Overview

The International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) is an independent, nongovernmental organization providing support to electoral democracy. Through field work, applied research, and advocacy, IFES strives to promote citizen participation, transparency, and accountability in political life and civil society. Since its founding in 1987, IFES has worked in over 100 countries worldwide, including over 15 in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Current Projects

African Union

IFES is implementing its USAID-funded Technical Assistance for Elections Support program through the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Specifically, IFES is working closely with the newly established Democracy and Electoral Assistance Unit (DEAU) within the AU to effectively support national election commissions across the continent, as well as to create a pool of trained African electoral experts capable of effectively monitoring elections throughout Africa. Under IFES’s guidance, the Unit has become fully staffed and has taken charge of AU election observation missions since 2008. The Carter Center and the Electoral Institute of Southern Africa (EISA) are partnering with IFES on certain aspects of the program.

Burundi

IFES most recently worked in Burundi from 2007–2008 while implementing a program to build the capacity of anticorruption institutions. Currently, IFES is providing targeted and strategic support to the principal Burundian stakeholders in the course of the 2009–2010 electoral cycle. With funding from USAID, IFES’s two-year Burundi Electoral Assistance and Technical Support program seeks to build the professional capacity of electoral administrators at the national, provincial, and communal levels to lead and manage the electoral process professionally and transparently; inform and educate the general population and marginalized groups on their rights and responsibilities in the electoral process while promoting public awareness and active civic engagement in support of transparent and peaceful elections; and build the capacity of and provide support to targeted electoral stakeholders for the establishment of a sustained election violence mitigation system.

Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)

IFES has been working in the DRC for over a decade, most recently with programs aimed at tackling corruption and building the capacity of civil society. Currently, IFES is implementing the USAID-funded Voter Opinion and Involvement through Civic Education (VOICE) project to improve the capacity of the Congolese people to participate in the decentralization and electoral processes. IFES will conduct a range of activities aimed at enabling Congolese stakeholders to better understand and engage in democratic processes; motivating citizens, particularly excluded groups, to engage with the government and participate in elections; and fostering indigenous capacity to implement civic and voter education campaigns.  Building on the foundation of a solid set of activities and tools, as well as lessons learned from the 2006 elections, the VOICE project is introducing a number of innovative components, including a contest leading to the production and broadcast of three popular songs promoting political participation, production of a comic book and other media programming on decentralization, and civic education outreach through non-traditional civic education actors such as health workers and community leaders.

Guinea

IFES has been working in Guinea since 1991 and has since conducted several technical assessments and provided technical assistance to a variety of electoral stakeholders, including Guinea’s Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI). With USAID funding, IFES has supported the CENI in preparing for transparent, credible, and participatory legislative and presidential elections in 2010. This support focused on strengthening commissioners’ operational capacity and commitment to electoral integrity on the national and local level, as well as on assisting the CENI in its efforts to keep the population informed about the electoral process through a national public awareness campaign targeting women and a series of electoral stakeholder roundtables. Recently, IFES has begun working toward fostering a peaceful electoral environment in Guinea.

Liberia

IFES has a rich experience in Liberia, where it has worked over the past 15 years to support democracy and elections, including the landmark 2005 elections, which set the country on a path toward stability and development. IFES’s current five-year, USAID-funded Building Sustainable Elections Management in Liberia program will support the various upcoming elections in Liberia, including the constitutional referendum, 2011 general elections, local elections, and by-elections. Ultimately, IFES aims to increase the capacity of the National Elections Commission (NEC) to efficiently, effectively, impartially, and sustainably manage elections in the coming years. This support will focus on boundary delimitation, voter registration, civic and voter education, and general capacity building.

Nigeria

Building on more than ten years of working in Nigeria, IFES’s current project focuses on strengthening the capacity of Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to manage the electoral process effectively, efficiently, and transparently. In addition, IFES is working with INEC and other stakeholders, including judges, lawyers, and civil society organizations, to ensure that elections are free from the fraud and violence that plagued the 2007 elections. IFES’s support focuses both on the 2011 elections and on building the long-term capacity of Nigerian stakeholders to oversee elections without international support.

