a review of political development in new … · golkar party, led by habibie, which has dominated...

Civilian Take Over in Nigeria

The National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation, works to strengthen and expand democracy worldwide. NDI programs are supported by the National Endowment for Democracy, the U.S. Agency for International Development and private donations.

W E S T, C E N T R A L & E A S T A F R I C A

E M E R G I N G D E M O C R A C I E S F O R U M

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NDI ReportsA R E V I E W O F P O L I T I C A L D E V E L O P M E N T I N N E W D E M O C R A C I E S

NDI ReportsF A L L 1 9 9 9

May 29 marked a historic momentin Nigeria, as elected officials,including President Olusegun

Obasanjo, 469 members of the NationalAssembly, 36 state governors, and hun-dreds of state and local authorities tooktheir oaths of office. For the first time in more than 15 years, civilians governAfrica’s most populous country. Whilethe momentous transfer to civilian rule

was cause for celebration, the seriouslyflawed elections that preceded it under-scored the challenges that lie ahead foradvancing democracy in Nigeria.

Obasanjo, a retired general, previ-ously ruled Nigeria from 1976 to 1979and was the country’s only military head of state to willingly transfer powerto an elected civilian government. In his inaugural address, he acknowledged

16 Countries inTransition ShareAchievements,Challenges

Political and civic leaders from 16 countries on four continentscalled upon the international

donor community and internationalfinancial institutions to use democraticcriteria and “give priority to those coun-tries implementing political as well aseconomic reforms” in determining aid,loan and debt reduction policies. TheSana’a Declaration, issued at the closeof a three-day summit in Yemen, definedthese political reforms as measures that“advance popular participation, build

Special English edition of Al-Thawara newspaper headlines remarks by Yemen President AliAbdullah Saleh at opening session of Emerging Democracies Forum.

“The goal of the conferencegoes beyond morale-boosting;representatives will trade taleson party building, balancing

political and economicreform, fighting corruption

and other nitty-gritty ofdemocracy building.”

“The Democracy Club,”The Washington Post

public trust in elections and legislatures,and enhance government transparencyand accountability.”

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Indonesians Vote forDemocratic Change

On June 7, Indonesia conductedits first competitive elections in44 years—marking another step

away from its recent autocratic past andinto a new era of democratic transforma-tion. In polling stations spread across13,000 islands, more than 85 percent ofthe archipelago’s 116 million registeredvoters defied predictions of election-dayunrest to cast their ballots for thenational legislature, and provincial and district assemblies.

Weeks after the vote, election offi-cials had not released the official resultsand blamed administrative procedures,lack of experience and logistical chal-lenges for the protracted ballot tally.When objections of minor political par-ties prevented the General ElectionsCommission from completing its work,President B.J. Habibie issued a decree in early August endorsing the final results.They showed the Indonesian Democra-tic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), led byMegawati Sukarnoputri, the daughter of Sukarno—the founder of the modernIndonesian state—gaining a pluralitywith 34 percent of the vote. Returns gave 22 percent of the vote to the rulingGolkar Party, led by Habibie, which has

dominated Indonesian politics for morethan three decades under the Soehartoregime. The winner will likely form acoalition with smaller, Islamic-basedparties and others in order to gain amajority of a special legislative assemblythat will elect the new president.

The world’s fourth most populouscountry began its democratic transition a year ago when a crippling economiccrisis provoked a nationwide protestmovement against the excesses of theSoeharto government and in favor of far-reaching political reform. FollowingSoeharto’s resignation, there was wide-spread agreement on the need for a legitimately elected government toaddress severe financial problems in thesprawling Southeast Asian nation.

Calling the elections, a “first step inthe...establishment of fully democraticinstitutions and processes in Indonesia,”a 100-member election observer dele-gation cosponsored by NDI and the

Atlanta-based Carter Center character-ized the voter turnout as “a truly impres-sive...commitment to democracy.” Ledby former U.S. President Jimmy Carter,the NDI/Carter Center delegation com-prised party leaders, current and formerelected officials, election experts, legalscholars, regional specialists and civicleaders from 23 countries. Divided into 42teams, delegates deployed to 26 of Indone-sia’s 27 provinces where they observed thevoting and ballot counting processes inmore than 400 polling stations.

Delegation members found theelections largely peaceful and adequatelyorganized, even in the face of serioustime constraints. At virtually all pollingstations, observers witnessed scores ofcitizens watching the balloting and tal-lying processes with enthusiasm and in a spirit of cooperation. In these respects,according to the delegation, the elec-tions appeared to represent an impor-tant step toward establishing democracyin Indonesia and an expression of thewill of the Indonesian people for democ-ratic change.

The delegation also reported consid-erable shortcomings in election adminis-tration including a complex tabulationprocess and limited training for pollingofficials. Underscored as well was a lackof transparency and a shortage of basicinformation such as the total number ofregistered voters and polling stations.With vote tallies just beginning to trickle in when it released its post-electionstatement, the delegation urged the earliest possible announcement of theresults. “A long period of uncertaintyover results,” noted the delegation statement, “leads inevitably to loss ofconfidence in the election process.”

The delegation cautioned that theJune polls represented only the first stepin a complicated process that will lead tothe indirect election of a president, andemphasized the importance of maintain-ing an open political process.

At stake on June 7 were 462 seats in the 500-member national legislature,of which another 38 unelected seats arereserved for members of the armed forces.In August, members of this newly electedlegislature will be joined by 135 represen-

A S I A

“The ‘festival of democracy’surrounding the June 7 polls

must now be followed byactions on the part ofIndonesian political

and civic leaders to buildlasting confidence in the

establishment of an open,democratic and effective

political process.”—NDI/Carter Center

Preliminary Statement on the June 7Elections in Indonesia

Newspaper ad, which appeared two daysbefore the June 7 Indonesian polls, encour-ages all UNFREL election monitoring volun-teers to: Complete the Task, Friends! Guardthe 1999 Elections Secure the Nation’s Hope.UNFREL, the University Network for Free andFair Elections, was one of the country’s threemajor domestic pollwatching organizations.The referee’s whistle and binoculars illustrateobjectivity and transparency.

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A S I A

geography represented a major challengefor managing such an initiative, and NDIhelped coordinate the recruitment, train-ing and deployment plans of the nationaland regional monitoring efforts. NDIassisted the groups with developing acomprehensive program—from designinga joint media campaign for volunteerrecruitment to organizing communica-tion networks for collecting polling-daydata from across the country. Indonesian

domestic monitoring groups togetherultimately trained and deployed morethan a half million pollwatchers on election day, and the NDI/Carter Center observer delegation establishedextensive, formal links with theirIndonesian counterparts.

