo que esta evolución revela sobre la democracia, la gobernanza y el Estado de derecho en todo el mundo.

According to democracy indices, elections fared somewhat better than Poland’s other democratic institutions during the period in question (2018–2023). Elections in Poland retained competitiveness and engagement, but the quality of public debate suffered and confidence in election administration and dispute resolution was undermined. The other powerful contributor to resilience of the electoral process was civil society mobilization.

The Constitution Building and Rule of Law Programme of International IDEA and the Bonavero Institute of Human Rights, Oxford University, organized a roundtable under the theme Resistance, Reversal, Resilience: Lessons from Abuse of Law to Attack Civic Space on 12 and 13 June 2025.

This report delivers a comprehensive review of out-of-country campaign regulations across all 27 EU Member States. It synthesises legislative analyses, international standards and interviews to map rules on campaign events, media and public gatherings beyond national borders.

Following the recommendations from the Parliamentary Electoral Dialogue convened in Brussels in May 2023 by International IDEA and the European Parliament, Ukrainian authorities are diligently examining the conditions in host countries for organizing

Elections are one of the most effective tools to counter democratic backsliding and regain momentum for democracy. However, if elections fail, democracy’s ability to recover and reboot falters. For this reason, competitive, inclusive, and transparent elections serve as a cornerstone of a functioning democracy. 

On July 2-3, 2024, the Republic of Moldova hosted the Regional Conference on Money in Politics 2024, themed "Money in Politics in the Era of Globalization and Digitalization." This significant event brought together over 150 participants from nine countries, including political finance oversig

Los días 2 y 3 de julio de 2024, la República de Moldavia acogió la RConferencia Regional sobre el dinero en la política 2024, con el tema "El dinero en la política en la era de la globalización y la digitalización".

As Africa navigates this super year of elections, election and information integrity and voting rights will come under pressure due to the zero-sum nature of Africa's politics.

Mientras África navega por este súper año de elecciones, la integridad electoral y de la información y los derechos de voto se verán presionados debido a la naturaleza de suma cero de la política africana.

This Discussion Paper reviews the performance of 16 lobbying registers according to 3 interlinked dimensions: (a) transparency; (b) regulatory capacity; and (c) interoperability. Under ‘transparency’, the paper examines the scope of lobbying information collected by the register in question, as well as how that information is administered and subsequently disclosed.

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.

This Case Study is part of The Global State of Democracy 2023 Report.