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[1]
New Website Has Practical Information for Organizing Candidate Debates
[2]

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July 2014

[2]

Bringing candidates together to discuss issues face to face with voters
and each other has become a mainstay of the political landscape in many
nations. Especially in new democracies, debates help voters make informed
choices, hold candidates accountable for their election promises and reduce
the potential for political violence. However, organizing a debate is a
difficult task--challenges range from fundraising to convincing candidates
to participate.

A new website created by NDI and the U.S.-based Commission on Presidential
Debates provides information to help sponsors organize all aspects of
candidate debates, from selecting a format to set design to ethical
guidelines, and more. Read more [2]

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NDI's Lila Jaafar Testifies at Hearing on the Struggle for Civil Society
in Egypt [3]

"There is still a great hunger for democracy in Egypt," said NDI staff
member Lila Jaafar in July 24 testimony before the U.S. House Foreign
Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa. She said this is
"especially among the youth who now recognize that it will take more than
street demonstrations to create a more pluralistic and democratic system."
Jaafar, one of 43 people convicted last June as part of a crackdown by the
Egyptian government on NGOs, was among four witnesses who discussed the
effect of the convictions on their lives. Read more [3]

Nicaragua Leadership Academy Reunion Connects Young Leaders [4]

More than 1,300 young activists, political party members and civil society
representatives from across Nicaragua have completed NDI's Leadership and
Political Management program over the past four years to hone the skills
needed to govern and become democratic community leaders. A reunion this
spring, which brought together 150 alumni, also marked the launch of RedEs
(_Red de Egresados y Egresadas_), a network to help the graduates support
each other as they work to design and carry out advocacy and political
projects in their communities. Read more [4]

New NDI Guide Looks at Ways to Curb Electoral Violence [5]

A new publication from NDI documents how nonpartisan citizen observers are
playing an increasingly important role in monitoring elections and
mitigating electoral violence around the world. The guide, _Monitoring and
Mitigating Electoral Violence through Nonpartisan Citizen Observation_,
looks at areas such as long-term observation, media monitoring,
crowdsourcing and mapping violence related data, and mitigating violence.
Read more [5]

New Tails Computer Operating System Helps Protect Activists [6]

As the Internet has made it easier to access and share information, it has
also opened up users to security threats. Civil society advocates in closed
societies often face the threat of their communications being tracked,
hacked and disabled. That's where Tails--"The Amnesic Incognito Live
System" -- comes in. The system allows users to be anonymous on the
Internet, circumvent censorship and defend against hackers. NDI recently
celebrated the launch of Tails 1.0 during a June 6 panel discussion in
Washington, D.C. Read more [6]

Liberian Student's Moving Testimony Sparks Efforts to Improve Sanitation
[7]

Seventeen-year-old Theresa Kanneh stood in front of a group of Liberian
senators as she described the poor state of sanitation in the nation's
schools. Conditions are so poor, she said, that students are forced to
relieve themselves in bushes due to a lack of working toilets. Her
testimony -- the result of an investigative study mission for legislators
organized by NDI and the WASH Network--has inspired senators on the Joint
Committee on Public Works and Rural Development and Public Corporations to
renew efforts for reform in the water and sanitation sector. Read more
[7]

Mexican Congress Launches New Initiative to Increase Legislative
Transparency [8]

Despite a 2002 federal law requiring transparency and access to
information, citizens of Mexico still face difficulty receiving data they
need to participate in the policy making process and hold their government
officials accountable. This spring, during the country's first Transparency
and Open Parliament Week, the Mexican Congress gathered more than 250
people in an unprecedented effort to take steps to increase transparency
and involve citizens in the legislative process. Read more [8]

Citizen and International Observers, Election Officials Meet to Promote
Credible Elections [9]

In another first, Mexico City hosted a meeting with election experts from
more than 25 countries on five continents, who discussed how to promote
electoral integrity and strengthen election observation around the world.
The Electoral Management Body-Citizen Observer-International Observer
Dialogue was hosted by NDI, Mexico's National Electoral Institute (INE),
the Global Network of Domestic Election Monitors (GNDEM) and the
Organization of American States (OAS). Read more [9]

Madame Parliamentarian Documentary Explores Political Presence of Women in
Lebanon [10]

Despite being one of the first countries in the Arab world to give women
the right to vote, only four of 128 parliamentarians in Lebanon are women.
A new documentary, Madame Parliamentarian, examines the political
challenges facing Lebanese women vying for a place in the country's
political process. NDI recently hosted a screening and panel with filmmaker
Rouane Itani on strategies to increase women's political participation in
the region. Read more [10]

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The National Democratic Institute is a nonpartisan, nonprofit,
nongovernmental organization working to support and strengthen democratic
institutions worldwide through citizen participation, openness and
accountability in government.

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