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International Movement of Parliamentarians for Democracy
Advancing Democracy:
Advancing Democracy is the bi-monthly newsletter of the International Movement of Parliamentarians for Democracy highlighting democratic developments around the world of particular interest to parliamentarians. We hope the information found in this newsletter will be helpful to parliamentarians seeking to strengthen the promotion of democracy in your country and globally. We welcome any suggestions you may have for content in future issues of Advancing Democracy. Please send your suggestion to Tiffany Lynch at jamesb@ned.org. Feel free to share the newsletter with colleagues and encourage them to join the network. More information about the IMPD and how to become a member can be found at www.wmd.org/impd/main.html.
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Table of Contents II. Elections
I. Developments in Democracy
III. Publications
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Afghanistan, October 9
Hamid Karzai was sworn-in as Afghanistan's first directly-elected president amid tight security at his fortified Presidential Palace. Karzai, who got the mandate through the historic Oct. 9 presidential elections to rule the post-war nation for a five-year term, earlier ruled the country as head of the interim and transitional administrations after the fall of Taliban in late 2001.
Australia, October 9
The Liberal-National Coalition government, led by Prime Minister John Howard, has been re-elected for a fourth term in the Australian general election held on Oct. 9. The Coalition increased their majority in the House of Representatives by picking up a nationwide swing of around 3.5 percent and will control the Upper House Senate.
Belarus, October 17
A controversial referendum in Belarus has approved the lifting of a constitutional ban on a third term for President Alexander Lukashenko. The EU and US have questioned whether the poll was free and fair. Belarus' electoral commission head said preliminary results showed President Lukashenko had won 77.3% of the votes and the turnout was nearly 90%. Alongside the referendum, Belarus was also electing a new lower chamber of parliament - the House of Representatives. Irregularities, fraud, ballot stuffing, and police activity during the election have caused internal and international suspicion concerning the validity of the results.
Kosovo, October 23
Kosovo's Serb minority largely boycotted parliamentary elections, dealing a blow to international efforts to create multi-ethnic harmony in the province. The Albanian majority, however, eagerly cast ballots it hoped would bring the former Yugoslav territory closer to independence, but the lopsided turnout could further delay talks on Kosovo's future. Kosovo's ethnic Albanians want independence, while Kosovo Serbs and Belgrade want the province to remain part of Serbia-Montenegro, the successor to Yugoslavia.
Uruguay, October 31
Tabare Vazquez has been elected as Uruguay's President with election monitors confirming he received 50.9% of the vote, avoiding a run-off. Mr. Vazques's Frente Amplio coalition party also took control, giving Uruguay one-party government control, ending 170 years of two-party rule in Uruguay.
United States, November 2
President Bush was elected to a second term in national elections held November 2, defeating Democratic challenger and long time Senator, John Kerry. The margin of votes between the candidates, while close, was significant enough to avoid the controversy surrounding the 2000 elections. The Republican Party also won a number congressional and Senate seats increasing their control over both the House and Senate.
Namibia, November 16 &17
The ruling South West African People's Organization (SWAPO) pulled over 75 percent of all votes cast in that country's Presidential and Parliamentary elections. Hifikepunye Pohamba will become the second President since Namibia's Independence in 1990, replacing fellow liberation struggle leader Sam Nujoma. In Parliament, SWAPO will retain 55 seats, while opposition parties will share the remaining 17.
Bolivia, December 5
Local municipal elections held throughout Bolivia show strong support for opposition parties as well as many indigenous groups in voting held for mayors and councilors in 327 municipalities. The new groups campaigned mostly on issues they say are crucial to Bolivians, such as cleaner streets, more access to health and education and better transport. In a country where the political process had been known to largely exclude indigenous peoples this round of elections is seen by many as a positive step towards inclusion in Bolivia's political structure.
