Palestinian parliamentary election results surprised world leaders, international observers, and even Palestinians themselves when Hamas won a majority of the seats in January 2006.
Topic:
International Relations, Democratization, Human Rights, and Political Economy
In passing and implementing the Access to Information Act 2002, Jamaica has established a new and more open form of governance and accomplished what many other countries are still attempting. The Act, which provides citizens an enforceable right to official documents held by public authorities, is key to enhancing democracy, ensuring citizens' participation, and building greater trust in Government decision making. Access to public documents can assist citizens in exercising their other fundamental socioeconomic rights, such as the right to housing, appropriate health care, and a clean and healthy environment, and it can serve to make government more efficient and effective.
In the summer of 2004, Indonesia held the country's first direct presidential elections since the fall of long-time authoritarian President Soeharto in 1998. As such, these elections represent an important milestone in the consolidation of Indonesia's democratization process. Indonesia followed an ambitious electoral timetable in 2004, starting with the legislative elections on April 5, followed by the first round of the presidential elections on July 5, and culminating in the election of the president on Sept. 20. The legislative elections and the two rounds of the presidential elections were the largest set of single-day elections in the world, with 70 percent of 155 million eligible voters going to the polls. The management of the elections posed logistical and administrative challenges that, on the whole, were adequately tackled by the authorities. As outlined below, The Carter Center observed a number of irregularities—many typical of transitional democracies—but, overall, voters were able to exercise their democratic rights in a peaceful atmosphere and without significant hindrance. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (also known by his acronym SBY) emerged as the clear winner of both rounds of the presidential elections, obtaining 61 percent of the popular vote in the runoff election against the incumbent, Megawati Soekarnoputri.
At the invitation of the Palestinian Central Election Commission (CEC), the National Democratic Institute (NDI), in partnership with The Carter Center (TCC), organized a 76- member international delegation to monitor the January 2005 Palestinian presidential election. The delegation was led by former United States President Jimmy Carter, former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt and former New Jersey Governor and United States Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Christine Todd Whitman, and supported by a grant from the United States Agency for International Development.
Increased competition and opposition participation in elections observed by The Carter Center in Liberia and Ethiopia marked progress for democracy in Africa in recent months. Ethiopia's May 2005 elections for national parliament, which gave citizens ademocratic choice for the first time, were sharply contested by opposition groups. In the Oct. 11 Liberian presidential and legislative elections, the country's first truly competitive elections in 25 years, 22 candidates vied for the presidency.
Topic:
International Relations, Democratization, Human Rights, and Political Economy
Imagine a nation almost half the size of the United States where large portions of the population are sick—not with just one disease but several at once. Such is the daily reality for those living in Nigeria, a nation with one of the highest burdens of disease in Africa.
Topic:
Government, Human Rights, Human Welfare, and Peace Studies
This represents a summary of major issues discussed by participants in the Human Rights Defender Policy Forum organized by The Carter Center and Human Rights First in Atlanta. It is not an exhaustive review of the discussions, nor does it necessarily represent the views of any of the individual participants in the meeting or the organizations they represent. A full report of the meeting will be issued later this year.
Topic:
Conflict Resolution, International Relations, Globalization, and Human Rights
Automated voting (sometimes referred to as electronic or e-voting) technologies are increasingly used in elections across the world, particularly because they are often seen as symbolic of a country's level of modernization. The possibilities for rapid aggregation and analysis of results, as well as potentially greater accuracy, have all added to the attractiveness of computer-based voting equipment. There is little doubt that the ability to quickly publish results can be of particular advantage in conflict and post-conflict scenarios, where a prolonged period of counting can heighten tensions and reduce confidence in the final results. The potential to remove some traditional elements of unintentional voter error or intentional fraud can also contribute to greater confidence, while at the same time raising new questions.
Venezuela President Hugo Chavez won an August recall referendum to complete his term, but reconciling his supporters and the opposition remains a goal after two years of contentious relations mediated by The Carter Center and the Organization of American States.
Topic:
Government, Human Rights, Human Welfare, and Peace Studies
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, Mrs. Carter, and Executive Director John Hardman traveled to West Africa Feb. 2-6 to focus international attention on the need to eliminate the last 1 percent of Guinea worm disease remaining in the world and launch a development initiative in Mali.