Sudan

IFES is currently implementing a three-year USAID contract for Sudan Election Administration Support aimed at helping the Sudanese National Electoral Commission deliver technically sound and credible elections as called for in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. This support will cover the presidential, gubernatorial, and legislative elections planned for 2010, as well as the Southern Sudan and Abyei referenda scheduled for 2011. IFES’s program is designed to accompany all phases of the electoral process and aims to support election management and build the Commission’s capacity in the areas of the regulatory framework, organizational set up, operations, and training, as well as to provide support in procuring electoral commodities.

Recent Projects

Angola

As Angola prepared for its first elections in 16 years, IFES provided technical assistance to the country’s fledgling National Electoral Commission (CNE) with funding from USAID. Once the date for the 2008 election was set, IFES opened a permanent field office in Luanda and deployed a number of local and international technical experts to assist the CNE. This assistance focused on electoral operations, the design and estab­lishment of an election observation unit, assistance with election logistics, and expansion of the scope and reach of the civic and voter education campaign. Under a sub-award from Search for Common Ground, IFES also strengthened the capacity of journalists to engage in the electoral process and facilitate the media’s role in supporting the flow of elections-related information between the provinces and the capital. Since election day, IFES has supported the CNE in assessing election operations and has conducted several trainings to build CNE capacity in election management.

Djibouti

From 2007–2008, IFES implemented a USAID-funded program in Djibouti with the goal of building an inclusive public di­alogue on the electoral system and increasing civil society participation in the peace and governance processes. A series of workshops were held at the end of 2007 aimed at increasing the participation of women and other members of civil society in the country’s political process. In early 2008, IFES focused its programming on support the February legislative elec­tions in the form of training for poll workers and members of Djibouti’s Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI).

Kenya

IFES has worked in Kenya since 1992, conducting a number of electoral assessments and working to create more transparent and competitive electoral processes and build the capacity of the Electoral Commission of Kenya (ECK). Following the 2007 elections, IFES, with support from the Open Society Institute of East Africa (OSIEA), conducted an evaluation and compiled a report based on a review of the Kenyan electoral process, making recommendations for credible, accountable, and effective electoral reforms. The thorough evaluation of the Kenyan electoral process was presented to the Independent Review Com­mittee (IREC) in August 2008 in order to provide recommendations alongside the findings of the IREC. IFES was able to draw upon lessons learned from the last several years of providing technical assistance to the ECK in the compilation of the evaluation report.

Malawi

In preparation for Malawi’s 2009 elections, IFES assisted the Malawi Election Commission (MEC) in its civic and voter educa­tion efforts. IFES worked with the MEC to develop a voter education and voter information strategy, a detailed operational plan, and materials that accurately portray the electoral process. This technical assistance provided a framework and methodology for the MEC and civil society groups to reach potential voters and society at large, potentially vastly improving the quality of participation in democratic processes and ensuring the sustainability and vitality of democratic participation.

Nigeria            

In preparation for Nigeria’s 2007 elections, IFES provided technical assistance and strategic capacity building to the Inde­pendent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and a range of CSOs and coalitions working on electoral issues. IFES also strengthened political party participation in the election by giving particular attention to party finances and the transpar­ency and accountability of political parties. Following the problematic elections, IFES monitored the election complaints tribunal process, initiated a conference to determine a plan for moving forward democratically, and assessed the impact of voter education through a national survey.

Sierra Leone

Since 1999, IFES has conducted various activities in Sierra Leone aiming to build the capacity of the National Electoral Commission (NEC) and the Political Parties Registration Commission (PPRC). Through strengthening and advising these bodies, IFES facilitated the work of other stakeholders, such as civil society organizations, political parties, and, ultimately, the electorate of Sierra Leone itself, with a particular emphasis on women participation. IFES’s support has included voter education trainings for NEC staff and political party representatives, assistance to civil society trainers, roundtables with stakeholders including the District Code of Conduct Moni­toring Committees, and the development of regulations for transparency in campaign finance. These efforts contributed to peaceful elections in both 2007 (national) and 2008 (local).

Togo

IFES’s project in Togo focused on the country’s March 2010 elections. IFES strengthened the capacity of civil society organizations to conduct a voter education campaign on the voter registration process and a get-out-the-vote campaign prior to the election. This program helped prepare the Togolese for effective political participation, and working with civil society organizations helped build local capacity to continue conducting public outreach using effective tools and methodologies to reach the entire electorate, particularly women, youth, and persons with disabilities.

For more detailed information, visit www.ifes.org/africa