As election day in Indonesia comes to an end, will the appointment of over 20,000 new legislators make its parliament more open and transparent? Indonesia is the world’s third largest democracy and 192 million voters are going to the polls today. That is why, as in any democracy, it is important to have an open [...]
Women’s political leadership improves societies around the world – raising economic productivity, reducing child and maternal mortality, and increasing opportunities for education and better health. Despite these benefits women face multiple barriers in politics, including violence. On 26 March, the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Democracy in the World, a cross-party group of MPs and [...]
Scotland and Malawi have one of the strongest people to people links in the world, with 46% of Scots able to name a friend or family member with a connection to Malawi. This historic partnership and the Scottish National Party’s (SNP) positive experience of women in leadership meant supporting the Parliamentary Women’s Caucus of Malawi [...]
Progress is being made globally to increase the number of women in political leadership positions. Political parties can play a fundamental role supporting more women to get in to politics. WFD’s multi-party office, the Liberal Democrats and the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom organised the inaugural Women’s Leadership Programme of the Africa Liberal Network on [...]
Over 200 participants from more than 10 countries in Africa called for increased youth participation in politics at landmark Commonwealth Partnership for Democracy (CP4D) conference, hosted by the Parliament of Uganda on 4-5 March. High entry costs are a big barrier to youth participation and the Speaker of Uganda, Rebecca Kadega, committed to asking parliament to [...]
2019 is a memorable year for Nigerians as it marks 20 years since the end of military rule. And the sixth general election – which took place on 23 February - is an opportunity to consolidate democratic governance in the country. In the run up to the election, Westminster Foundation for Democracy, in partnership with [...]
Life in the region of Batken can be hard. Situated in the south west of Kyrgystan, Batken is one of the poorest regions in the country. The population spend most days trying to make a living and when they do get the opportunity to relax, they prefer to watch TV programmes from the neighbouring Tajikistan [...]
On 18-19 February, the Malaysian Parliament held the Women’s Political Leadership conference in Kuala Lumpur. The #WomenWhoLead summit brought together political and civil society leaders and influencers from across the Commonwealth to share inspiration and insights around the myths that prevent us from creating positive change for women’s rights. Co-hosted with the Westminster Foundation [...]
The EU Commission’s will potentially deploy Short and Long Term Observers for the EU EOM Malawi – pending the final decision of the High Representative to observe the tripartite elections scheduled to take place on 21 May 2019. WFD is now initiating the selection process for Short and Long-Term observers. To be considered as a [...]