In October, Tunisia, the country that ignited the Arab Spring, went to the polls to elect a National Constituent Assembly, a body tasked with writing a new constitution. Moroccans and Egyptians are also building new governing bodies through parliamentary elections at the end of November.  In coming months, Libyans and Yemenis may also witness elections.

As citizens of the Middle East and North Africa demand democratic reform through the ballot, it is important to understand the steps that must be taken to conduct elections that reflect the will of the people. It is also crucial to understand the groundwork that must be in place before the polls open to ensure credible elections and continued democratic development.

Please join us online for a discussion on the challenges Arab Spring countries face in holding free and fair elections and ensuring an effective transition to democracy. Please visit http://www.ifes.org/Multimedia.aspx at the time of the event to watch online. You may email your questions to Laura Osio at losio@ifes.org or by tweeting them with the hashtag #ArabSpringVotes.

Featured Speakers

Staffan Darnolf, IFES Senior Elections Advisor, Libya
Joshua Hersh, Foreign Policy Correspondent, Huffington Post
Nicolas Kaczorowski, IFES Country Director, Tunisia
Fida Nasrallah, IFES Deputy Country Director, Egypt 

Moderated by Richard Chambers, IFES Country Director, Lebanon