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Shaping policy for development

An overview of Lagoro IDP camp in Kitgum District, northern Uganda, 20 May 2007. Manoocher Deghati/IRIN
Fri, 09/27/2013 - 16:26 -- Anonymous (not verified)
Côte d'Ivoire Holds Legislative By-Elections.
Côte d'Ivoire Holds Legislative By-Elections.

License: Creative Commons
Credit: UN Photo/Hien Macline
Source: UN Photo

ODI On... Elections in 2013

1 January - 31 December 2013

2012 saw some momentous elections - in Sierra Leone and Ghana among others - and 2013 promises to be another important year. ODI is working to track and respond to electoral themes and processes.

Outputs
Overview
Outputs
Lisa Denney

Why Australia's new PM should rethink foreign aid cuts

Opinion - Articles and blogs - 9 September 2013
'Before hastily cutting the aid budget to reduce the country's deficit, Australia's new prime minister and his party would do well to consider the impact of such cuts – to Australia's reputation as a good international citizen that adheres to long-standing commitments, and to good aid practice.'
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Alina Rocha Menocal

The chasm between elections and democracy

Opinion - Articles and blogs - 23 July 2013
'Elections are the most visible and identifiable element of democracy. However, what we have learned over the years is that, while elections are important, they are far from sufficient to ensure democracy.'
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Alina Rocha Menocal

Transition in Egypt

Opinion - Articles and blogs - 8 July 2013
'Events developing in Egypt over the past year show us that democracy is more than a box-ticking exercise.'
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Vikki Chambers

Elections in Guinea: the beginning, not the end

Opinion - Articles and blogs - 13 May 2013

As Guinea gears up for its long overdue legislative elections on 27 June, one important issue is being overlooked. In the long process of diplomatic negotiations, external carrot waving, political unrest and violent opposition protests, the elections are seen as the final rather than the first step in the democratic process. The international community believes that the elections are indispensable for Guinea to establish legitimacy and unlock its development potential and they may be right.

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Claudia Pompa

Paraguay: what does Cartes' victory mean?

Opinion - Articles and blogs - 26 April 2013
'Cartes’ election raises significant concernsa among all Paraguayans who are concerned with politics. Under Cartes we can expect, over the next five years, continuing high levels of inequality in land ownership and social justice and poor or declining quality of our democratic institutions. This is certainly not a positive outlook for a nation in dire need of structural change.'
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Alina Rocha Menocal

Kenya's peaceful election doesn't make it a healthy democracy

Opinion - Articles and blogs - 22 March 2013
'Overall, there is room to interpret the Kenyan elections with some optimism, but there are also real grounds for concern. Whether one sees the glass as half full or half empty, one thing is clear. This is no time to be complacent. The fate of Kenyan democracy hangs in the balance.'
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Alina Rocha Menocal

Kenya election 2013: key challenges to consolidating democracy

Opinion - Podcasts and audio - 28 February 2013

'Yes, the Kenyan election is momentous and important... but social transformation and democratic consolidation is not instantaneous. This election is just the first step along what is bound to be a bumpy road to democracy.'

In this interview Alina Rocha Menocal, Research Fellow in the Politics and Governance programme at ODI, discusses the forthcoming elections in Kenya with Sarah Jenkins, Aberystwyth University.

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Overview

2012 saw some momentous elections - in Sierra Leone and Ghana among others - and 2013 promises to be another important year. ODI is working to track and respond to electoral themes and processes.

An astonishing political transformation has taken place around the world over the past three decades. Today, a majority of countries are ‘electoral democracies’. Even the Middle East, a region that long seemed immune to democratisation, is in the midst of momentous change. In country after country, people have risked their lives to call for free elections, and elections have been held in all but 11 countries since 2000. Clearly, there is a lot more to democracy than elections — but elections are among its most visible elements, and they have become almost universal.

Elections hold tremendous promise to deepen the quality of democratic governance but their benefits are by no means assured. This is why elections should command attention and priority. This ODI page brings together key documents, reports, opinion pieces and research that ODI researchers have developed or been involved with around elections, with regular updates on important electoral themes and ongoing electoral processes worldwide.

For more ODI commentary on elections, see all our work on this theme.

Politics and Governance