UKRAINE
Developing story
Ukraine's supreme court ordered a second run-off election for Dec. 26 after the country's opposition party mounted mass demonstrations protesting the victory claimed by pro-Moscow Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych against West-leaning Viktor Yushchenko in a campaign that election observers said was rigged by the government. Ukraine's outgoing leader, President Leonid Kuchma, denied he had agreed on concessions with his opponents to end a crisis that has plunged the country into turmoil and driven a wedge between Russia and the West. Russia and the United States clashed over their efforts to win influence in Ukraine, with Moscow warning the West against interfering in former Soviet states -- a region it considers to be its backyard. Washington rejected the charges. In the latest setback for international mediation efforts to reconcile an opposition that has mobilized hundreds of thousands of protesters and Kuchma, the veteran leader reversed his stance on concessions within a matter of hours. Last month's election, rigged by the authorities to hand power to Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich, pushed the country into two weeks of political and economic chaos. The Supreme Court backed opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko's charges that the poll was tainted by fraud and set a re-run for Dec. 26.
BURMA
Burma's military government claims the National Convention was a historic step forward in the country's move towards democracy. Announcing plans for the convention last August, the government touted it as an important part of a seven-point "roadmap" for change. But even before the delegates walked into the conference hall, opposition groups and government critics were questioning whether the meeting would have any legitimacy. The main opposition party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), boycotted the convention. The NLD said it had decided to boycott the talks for two main reasons - the continued detention of two senior party figures, leader Aung San Suu Kyi and chairman Tin Oo, and the closure of its regional offices. Other parties and ethnic groups have also boycotted the convention, including the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD) and the Karen National Union (KNU). The international community also criticized the Burmese junta's failure to reach a compromise with the NLD, as well as the continued detention of opposition leaders such as Aung San Suu Kyi.
ZIMBABWE
The leader of Zimbabwe's opposition urged the UK and Europe to put pressure on the country's president, Robert Mugabe, to make next March's elections "free and fair". Speaking in London at the end of a campaign tour of Africa and Europe, Morgan Tsvangirai, the leader of the Movement for Democratic Change, warned the country risked deteriorating into "another Darfur" if that did not happen. Mr. Tsvangirai said the Zimbabwean electoral process had been ravaged by violence. The MDC has said it may not take part in the 2005 elections if reforms fail to happen, and Mr. Tsvangirai today said the matter would be decided in the next few weeks following debate within the party. Some analysts are skeptical over whether the MDC would actually pull out of the elections, but party officials said the threat was genuine and was a strategic move to put pressure on Mr. Mugabe. The 2002 presidential elections were won by Mr. Mugabe, but the result was disputed and was condemned by international human rights groups. Mr. Tsvangirai wants electoral reforms to take place within guidelines set by the Southern African Development Community (SADC). Mr. Mugabe ratified a protocol on elections with other SADC leaders in August, but Mr. Tsvangirai said reforms that had been made were "cosmetic", and that the president had backtracked on his promises. Mr. Tsvangirai said there was still another charge of treason against him, but he was not worried about it because there was no case. Meanwhile in Zimbabwe, Mr. Mugabe's Zanu-PF party congress began, and there were reports that several officials have been expelled from the party. Mr. Tsvangirai said the expulsions were likely to be because Mr. Mugabe, who is 80, is trying to control his succession.
