Haiti project 521-0254 · 1996–1998 · political competition and consensus-building · National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI)

Final report of the contractor, the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI), on a project (1/97-3/98) to promote democratic elections in Haiti. To prepare Haitian citizens for the 1997 legislative elections, NDI launched a program to facilitate the broad dissemination of electoral information by reopening the Electoral Information Center (EIC) in Port-au-Prince. Beginning in January 1997, the Center served as the base of operations for NDI's civic and voter education activities and as a neutral forum for all of Haiti's electoral actors to exchange information and ideas. NDI conducted numerous seminars, discussions, and debates at the EIC on topics such as the electoral process, decentralization, candidate platforms, women's participation in the political process, and the role of journalists in a democracy. These events inspired interest in and discussion of the elections and their importance in the broader political context. The women's program brought various civic groups together and led to plans for joint follow-up programs. In addition, journalists who participated in the training program at the EIC were able to incorporate the investigation and interv

Source: DEC abstract, PD-ABR-174 (1998). The source's own text.