IAD September Updates
International Association for Democracy
The International Association for Democracy (IAD) is an NGO that works to defend and promote democracy around the globe.
Here comes our September Newsletter. This month is dedicated to The International Day of Democracy, established by the UN on September 15, 2007 to promote and support the principles of democracy across the globe.
The International Day of Democracy
While democracy is celebrated for its ability to provide political legitimacy and governance by consent, challenges and threats are many, such as voter suppression, authoritarianism, and disinformation, which have prompted renewed global discourse on the resilience of democratic institutions.?
The 2023 Democracy Index reveals a sharp decline in global democratic standards, continuing a worrying trend. Countries with the lowest scores, such as China, Sudan, Russia and Myanmar, suffer from high levels of authoritarianism and restrictions on civil liberties.
Russia's invasion in Ukraine, Sudan's civil conflict and the zero-corruption policy in China are key factors explaining the democratic decline in those countries. Increased conflict and instability, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, have further eroded civil liberties and electoral integrity.
Only 8% of the world's population lives in a full democracy!
Nevertheless, increased political engagement through protests and grassroots movements indicates continued public support for democratic values. That's why IAD aims to protect freedoms and ensure fair elections amid growing authoritarianism and instability.
We Need Your Support
IAD are currently raising funds to support and protect democracy by:?
Thanks to our donors, we have already raised ￡120, but we are still a long way from our target. You can help us to make a difference!
Find out more why you should donate:
The Latest
Our actions have been fruitful
Active growth on social media
Thanks to the dedicated work of our volunteers on the Social Media team, we have been able to reach a wider audience in recent months. In total, we now have almost 7K followers who stand for democratic principles we share.?
Website popularity
In August, our website had 1,350 visitors.?Here?you can find all the information about IAD, past, current and upcoming projects, team members, and open volunteer opportunities, and you can also read articles written by our volunteers.?
New article
We have published our new OP-ED discussing how the?Rise of the Radical Right is a Threat to (Liberal) Democracy as we Know it, written by Valentin Julliard, IAD Public Relations Officer.
Democracy - Latest Developments
Moments of challenge and progress
German far-right hails 'historic' election victory in East
The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) made significant gains in state parliament elections on September 1st, winning the most votes in Thuringia and coming second in Saxony. The anti-immigration party won 33% of the vote in Thuringia, ahead of the Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU) with 24%. In Saxony, the CDU won 32% of the vote, slightly ahead of the AfD’s 31%. The three parties in the national governing coalition suffered heavy losses.
Despite the AfD’s unprecedented success, other parties have ruled out forming a coalition with it, so it will not have enough seats to govern. The main issues in the election included immigration and asylum policy and the war in Ukraine. National parliamentary elections will be held next year. Learn more
领英推荐
French left denounces Macron’s “denial” of democracy
President Macron has officially rejected Lucie Castets’ candidacy for Prime Minister. Castets is a high official for the city of Paris, not affiliated with the parties that compose the New Popular Front, which includes the Greens, Communists, Socialists, and La France Insoumise. The coalition that won a relative majority during the legislative elections proposed her name but faced rejection. Macron argued that appointing Castet would jeopardise institutional stability.?
Instead, the French President has?appointed Michel Barnier?as the country’s new prime minister. The conservative politician and former EU Brexit negotiator has proved a controversial pick to lead the government due to the results of the June elections which saw the left-wing alliance, New Popular Front (NFP) win the largest number of parliamentary seats.
Mexico pauses relations with US and Canadian embassies following reform critiques
Proposed judicial reforms in Mexico have caused political and diplomatic tensions to simmer. This reform would include drastic changes to the electoral system and the suppression of several autonomous bodies. Critics notably pointed out the weakening of the separation of powers. Both Canada’s and the US’s ambassadors have expressed concerns over these changes as they could impact trade, investments and agreements made between the countries.?
Consequently, the Mexican government decided to pause relations with both embassies (and not with the countries themselves). President Andrés Manuel López Obrador clarified that he considered the criticisms to have disrespected Mexico’s Sovereignty. The president has been pushing for the reform which will be soon debated and voted on by the Mexican Congress.
Brazil bans X - Supreme Court takes stand against social media's threat to democracy
Brazil's top court has issued a decision to block the social media platform X as part of a months-long investigation into its role in undermining democracy in the country. The investigation, led by Supreme Court Minister Alexandre de Moraes, accuses X of being a platform that facilitates the spread of fake news and hate speech, thereby threatening national democracy. Moraes also ordered the freezing of Starlink's financial assets, alleging that Musk was using the company’s money to pay fines owed by X.
Brazilian President Lula has also expressed support for the court's decision. "The Brazilian judiciary may have given an important signal that the world is not obliged to put up with Musk's far-right ideology just because he is rich," the president stated.
UN to send fact-finding mission to Bangladesh
The United Nations Human Rights Office has stated that it will send a fact-finding mission to Bangladesh to investigate alleged human rights abuses during last month's anti-government protests. The mission also aims to assess the root causes of these abuses and provide suggestions to improve accountability and long-term reforms. Last month's protests, which began as a student-led movement against public sector job quotas, saw the deadliest violence since the country’s independence in 1971, with over 1,000 people being killed and the previous prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, being forced to seek refuge in India. Violence continued for several days after she left.
Afghan women sing in protest of Taliban laws
Afghan women across the country have uploaded videos of themselves singing to social media in defiance of the new Taliban laws that prohibit women from talking in public spaces. The new rules – which the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has called “utterly intolerable” – further tightened governmental restrictions on women by severely limiting the clothing and conduct that they are permitted to exhibit in public. The so-called morality laws explicitly require women not to ‘let their voices carry beyond the walls of their homes’ – an overt effort to outlaw all female participation in public life unequivocally.
Nicaragua strips nationality from 135 political prisoners
Following intense negotiations between the Nicaraguan government and US officials, the Ortega administration released 135 political prisoners on September 6th, exiling them to Guatemala. This move mirrors past actions by the regime, including the February 2023 exile of around 200 political detainees to the US, many of whom were journalists and humanitarian workers. The Ortega administration’s strategy of exiling political dissidents has become a recurring method to suppress opposition.
Learn Through Documentary
In 2007,?The Why Foundation?released 10 documentaries and 10 short films focused on democracy in a series titled ?“Why democracy”. It features films that are now nearly two decades old, but the experiences they relate to are still relevant to this day, covering systemic changes, smaller-scale experiences and fundamental questions about democracy, with a heavy focus on the personal experiences of individuals living through a constantly shifting world.
Would you like to join us, and become a volunteer at IAD?
If your goal is to protect and promote democracy, and you want to use or develop your knowledge in a particular field, we invite you to become one of our volunteers.?
Take a look?here?to see what our volunteers say about working at the International Association for Democracy.
We are currently recruiting for various positions: Legal Advisors, Fundraising Officers, Lobbying Officers, HR Officers, Website Officers, Digital Marketing Officers, Social Media officers, etc.?
Visit?https://www.iad.ngo/join?to find out more about our vacancies and how you can apply.
IAD in Social Media
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