COTE D'IVOIRE
All sides in Cote D'Ivoire's conflict have agreed on measures to revive a moribund peace plan and speed up its implementation. An alarmed African Union asked South African President Thabo Mbeki to step in after a major flare-up raised the prospect of a slide into all-out war and caused thousands of expatriates to flee a country seen for decades as a haven of stability and prosperity. The crisis in the West African state began in September 2002, when a rebel movement failed to oust President Laurent Gbagbo from power but seized the north of the country. Mbeki said his delegation -- including United Nations, European Union, World Bank and other international officials -- had set down timelines for implementing the measures, but would not make them public right away. The team had worked on the basis of the peace deal known as the Linas-Marcoussis pact, brokered last year by former colonial power France, rather than trying to produce a new plan. That may not please Gbagbo's camp, which signed the pact reluctantly. A succession of mediators and international conferences has failed to turn all the provisions of Linas-Marcoussis into reality and many Ivorians are likely to be skeptical about the new initiative unless it produces results. The conflict generally pits the richer, mainly Christian south against the poorer Muslim north but many analysts say in reality it has more to do with rival politicians vying for the spoils of power and control of the lucrative cocoa industry. A recent surge in violence began when Gbagbo's forces shattered an 18-month cease-fire to launch an assault on the rebel-held north and killed nine French soldiers in an air raid. France hit back by crippling the Ivorian air force, an act which triggered days of rioting and looting by Gbagbo supporters targeting French nationals and other Westerners.
SAUDI ARABIA
Saudis, including prisoners, to start registering for municipal elections barred to women, without presence of foreign observers. Saudis are to start registering for the oil-rich kingdom's landmark municipal elections which will see male prisoners allowed to vote but women barred from voting. The first round of the elections is scheduled for February 10 in Riyadh where Saudi men will kick-off the three-stage process of electing half the members of 178 municipal councils. The other members will be named by the government. Women will not be allowed to take part either as voters or candidates but their participation "will be studied in the next elections four years from now." The first nationwide elections will also be conducted without the presence of foreign observers. Riyadh municipality has set up 140 polling stations in schools, universities and sports clubs to be used for voter registration which will continue until December 22. Regulations issued on August 9 by the municipal affairs ministry stated that all citizens over the age of 21, except military personnel, would be able to vote in the polls. Although the new regulations made no specific reference to whether women could vote, Saudi Interior Minister Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz ruled out their participation. The anticipated ballot is part of a drive to introduce limited reforms, which Riyadh insists must be tailored to Saudi specifications and not necessarily follow a Western pattern.
Reporters Without Borders Announces its Third Annual Worldwide Index of Press Freedom
http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=11715
Northern European and Scandinavian countries rank at the top of the list with the most freedom of Press, while such freedom is threatened most in East Asia (with North Korea at the bottom of the entire list at 167th place, followed by Burma 165th, China 162nd, Vietnam 161st and Laos 153rd) and the Middle East (Saudi Arabia 159th, Iran 158th, Syria 155th, Iraq 148th). In these countries, an independent media either does not exist or journalists are persecuted and censored on a daily basis. Freedom of information and the safety of journalists are not guaranteed there. Continuing war has made Iraq the most deadly place on earth for journalists in recent years, with 44 killed there since fighting began in March last year.
Transparency International Releases Global Corruption Index
http://www.globalcorruptionreport.org/
Transparency International monitors and exposes corruption around the world. TI's annual Corruption Perceptions Index, released last week, found rampant corruption in 60 of 146 countries surveyed in 2003. Troublingly, 106 of the nations scored less than a 5 on TI's 10-point scale, and overall showed little shift in their rankings from the year before. The three nations at the bottom of the list were Bangladesh, Haiti, and Nigeria, each with a government rife with bribery. (Other nations might be considered more corrupt, but aren't listed, due to a lack of reliable data.)
Human Rights Watch Publishes Open Letter to Prime Minister of Thailand
http://hrw.org/english/docs/2004/10/28/thaila9576.htm
Human Rights Watch has published an appeal to the Thai Prime Minister Urging the PM to launch an independent investigation into the deaths of 85 people this week and the detention of over 1,200 protestors without access to legal representation. Thai security forces are responsible shooting 7 people, while 78 people died of suffocation while being transported to detention centers in the custody of security forces. The letter recognizes Thailand's improved human rights and democratic record over the past decade, but shows concern over the increasing use of force and human rights violations.
Founded in February 2003, the IMPD is an international coalition of parliamentarians dedicated to the defense and promotion of democracy around the world. Affiliated with the World Movement for Democracy, its current membership is 227 parliamentarians from 33 countries.
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