Party Platform Development and Civil Society Engagement

Un Breve Vistazo:

In preparation for October 2006 presidential and legislative elections, the National Democratic Institute received support from National Endowment for Democracy (NED) to conduct a pilot project to contribute to the development of party platforms on key issues of national concern. The program’s objectives were to strengthen political parties’ capacity to develop coherent platforms on issues of national concern and to promote information-sharing and collaboration between civil society and political parties.

Descripción del Programa:

As part of this initiative, NDI commissioned a series of focus groups to provide decision-makers with information about citizen opinions on key issues and about public perceptions of political organizations. NDI presented the results of the focus group research to partner political organizations and consulted on party responses to the findings.

At the request of participating parties, NDI subsequently presented long-term reform recommendations to the political parties based on the focus group research. NDI also provided technical assistance to political organizations as they developed platforms and implemented internal reforms in preparation for national elections in 2006 and 2007. This technical assistance included trainings with international and national experts on message development, party reform, youth and women’s political participation, election communication techniques, platform development experiences from the Socialist Party of Chile and the National Action Party of Mexico, party transparency, roundtable discussions regarding education, employment, health and security in Cuenca, Guayaquil, Quito and Manta.