NDI also worked closely with the Rectors’ Forum on the design andimplementation a statistically basedindependent vote tabulation in all 27Indonesian provinces as a mechanism for verifying the official vote count.Following election day, the preliminary official results that were slowly released to the public, largely converged with the tallies of the independent vote countconducted by the Rectors’ Forum. With delays fueling concerns about vote manipulation and administrativemalfeasance, the Rectors’ Forum reportsprovided objective information thathelped calm suspicions about the fair-ness of the results in a country with along history of vote fraud.

NDI is also conducting Asia pro-grams in Bangladesh, Cambodia,Hong Kong, Malaysia, Nepal andThailand. A regional programassists the development of an Asiaelection monitoring network.

tatives chosen by the provincial assem-blies and 65 representatives of so-called“functional groups”—drawn from labor,academic, religious and professionalgroups—to form a 700-member specialelectoral college called the People’s Con-sultative Assembly. The Assembly isscheduled to select a new president bythe end of the year. The delegation advo-cated “fair, inclusive and transparent”rules for selecting provincial and func-tional representatives to the Assemblyand encouraged the election commissionto establish these rules as soon as possiblein order to provide clarity to the system.

The international delegation com-plemented NDI’s ongoing program inIndonesia to support key political actorsand organizations in their work to ad-vance the democratization process. Asthe elections approached, NDI focusedon working with civic groups to advocatedemocratic polls and organize a nonparti-san domestic program to monitor theelectoral process.

NDI worked directly with threemajor groups—The Independent ElectionMonitoring Committee, the UniversityNetwork for Free and Fair Elections andthe Rectors’ Forum for Democracy—tobuild a nationwide domestic electionmonitoring network. Indonesia’s far-flung

Leaders of NDI/Carter Center observer delegation to Indonesia’s national polls at a post-electionpress conference. (L to r): Charles Costello, director of the Democracy Program at The Carter Center; Paul Wolfowitz, former U.S. ambassador to Indonesia; Kim Keun Tae, a member of parliament from the Republic of Korea; President Jimmy Carter; Tokyo Sexwale, former premier of Gauteng province in South Africa; and NDI President Kenneth Wollack.

Campaign rally in Jakarta.

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and his inability to rebuild the country,are likely to provoke even more rigorousdissent in the future. Key to Serbia’spolitical fate will be the strength of thepolitical opposition and the role of theinfluential Orthodox Church, whichhave called for Milosevic’s resignation, as well as potential disaffection of politi-cal and military elites.

The pro-Western democratic gov-ernment of Montenegro is flirting withindependence as it courageously fends off Belgrade’s attempts to destabilize thesmaller Yugoslav republic.

Most observers acknowledge thatBalkan peace and stability depend on the development of democratic politicalsystems—particularly in Serbia. In promoting the rule of law, respect forhuman rights, and broad-based economicgrowth, democratization in the region isthe surest way of resolving the Kosovocrisis and other Balkan conflicts thathave threatened the security of Europe.

Every country in which NDI con-ducts democratic development programsin the region, with the exception of Slovakia, borders Serbia. Since 1997, NDI

has also worked to strengthen Serbia’sdemocratic political parties—the onlyviable alternative to the Milosevic regime.Through consultations, seminars andworkshops, the Institute assisted partyleaders and activists in Belgrade andeight other cities with developing theorganizational skills needed to competefor public support. The Institute’s staff in Serbia, which relocated to Budapestduring the hostilities, have resumed theirconsultations with opposition leaders and local activists, advising on coalition-building, grassroots organizing and articu-lating an alternative message to extremenationalism. NDI has also reopened itsoffice in Montenegro to provide political,organizational, and communications sup-port to government and political leaderswho still operate under intense pressurefrom the Belgrade government.

An NDI assessment mission thatvisited Kosovo in July found a traumatizedpopulation in desperate need of economicand political assistance. Based on the rec-ommendation of that mission, the Insti-tute plans to support the development ofpolitical parties as well as establish a civiceducation program that will help Kosovarsgather information about democraticpractices and engage constructively inthe province’s political process.

C E N T R A L & E A S T E R N E U R O P E

NDI is also conducting Central & Eastern Europe programs inAlbania, Bosnia-Hercegovina,Bulgaria, Croatia, Macedonia,Romania and Slovakia.

“Only a democratic andstable Yugoslavia can secure

stability in the Balkans.”—Montenegrin President

Milo Djukanovic and SerbianDemocratic Party leader Zoran Djindjic

“After the War is Over,”New York Times

NDI Responds toBalkan Crisis

Political instability in the Balkans,which ignited the first world war,has returned at century’s end to

challenge the creation of a peaceful, stable and democratic Europe. Serbia’sviolent expulsion of ethnic Albaniansfrom Kosovo, occurring only three yearsafter the Dayton Accords, precipitatedthe largest armed conflict on Europeansoil since World War II.

The refusal of Yugoslav PresidentSlobodan Milosevic to sign a negotiatedpeace settlement of the Kosovo crisis atRambouillet, France provoked NATObombing of military and industrial tar-gets throughout Yugoslavia. Milosevic in turn unleashed a carefully plannedmilitary campaign to expel ethnic Albanians from Kosovo, producing adestabilizing refugee exodus into neighboring Albania, Macedonia andMontenegro. Three months of NATOattacks and diplomatic efforts produced a peace deal, paving the way for politicalsettlement that upholds Yugoslavia’s territorial integrity, confers substantialpolitical autonomy on Kosovo and defers Kosovo’s final political status.

The United Nations and NATOhave begun to manage civilian adminis-tration and impose security in Kosovo.An uncertain, if hopeful, future awaitsthe province as thousands of ethnicAlbanians return to destroyed homes and ethnic Serbs, fearing retribution,abandon theirs while Kosovar leaders on both sides call for the creation of amulti-ethnic democracy.

While the Kosovo settlement, ifsuccessful, will likely be measured inyears, the end of the immediate crisispresents opportunities to address manylongstanding obstacles to peace, stabil-ity, and democracy in and around theformer Yugoslavia.

In Serbia, initial nationalistic fervorprompted by NATO bombings has beenreplaced by demonstrations against theMilosevic regime. Serbia’s political isola-tion and economic ruin, coupled withMilosevic’s indictment as a war criminal

Pictured before her evacutation from Serbia, NDI Resident Representative Stephanie Lynn trainsyoung political activists in Palic.

