Election Watch: North Macedonia
4 things you need to know about the election On April 24 and May 8 citizens of North Macedonia will…
Since the collapse of communism in Europe in the 1990s, democracy has seen mixed results, at best, in Southeastern Europe. Democracies in the region are still confronted with many challenges, including a rapidly shifting array of political parties, worrying upticks in malign foreign influence, and rising levels of youth emigration.
In an IRI regional poll conducted in 2020, a majority of citizens in Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, and Serbia indicated that they believed that their country was either a “flawed democracy” or not one at all, underscoring the need for stronger democracy support.
IRI’s assistance comes in a variety of forms and plays a critical role throughout the region, with eight field offices providing support to political, governmental, and non-governmental actors as they respond to new challenges. Traditionally, in Europe, IRI has worked to strengthen political parties, with IRI experts helping party leaders and candidates run effective, citizen-responsive campaigns. Though this is still a cornerstone of programming in the region, IRI has expanded its work, building partnerships with trusted leaders in civil society, providing expert support to government agencies and civil servants to strengthen transparency and counter corruption, and increasing its investment in promising young leaders across the region.
Some examples of this new approach include IRI’s role in creating a documentary on interethnic reconciliation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, supporting the development of North Macedonia’s first ever Open Finance Portal, putting in place anti-corruption programs in Albania and Bulgaria, and establishing the region’s premier political leadership academy. As domestic and foreign actors challenge democracy in the region, IRI will continue its work building resilient democratic institutions capable of delivering meaningful change for the citizens of Southeastern Europe.
4 things you need to know about the election On April 24 and May 8 citizens of North Macedonia will…
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Lessons Learned from Selected Cases
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IRI’s Western Balkans regional program focuses on countering malign foreign influence and extremism, including extreme ethnonationalism and the rise of the far right, in the region. Since its inception in 2016, the Task Force has developed into a key forum for regional discussions among pro-democratic actors and policy makers who seek to improve the region’s democratic future.
През юни 2021г. Международният републикански институт (IRI) стартира програмата си за борба с корупцията в 10 български общини, а през…
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North Macedonia, a parliamentary republic, celebrated three decades of independence and multi-party democracy in 2021. The country has been a…
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