Suchergebnisse

What is the role of civic associations in generating electoral accountability, and how do efforts by national groups to ensure free and fair elections advance democratic consolidation? Lean advances our understanding of how civic activism can strengthen election processes and provides new insight into role of elections for democratic consolidation. Sharon F. Lean is an assistant professor of Political Science at Wayne State University.

A report on the November 2006 presidential & parliamentary elections in Nicaragua notes that the election of Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) candidate Daniel Ortega Saavedra as President indicates a resurgence of the political left. Ortega & the FSLN (which led the Sandinista revolution of 1979) have tried to regain political power since they lost in 1990 to an opposition coalition supported by the US government. A description of Nicaragua's electoral system, which combines a plurality vote for president with proportional representation in the legislature, is followed by an examination of a campaign marked by controversies, deep divisions on the right, & unusual participation on the part of the international community, including US support for Eduardo Montealegre of the Liberal Nationalist Alliance. The FSLN also gained 38 seats in the National Assembly, the most of any party. It is contended that the return to power of Ortega & the FSLN indicates citizen demand for fresh solutions to Nicaragua's serious social problems. Prospects for the future are discussed. Tables, References. J. Lindroth

AbstractIn societies where civic space is closing, integrity in the civic sector is critical for its sustainability. Where state regulatory frameworks are inadequate, or worse, manipulative, self‐regulation can help defend the sector's integrity and strengthen the ability of civic associations to serve the public and contribute to democracy. This paper describes the strategic role in self‐regulation of a particular type of third sector actor in Mexico, the coordinating body or civic network. A case study of the Mexican Center for Philanthropy (CEMEFI) and its Accreditation in Institutionalization and Transparency project illustrates the contribution of NGO networks in service to the sector, and their key role in diffusion of norms of transparency and accountability within the civic sector and beyond.