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Southern African Democracies Use Elections to Advance Political Transitions

From June 1999 through 2000, ninesouthern African countries willconduct national elections—a

demonstration of participatory democ-racy unknown only 10 years ago whenapartheid, autocratic regimes and civilwar predominated. Throughout the1990s, much of the area experienced profound change as political pluralismreplaced authoritarian rule, constitutionswere liberalized and historic polls introduced multiparty democracy to half the countries in the region.

The upcoming elections represent a critical juncture in the political devel-opment of these nascent democracies,and will test how a range of democraticinstitutions and processes are function-ing. These include the legal frameworkfor elections and related civil and politi-cal rights, as well as creating accuratevoter registries, organizing meaningfulvoter education, promoting equitablecampaigns, providing unbiased mediacoverage and establishing effectiveelection administration.

The Southern Africa DevelopmentCommunity (SADC) is the focal pointfor programs to evolve common politicalvalues, systems and institutions in its 14 member states. Although originallycreated in 1992 to generate developmentthrough economic integration, SADChas recently focused on promoting elections as avenues for strengtheningdemocratic practices in the region.

S O U T H E R N A F R I C A

NDI is also conducting SouthernAfrica programs in Angola,Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique,Namibia, South Africa, Swazilandand Zimbabwe. A regional programsupports efforts by governments tocombat corruption.

Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania andZimbabwe.The forum, held in Johannes-burg in March, allowed political partyrepresentatives to confer across ideologi-cal and party lines on the role partiesplay in a democratic society. The open-ing panel analyzed focus group researchconducted by NDI in the region torecord public opinion on the state ofpolitical transformation in their respec-tive countries.

The studies revealed that people aremore positive about the political transi-tions than is commonly believed. Citi-zens underscored their fundamental faithin the democratic process and their will-ingness to give democratic leaders moretime to deliver on their promises. Pro-gram participants learned that parties inmost countries were viewed as an impor-tant part of the democratic system—providing people a voice in the politicalprocess, diversity of expression and free-dom of association.

A panel on the role of the media dur-ing elections focused on the importance of fairness and unbiased reporting. Partyleaders supported a proposal to establish an independent broadcasting commissionin each country with regional guidelines forbalanced media coverage. Another discus-sion revealed disparities among countrieson how political parties viewed the inde-pendence and credibility of their respec-tive electoral authorities. Participantsapproved a resolution to establish a pro-cess to adopt regional election standardsincluding comprehensive electoral bound-aries and more transparent administration.“Our struggle for democracy in southernAfrica was long and costly,” remarked oneparticipant. “We must take advantage ofthe opportunity provided here by NDI tocreate sustainable democratic institutionsand practices that will serve the economicand social development of the region.”

U.S. political expertFrank Greer (right) dis-cusses the role of themedia during electionsat a program for politi-cal party officials fromsouthern Africa. Alsoon the panel (l to r).Amenia Frense, whodirects election cover-age for the SouthAfrican BroadcastingCorporation andMohale Ralebitso, aSouth African mediaprofessional whoworked closely withSouth Africa’s Inde-pendent ElectoralCommission.

Building on these initiatives, NDIand the University of Western Cape con-vened a forum of political party leadersfrom SADC countries that are holdingelections during the next 18 months.Countries represented included: Botswana,Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique,

NDI and the University of Western Cape,recently published Southern Africa: The Peo-ple’s Voices, a compilation and analysis ofpublic opinion research conducted in eightcountries in the region on citizen attitudestoward democratic principles and on voterparticipation in elections. Findings from this221-page publication were used during a pro-gram for political parties in southern Africa.

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MOROCCO’S DEMOCRATIC OPENING FELT IN YEMEN

Morocco’s democratic opening has begun to influence political developmentin other countries in the region, mostly recently in Yemen whose nascentmultiparty political system has suffered by the decision of the Yemen Social-

ist Party (YSP) to boycott elections in the country. The opposition party has claimedthat the ruling General People’s Congress enjoys unfair political advantages.

To help promote greater involvement in Yemen’s political process, NDI spon-sored a visit of YSP representatives to Morocco to confer with members of theKoutla coalition, a previously opposition party bloc, led by the Socialist Union ofPopular Forces, that gained power in 1997. It was hoped that YSP members couldlearn from the experiences of Koutla member parties, many of which had also boy-cotted past elections, but had changed strategies, engaged in the political processand met with unanticipated success.

Through a series of consultations, including an extended meeting withMoroccan Prime Minister Abderrahmane Youssoufi, Koutla leaders encouragedreform elements of the YSP to take the steps necessary to develop into a modernsocial democratic movement, and to compete in elections as a means of strength-ening the party and Yemen’s democratic process. Two months after these consul-tations, the YSP voted to participate in Yemen’s first-ever direct presidentialelection scheduled for September.

M I D D L E E A S T & N O R T H A F R I C A

Parliament Contributes to Morocco’s “Democratic Experiment”

Morocco recently marked theone-year anniversary of whathas been termed its “democratic

experiment.” The North African king-dom has taken significant steps towarddemocratic openness, and politicalobservers are cautiously optimistic thatthe country is on the path to genuinepolitical reform. Pressure is growing,however, for the new government to fulfillexpectations that greater transparency,accountability and civil liberties willmodernize the country and improvepeople’s lives. Crippling economic andsocial problems confront Morocco’s newlyelected Chamber of Representatives, towhich the public looks for solutions andevidence that the democratic alternative isworking. NDI works with the Chamber toimprove the capacity of legislators to beresponsive to constituent needs.

Since February 1998, Morocco hasbeen ruled by a reformist government ledby long-time dissident AbderrahmaneYoussoufi. King Hassan II appointedYoussoufi prime minister after his oppo-sition party won the most seats in thecountry’s first direct legislative electionsthe previous year. Parties in earlier parliaments, which operated under thestrict control of a powerful monarchy,had little need for a defined agenda or popular support, and gradually lostlegitimacy with the public.

Today, parties and legislators areincreasingly vocal about their need tocreate a platform, establish a record inthe legislature, attract grassroots supportand engage Morocco’s young, urban population. However, the legislature, a majority of which comprises first-timemembers, has come under increasingcriticism for inaction and the absence of legislation. With the ruling coalitioncomprising seven parties and seven par-ties in opposition or non-aligned, thepassage of legislation has been ham-pered by the lack of practical workingrelationships among parties and thepolitical will to make compromises.

In February, NDI parliamentaryexperts from Belgium, Canada and Italy

assisted high-level government andopposition lawmakers with drafting legis-lation and responding constructively topending bills. Workshops considered various approaches for developing legis-lation, reaching political compromiseswith coalition partners, building supportfor initiatives both inside and outside thelegislature, and managing bills to passage.Individual party consultations explored awide range of issues including potentialobstacles in the bill drafting process, therole of oral and written question periodsin a bicameral system, coordinatingactivities as a bloc and organizing publicforums to debate legislative initiatives.

With the opening of parliament’snew session in April, public and mediaattention turned to the legislature. Onthe eve of budget deliberations, parlia-mentarians from the Czech Republic and Finland described to their Moroccancounterparts details of the budget processin their countries and how to influence thedebate. Moroccan lawmakers expressedinterest in learning not only the formalprocedures, but also the nature of politi-cal bargaining during negotiations. Muchof the program focused on examining

mechanisms for improving communica-tion—communication between the legis-lature and the executive branch, betweenthe public and the legislature, amongparty caucuses and between coalitions.

The NDI experts asserted thatenhanced coordination within partiesand coalitions would help build consen-sus on issues, create a united front toadvocate positions and bring unity on parliamentary strategy. Oppositionmembers were encouraged to organizethemselves more effectively to influ-ence legislation. Without such con-structive alternatives, according to the experts, the opposition risked notonly legislative defeat, but public dis-content as well. Following the formalprogram, a tutorial on the Finnish par-liament’s web site provided ideas fordeveloping the Moroccan parliament’sIntranet page later this year.

NDI is also conducting Middle Eastand North Africa programs in Alge-ria, Egypt, Lebanon, West Bankand Gaza Strip, and Yemen.

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Civic Coalition Advances Democratic Process in Kyrgyzstan

E U R A S I A

NDI is also conducting Eurasiaprograms in Armenia, Azerbaijan,Georgia, Kazakhstan, Lithuania,Russia, Turkey and Ukraine.

While Kyrgyzstan continues toenjoy a reputation as the mostliberal of the former Soviet

republics in Central Asia, opportunitiesfor citizen participation in public liferemain limited. NDI works with emerg-ing civic groups to help open the politi-cal process and challenge past practicesthat have favored government secrecy,centralization and decree.

Kyrgyzstan confronts several com-plex problems as it seeks to develop itssociety and nascent statehood. Whilemostly ethnically Kyrgyz, the country ishome to an influential Uzbek populationthat is concentrated in the densely popu-lated Fergana Valley. The Valley extendsdeep into Tajikistan and Uzbekistan,countries with which many Kyrgyzstaniinhabitants, despite their formal citizen-ship, closely identify. Economic hardshiphas created conditions that have thepotential to threaten the state’s integrityand security. To control the situation, theregime has arrogated to itself increasingpowers. Civic groups, in contrast, havesought to address the problem by promot-ing public participation in reforming thepolitical process.

NDI works with the newly createdCoalition for Democracy and CivilSociety, a group of nongovernmentalorganizations founded to provide citi-zens a political voice. Programs havefocused on strengthening the organiza-tional capacity of the group, which wasformerly a loose forum of civic associa-tions. NDI assisted the Coalition withcreating a broad-based advisory boardthat includes parliamentarians and rep-resentatives from each of Kyrgyzstan’ssix regions, producing a newsletter withsubmissions from across the country andtraining staff members to carry out itsmission in local offices. While the Co-alition once functioned primarily toconvene internal discussions among its member groups, NDI has helped itdevelop outreach, training and advo-cacy skills to influence public policy.

The Coalition frequently convenestown meetings to familiarize citizens withthe legislative process, announce newinitiatives, solicit public input into par-liamentary debates and, during elections,conduct forums to question candidates.

In June, more than 400 citizensattended the country’s first public hear-

As part of a training exercise conducted in Naryn, Kyrgyzstan by the Coalition for Democracy andCivil Society, city government officials develop a mock strategy to increase citizen participation inthe budget process. Different plans, developed in small group workshops, were later presented toparticipants at a larger gathering, which included the vice-governor, mayor and municipal depart-ment heads.

ing on the budget process, which hadbeen preceded by extensive NDI train-ing for Coalition members as well as Coalition training for government officials who had never before partici-pated in such an event. The Coalitionhas been the only organization to sponsor these forums, which routinelyattract state television coverage. TheCoalition has also conducted work-shops that alert municipal officials to the benefits of resolving issues inpartnership with local residents, and educate citizens about their rights in theadministration of their communities.

To extend civic education to thewidest audience possible, NDI hasjoined with the Coalition to produce“Our Time,” a weekly public affairsprogram that is broadcast on indepen-dent television. Featuring panelists with opposing opinions and an assertivefacilitator, a format familiar to Ameri-can audiences but innovative forKyrgyzstan, the show has addressedsuch issues as political parties, ethicsand corruption, regional politics, andelectoral processes in Kyrgyzstan. Presi-dent Askar Akaev’s secretary recentlyreported that the president watches the show each week.

The Coalition has also managed tocreate an opening to allow citizen partic-ipation in the parliament. It has orga-nized roundtables in Bishkek that enlistparliamentarians, government officialsand civic activists to discuss draft laws.In addition, the Coalition has also sub-mitted its own recommendations ondraft legislation to parliament and thepresident’s office including provisionsrelating to domestic election monitors,pollworkers and ballot security. Recom-mendations were later included in theelection law.

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L AT I N A M E R I C A & T H E C A R I B B E A N

NDI Launches Political Party Leadership Program in Latin America

Creating open and accountablepolitical parties that can effec-tively debate public policy

issues remains a challenge in LatinAmerica where citizens are viewingparties as ineffective, corrupt and out of touch with their constituencies. This loss of confidence in parties has led to the emergence of those populist leaders who have threatened democra-tic institutions and processes. NDI hasdeveloped a long-term regional initia-tive—the Leadership Program—tofoster relations among parties in thehemisphere, and promote political party reform and renewal.

An intensive two-week leadershipdevelopment seminar last March kickedoff a year-long program of workshops,exchanges and training activities toexpose the participants and hundreds of their colleagues to political party organization including methods of planning, message development andpublic outreach. The program also seeks to establish a regional network of reform-minded young leaders to promote modern, representative andresponsive political parties.

Thirty core participants wereselected through a competitive processbased on political experience, demon-strated leadership in political andcommunity activities, and long-termcommitment to strengthening theirparties. Participants, ranging in age from 25 to 35, included members of congress, city council members, presssecretaries, legislative advisers and grass-roots leaders from Guatemala, Mexico,Paraguay and Venezuela. They werejoined by five U.S. colleagues from theDemocratic and Republican parties.

Drawing on Latin American, Euro-pean and U.S. political party experts, NDIhelped the young politicians develop lead-ership skills in areas such as negotiation,strategic planning, crisis managementand communication to apply to theirown party strengthening efforts. Theyalso explored mechanisms to democratizeparties and expand their outreach.

Introductory discussions focused onthe role of political parties in democracy,the effects of the end of the Cold War onparty ideology, the crisis of confidence inpolitical parties and models for politicalparty “renewal.” In discussing the lattertopic, speakers emphasized that renewalor party development is not something

to undertake only when a party is “on the ropes” or otherwise in trouble. Ratherrenewal should be a part of each party’sgrowth and maturation process. It shouldnot be viewed as a sign of weakness,rather a mark of success—an ongoingprocess of looking for ways to grow morerelevant and more engaged with theparty membership and the public at large.“There is no reason why political parties,

even the most successful, should standstill,” noted Ivan Doherty, NDI’s director of political party programs, who onceserved a secretary general of Ireland’sFine Gael party.

Nick Smith of the British LabourParty described how his party won itslargest majority ever in 1997 after suffer-ing almost 20 years of voter rejection.Success involved a long-term process ofchange that was based on “a large listen-ing exercise with voters.” MichaelO’Reilly with Fine Gael in Ireland like-wise recounted the renewal efforts in hisparty that also included party meetingsaround the country and talking to “thewhole spectrum of society to get a senseof what they thought of Fine Gael, whatthey thought we should be doing, wherewe should be going.”

Speakers also included Mexicanpolitical scientist Jorge Castañeda; U.S.Senators Christopher Dodd and JohnMcCain; former vice presidential candi-date and NDI board member GeraldineFerraro; former Colombian presidentialcandidate and foreign minister NoemiSanin; and former White House presssecretary Mike McCurry.

The two-week seminar launched 12months of activities with the emergingleaders and their colleagues in each of the four countries. Participants will nowdraw on their new skills and NDI’s inter-national network of volunteer experts as

U.S. SenatorChristopherDodd meets with program participantsin LatinAmericaLeadershipProgram.

“In the weakest democracies,a considerable percentage ofthe population questions or

rejects the legitimacy ofpolitical parties, putting into

question support for thedemocratic system.”

—Arturo Valenzuela, Director of Latin American Studies,

Georgetown University

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L AT I N A M E R I C A & T H E C A R I B B E A N

they implement party strengthening pro-jects of their own design—from enhanc-ing the political participation of womenand indigenous citizens in Guatemala andpromoting youth participation in politicalparties in Mexico, to building the trainingcapacity of local branches of politicalparties in Paraguay and Venezuela. Theseactivities allow the program to reach abroader audience within the parties and to build consensus about potential initia-tives to strengthen the parties.

Evidence of the program’s impact is already emerging. Through an activealumni e-mail network, participants arecommunicating with each other abouttheir projects and soliciting advice onparty building strategies. They are alsoexposing their colleagues to strategieslearned at the seminar. For instance,participants Edgar Alvarado of Mexico’sNational Action Party, and Jorge Millan,deputy and president of the youth sectorof Venezuela’s Democratic Action Party,returned home to present the renewalstrategies of Ireland’s Fine Gael party to the leadership of their parties duringnational committee meetings on strength-ening party ties with citizenry. Accordingto Millan, the approaches described at the Leadership Program reinforced manyof the reform ideas being considered by his party.

In Paraguay, Fernando Camacho, amember of the National Encounter Partyand co-founder of the Youth for Democ-racy movement, told NDI that the nego-tiation skills he learned at the training

seminar helped him secure the protectionof pro-democracy activists when he ledmediation efforts with senior governmentofficials during the recent political crisisin his country. Following their partici-pation in the Leadership Program, twoother Paraguayan Leadership Programparticipants were appointed to govern-ment positions normally reserved formore senior party leaders. (Also see sepa-rate box.)

NDI will continue working withthe political leadership alumni networkthrough periodic training activitieswith the young leaders and their par-ties. For example, in Guatemala, NDIwill assist one party’s newly formedtraining committee to establish a lead-ership development program for itsactivists. In Venezuela, the Institutewill conduct training workshops onmembership development and con-stituency outreach. NDI also is plan-ning to create an “on-line” system forpolitical resource materials.

Next spring, NDI will host the sec-ond Leadership Program in Washing-ton, D.C., inviting a new group ofemerging political party leaders fromMexico and Venezuela. They will bejoined by young party activists fromBolivia and Colombia.

Applicants to the Leadership Pro-gram were required to propose aparty building project to carry outfollowing the initial program. Dur-ing their stay in Washington, D.C.,participants met one-on-one withexperts to better develop the pro-ject, draw-up a budget and create atime-line. Many of the proposalshave begun to materialize. Beloware examples from Guatemala.

Ruben Meija, press secretary forGuatemala City’s mayor and gov-erning party presidential candidate,formed a working group of youngcolleagues to develop new partyefforts to reach out to youth andwomen. The group, known as the“G-10,” comprises young partymembers between the ages of 25 and 29, who have been partyactivists for at least 10 years andcurrently hold positions withingovernment ministries.

Mariela Chojlan Cojulum, co-ordinator of the QuetzaltenangoWomen’s Secretariat of the NewGuatemalan Democratic Front, isworking with NDI advisers to devel-op a regional “train-the-trainers”project to help prepare women andyouth in her party for the upcomingelections, as well as to develop anational agenda for youth andwomen for presentation to theFront’s executive committee.

Haroldo Quej Chen proposed to strengthen his party’s capacity toreach out to indigenous communi-ties by translating the party plat-form and organizing manual intothe country’s major Mayan lan-guages. He has already convincedhis party leadership to finance theproduction of thousands of manualsin four indigenous languages. QuejChen is now using the new materi-als, in conjunction with an NDI partytraining manual and skills acquiredin the Leadership Program, to con-duct workshops in indigenous com-munities in Baja and Alta Verapaz.

Participants in Latin American Leadership Program.

GUATEMALANS PUT NEW POLITICAL PARTY SKILLS TO WORK

NDI is also conducting Latin America & Caribbean programs in Guatemala,Guyana, Haiti, Mexico, Nicaragua,Paraguay and Venezuela.

10

NDI Launches Civil-MilitaryRelations Initiative

During the past 15 years, democ-ratic transitions have begun in dozens of countries where

the military had previously influencedpolitics and controlled national secu-rity affairs. These emerging democra-cies often encounter special obstacleswhen political leaders do not possess the expertise and oversight mechanismsnecessary to manage national defense.Likewise, military officials in such settingsmay also lack an understanding about the proper role of the armed forces in ademocracy and, therefore, are reluctantto relinquish their autonomy.

Overcoming such a legacy remainsan ongoing challenge as military resur-gence into government affairs has slowedor reversed democratic gains. Thepromotion of healthy civil-militaryrelations involves moving from adver-

and security affairs to elected officialsand defense professionals. The globalinitiative builds upon and complementsNDI’s ongoing work with legislatures,civic organizations and political partiesin 35 countries around the world.

This new, NDI-led effort, called thePartnership for Democratic Governanceand Security, comprises a network oforganizations and defense experts dedi-cated to improving civilian capabilitiesto direct, manage and oversee securityissues. Programs sponsored by the part-nership are coordinated by a coalition,which includes: the Center for Civil-Military Relations of the Naval Post-graduate School in Monterey, California;the Institute for Security and Develop-ment Studies (ISDS) in the Philippines;Regional Security Strategies in the Year2000 in Buenos Aires; and the Universityof Torcuato di Tella, also in Buenos Aires.

The partnership launched its inau-gural program in March with a seminarin the Philippines. Hosted by NDI andISDS, the program brought togetherauthorities in civil-military relations

C I V I L - M I L I TA RY R E L AT I O N S

sarial to cooperative relations, and build-ing mutual respect and trust throughdialogue and education.

NDI has recently expanded its civil-military programs, working with a coali-tion of leading international organizationsto increase the availability of practicalinformation about civil-military relations

Dr. Harold Crouch, senior fellow with the Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies at Australian National University, answers question after deliver-ing keynote address on civil-military relations in Asia at Manila conference. To his right is Dr. Carolina Hernandez, president of the Institute for Securityand Development Studies, which cosponsored the program with NDI.

“‘Civilian supremacy’...is not an inevitable

by-product of a transition to democracy, but rather itis achieved by the deliberate

efforts [of] civilian politicians...as the Greek and Spanish experiences

demonstrate.”— Dr. Kie-Duck Park ,

Sejong Institute, South Korea

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C I V I L - M I L I TA RY R E L AT I O N S

WEST AFRICAN LAWMAKERS SEEK ENHANCED ROLE IN MILITARY OVERSIGHT

from Australia, Bangladesh, Cambodia,Indonesia, Malaysia, Nepal, the Philippines,South Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand to examine the relationship betweencivilian institutions and the military in these countries.

Throughout the program, expertsfrom democracies that have successfullyintegrated the military into civil societyexchanged comparative information and diverse experiences about effectivedemocratic, civilian control of the armedforces in their countries. Specialistsincluded current and former governmentofficials, active and retired members ofthe armed forces, scholars, and leaders of nongovernmental organizations.

The agenda focused on case studies of several of the region’s most importanttransitions from authoritarian rule to

democracy, including the Philippines,South Korea and Thailand. Examined aswell were Indonesia’s unfolding democra-tization process, as well as developmentsin Cambodia, Malaysia and Taiwan.

Participants at the seminar agreedthat the military’s acceptance of civiliancontrol is directly related to its percep-tion of the capacity of elected officials togovern. Political leaders were advised todevelop and nurture relationships withthe military that would both increasetheir expertise and, by so doing, ease military apprehensions about their abilityto understand and provide leadership onsecurity related issues.

Attention to these matters—particu-larly enhancing the qualifications of civilian institutions to oversee the armedforces—was seen to have significantly

reduced the threat of coups in manynations that only recently experiencedmilitary rule. Recognized as well was thecapacity of Asia’s newest democracies toprevail during the region’s recent eco-nomic crisis, suggesting that the threat of political intervention by the militaryappears genuinely diminished.

No one, however, conceded that the work was finished. Healthy civil-military relations, according to experts,do not necessarily translate into perfectharmony between elected governments and the armed forces. Legitimate disagreements will continue to ariseabout such matters as military budgetsand personnel mission issues. The challenge remains to conduct thesedebates respectfully and confine them to the political arena.

Many West and Central African countries endureddecades of military rule following independence inthe early 1960s. Thirty years later, the autocratic

regimes of Africa’s military leaders began to falter as multi-party elections ushered in new democratic political systemsthroughout the continent.

The legacy of military dominance, however, continues to imperil sustained civilian rule in the region as evidencedby recent coups in Niger and Guinea-Bissau, military regimes in Togo and The Gambia, and continued unrest in Congo-Brazzaville and Sierra Leone. Nigeria represents a hopefuldevelopment where sufficient political will exists to undertakethe transformation from military to civilian rule. Likewise,Benin and Mali have made progress with dispersing politicalpower previously held almost exclusively by the military.

Increasingly, national legislators in these countries havebegun to seek a larger role in overseeing the armed forces.As members of a democratically elected institution with aconstitutionally defined function in defense policy, they arepoised to strengthen civilian authority in the post-transitionperiod. Yet, lawmakers face many challenges in exercisingcivilian oversight including a lack of expertise in militaryissues and little communication with their military counter-parts. In addition, few legislators possess experience withdrafting legislation since earlier parliaments “rubberstamped” initiatives forwarded by a presidency that wasoften indistinguishable from the military.

In April, NDI and the National Assembly of Senegalbrought together lawmakers and senior military officers fromBenin, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Mali and Senegal to examinemechanisms for strengthening legislative leadership in secu-rity and defense affairs. During the program, held in Dakar, an international panel of parliamentary and military expertsevaluated issues that legislators face when managing civil-military relations in democratic societies. Topics includedanalyzing the military budget, legislative-executive relationsand creating channels of communication between the legis-lature and the military.

Also during the program, legislators—many of whomhad never before met with military officers in a professionalsetting—shared their success stories and the challenges thatremain. Parliamentarians from Mali described their country’snewly adopted code of conduct for the armed forces, andIvorian legislators learned about the function and perfor-mance of a defense committee, which does not exist in their National Assembly.

Participants concluded the program by drafting a seriesof recommendations to strengthen civil-military relations.Proposals included: creating a public liaison office within thearmed forces; developing a code of conduct for political lead-ers as well as for the armed forces; increasing civic educationfor civilians and military personnel; and enacting legalreforms to foster transparency.

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the myriad social, economic and ethnicproblems confronting Nigeria, butunderscored his commitment “to leaveno stone unturned to ensure the suste-nance of democracy, because it is goodfor us, it is good for Africa, and it isgood for the world.”

A democratic Nigeria was un-imaginable just 12 months ago when the military junta exhibited no signs of relinquishing its grip on power. Thecountry’s political fortunes changeddramatically when dictator GeneralSani Abacha died unexpectedly on June 8. In a surprise move, Abacha’smilitary successor, General AbdulsalamiAbubakar, laid out a 10-month transi-tion plan that allowed for the creationof new political parties and the revival of the country’s civil society. He alsoreleased political prisoners, establishedan independent electoral commission,and set forth a timetable for local, stateand national elections.

In a country where multiparty elections had not been held in 15years, Nigeria faced tremendous chal-lenges in radically breaking with itsmilitary past and navigating a success-ful transition to civilian government.A repeat of fraudulent elections couldpotentially destabilize both the countryand the region.

In December, NDI joined with theTransition Monitoring Group (TMG) to organize a nationwide campaign topromote democratic polls and monitorthe election process. The TMG, whichbegan as a collection of eight, Lagos-basedhuman-rights organizations, expanded during the course of four months into adiverse, nationwide coalition comprising64 environmental groups, women’s associ-ations, religious organizations and others.NDI spent four months working with acorps of 500 trainers, who in turn trainedmore than 11,000 men and women whodeployed as pollwatchers to all of Nige-ria’s 36 states. The TMG’s post-electionstatements attracted widespread nationaland international media attention, anddemonstrated how a Nigerian organiza-tion could cross polarized ethnic, regional

and religious lines to enhance prospectsfor credible elections.

NDI, in collaboration with theAtlanta-based Carter Center, also spon-sored a series of delegations to examinethe political environment before andduring local, state and national races.Reports issued by the delegations andextensive consultations undertakenbetween delegation members and Nigerianpolitical leaders created a heighteneddialogue about both a legitimate elec-tion process and the sustained com-mitment necessary for a transition tocivilian rule. The joint efforts culminatedon February 27, when a 66-memberinternational delegation—led by formerPresident U.S. Jimmy Carter, formerNigerien President Mahamane Ousmaneand retired U.S. General Colin Powell—observed the presidential poll. Thedelegation fanned out across the vastcountry, monitoring 335 polling stationsin 20 of the 36 states.

In its post-election statement, thedelegation reported evidence of majorirregularities in the process. Delegationmembers observed turnout at polling sitesthat was sharply lower than that officially

reported and witnessed situations whereinflated tally sheets were substituted forthe originals at counting centers. Otherobservers reported ballot box stuffing andactions by party agents or polling officialsthat clearly distorted poll results in somelocalities.

Notwithstanding the electoral violations, positive elements of theprocess were praised by the delegation as well, including the peaceful conduct of the balloting and the pre-electioncampaign, the general lack of intimi-dation of voters and the fair coverageby the Nigerian media. “While we wit-nessed a number of abuses,” concludedthe statement, “the delegation couldfind no systematic evidence indicatingthat the abuses would have affected theoverall outcome of the elections.”

In its post-election statement, the TMG also noted a high level of misconduct, which it stated couldcompromise the integrity of the processand potentially erode public confidence in the entire transition to civilian rule.Against this backdrop, the TMG cau-tioned the incoming government fromtaking “any triumphalist insistence on

Members of the Transition Monitoring Group listen to an election official (left) describe the votingprocess during a training session for TMG monitors before polls in Nigeria.

Continued from page 1

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a ‘winner-take-all’ stance on the basis of a supposed democratic mandate.”Rather, the Group encouraged the government to “make a determined and sustained effort to cultivate dem-ocratic norms and values....”

Following the February polls, NDIsponsored a program for TMG membersfrom throughout the country who con-vened in Abuja to examine the future of the coalition and its role in Nigeria’snew political environment. Leaders ofsimilar coalitions from Bangladesh,Ghana, Mexico and Romania shared

now focuses on federalism and redistrib-uting that authority to regional and locallevels. Nigeria’s state governors will playa central role in that debate.

The April program examinedissues such as federalism as a constitu-tional arrangement; the role of thestate executive; and inter-party rela-tions. An international panel of stategovernment experts from Canada,South Africa and the U.S. discussedstrategies for addressing inequities at the federal level and the value ofcreating a multiparty governors’ orga-nization that could serve as a forum for sharing advice, discussing issuesand deliberating policies. In a privatemeeting during the conference, theNigerian governors decided to form a national association, and requestedthat NDI assist this initiative by pro-viding links between them and theircounterparts in other federal systemsaround the world.

NDI is also conducting West,Central & East Africa programs in the Central African Republic,Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Mali andNiger. A regional program helpspromote dialogue and establishmechanisms for improving civil-military relations.

their experiences in converting electionmonitoring groups into broad-basedadvocacy organizations that serve aslinks between citizens and elected offi-cials. TMG members decided to beginworking with the National Assemblyand other elected officials in formulat-ing policy, mounting civic educationprograms and monitoring the ongoingtransition process.

In April, NDI conducted an orienta-tion program for the 36 governors-elect.Power has long resided in Nigeria’scentral government, but political debate

Retired General Colin Powell, a co-leader of the NDI/Carter Center election observer delegation, at a polling station in Lagos, Nigeria.

At an NDI-sponsored forum, Nigerian governors-elect are joined by former Pennsylvania Governor Dick Thornburgh, South Dakota Lieutenant Gover-nor Carole Hilliard, former Ontario Premier Robert Rae and Professor Fink Haysom, chief legal adviser to then-South Africa President Nelson Mandela.

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NDI and the government of Yemenconvened this unusual gathering ofemerging democracies in June thatbrought together heads of state and government, members of governing and opposition parties, and representa-tives of labor, business and civic groupsfrom developing countries that havecleared early democratic hurdles, butwhose quiet progress is often overshad-owed by countries strategically moreimportant or in crisis. While the par-ticipating countries—including Benin,Bolivia, El Salvador, Georgia, Ghana,Guatemala, Guyana, Macedonia,


Namibian Prime Minister Hage Geingob.

Yemen Prime Minister Abdul Karim Al-Eryani and President Alpha Oumar Konare of Mali.

“There is no one model for democracy, but rather manymodels and many experiences... as the community of

democracies has grown, democratic practice has become inseparable from democratic cooperation.”

—Kenneth Wollack, NDI President

“We must continuallyreaffirm thatdemocratic

government as anintegral system is the

only way for fulfilling the political

and economicaspirations of our

peoples and for realizing socialjustice, and that thissystem is the key to

sustainabledevelopment.”

—Abdul Karim Al-Eryani,Prime Minister of Yemen


Malawi, Mali, Mongolia, Morocco,Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal andYemen—are establishing a track record of democratic development, the long-term outcome is far from certain.

At the three-day summit entitled“Managing the Twin Transitions: Politi-cal and Economic Reform in EmergingDemocracies,” participants were able to reaffirm their commitment to con-tinued democratic reform in their coun-tries, share experiences and ideas, anddemonstrate to the international com-munity the importance of the transitionprocess in these unheralded democra-cies. The political leaders analyzed andaddressed common challenges faced indifficult democratic transitions, high-lighting both the significant achieve-ments and daunting problems of thesecountries, in an effort to encourage anongoing domestic and internationalcommitment to the democratic reformprocess. In the Sana’a Declaration,Forum participants pointed out that

“democratic progress in our states con-tributes to peace, stability and prosperityboth within and beyond our borders.”

In workshop sessions, participantstook a close look at the politics of hardchoices—the challenges of makingeconomically painful decisions whilesimultaneously developing multipartystructures, free and fair elections andpublic participation, including the inte-gration of women into all levels of politi-cal and economic decisionmaking. Othertopics included economic restructuring,fighting corruption and ensuring freedomof speech and of the press.

Agreement on the contents of theSana’a Declaration was significant sincethe document went beyond accepted,broad democratic principles that arecommonplace at similar conferences.The document provided specific ways to apply these principles—a “road mapfor democratic development” is how one participant described the Declaration.Promoting civil society, for example,would include tax-exempt status for civicorganizations and legislation that wouldnot restrict the activities of these groups.

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NDI President Kenneth Wollack and Yemen President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Co-chairs of the Emerging Democracies Forum, former Bolivian President GonzaloSanchez de Lozada and former Canadian Prime Minister Kim Campbell.

The Emerging Democracies Forum was aproject of NDI and the government ofYemen It was cosponsored by: the UnitedNations Development Programme and thegovernment of Japan in partnership withthe governments of the Netherlands, theUnited Kingdom and the United States,and the Canadian International Develop-ment Agency, the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung,the International Labour Organization,Irish Aid, the National Endowment forDemocracy, the U.S. Agency for Interna-tional Development, the WestminsterFoundation for Democracy and the World Bank.

Other supporters included: the ArcaFoundation, Canadian Occidental Petro-leum Yemen, the Occidental PetroleumCompany, Yemen Hunt Oil Company andYemenia Airlines.

NDI would like to thank these organi-zations, governments and corporations.Without their support and involvement,the Forum would not have been possible.

INTERNATIONAL ADVISORY COMMITTEEEmerging Democracies Forum

Continued on back page

Implementing procedures to ensure pub-lic access to committee meetings andholding public forums would advancetransparency in government decision-making. Public confidence in electionswould be enhanced by establishing inde-pendent election commissions that arenonpartisan or politically balanced.

NDI plans to maintain the networkestablished in Yemen through regionalconsultations, exchange visits by indi-vidual experts, an interactive website

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“Human development aims to expand people’s choices for a better life....[T]he most significant choices are those that are guaranteed by the rights and freedoms of expression,

organization and participation since they play a crucial role in mobilizing people’s contributions to development and to decisions that affect their life and future.”

—U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan

NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC INSTITUTE

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Paul G. Kirk, Jr.Chairman

Rachelle HorowitzVice Chair

Kenneth F. MelleySecretary

Eugene EidenbergTreasurer

Kenneth D. WollackPresident

Bernard W. AronsonJ. Brian AtwoodElizabeth F. BagleyJoan B. CalambokidisDon CameronBarbara J. EasterlingGeraldine A. FerraroPatrick J. GriffinJoan Anderson GroweShirley Robinson HallMaxine IsaacsPeter KovlerElliott F. KulickNat LaCourLewis ManilowMolly RaiserMark A. SiegelMarva A. SmallsMichael R. SteedMaurice TempelsmanMark R. WarnerMarvin F. WeissbergAlan WheatRaul Yzaguirre

Walter F. MondaleCharles T. ManattChairmen Emeriti

SENIOR ADVISORY COMMITTEE TO THE BOARD

William V. AlexanderMichael D. BarnesJohn BrademasBill BradleyEmanuel Cleaver IIMario M. CuomoPatricia M. DerianChristopher J. DoddMichael S. DukakisThomas F. EagletonMartin FrostRichard N. GardnerRichard A. GephardtJohn T. JoycePeter G. KellyJohn LewisMike J. MansfieldDonald F. McHenryAbner J. MikvaAzie Taylor MortonDaniel Patrick MoynihanCharles S. RobbStephen J. SolarzTheodore C. SorensenEsteban E. TorresCyrus R. VanceAnne WexlerAndrew J. Young

and other mechanismsthat will promote ongo-ing transfers of ideas andexperiences. Accordingto political party leadersin Yemen, the confer-ence has already influ-enced politics in theForum’s host country. A recent congressof the ruling General People’s Congressparty elected a female parliamentarian tothe party’s top committee and 50 women—an increase of 19—to the next highest

“‘Globalization is no guarantee ofcontinued democratization. These

countries merit our respect and our help.”—Zephirin Diabre, Associate Administrator, United

Nations Development Programme

“We represent a diversity ofdemocratic experience, butour attendance at this Forumdemonstrates the universalityof the democratic idea. Thisgroup of nations with differ-ent traditions, cultures andhistorical experiences was broughttogether by a shared commitment to democracy and a belief that thepromise of democratic prosperityenjoyed by all citizens is more likelyrealized in a democratic political envi-ronment based on respect for human

rights, popular participationand the rule of law....

As a result of this con-ference, we hope to establishmechanisms between ourcountries to continue thesharing of ideas and ex-

periences....We also look forward to working together in a variety of international fora to promote de-mocratic principles and practices. Weintend to support the efforts of othercountries that are beginning theprocess of democratic transition.”


—Excerpt from the Sana’a Declaration

committee. “Yemen must be the firstcountry to follow through on the Sana’aDeclaration and its principles,” said oneparty leader. “This is a direct fruit of theEmerging Democracies Forum.”

a review of political development in new … · golkar party, led by habibie, which has dominated...

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