International IDEA

🆕 174 countries. 155 indicators. Data going back to 1975. The Global State of Democracy Report 2026 is an excellent resource for understanding where democracy stands today, and how it intersects with a world increasingly shaped by conflict. #GSoD2026 #DemocraticResilience Explore findings🔗 idea.int/publications/catalo…

Finland and International IDEA share a conviction: investing in democracy is investing in security. With @VilleTavio and @Ulkoministerio, our discussions linked democracy with stability, development and trade, alongside support for Ukraine’s democratic future.

🗳️ Elections in Hungary, Serbia and elsewhere offer hope that illiberal rule can be challenged at the ballot box. But what happens after political change? Changing governments is one thing. Undoing institutional capture is another. Institutional capture happens when political actors gain undue influence or control over institutions meant to operate independently, such as courts. And that influence can outlast the government that established it. Poland illustrates the dilemma. Its current government is seeking to undo changes made under the previous Law and Justice (PiS)-led government that weakened the Constitutional Tribunal's independence. But as of 4 November, efforts to restore the court have themselves become legally contested, triggering institutional clashes, protests and police intervention. The turmoil follows a period of measurable progress. According to International IDEA's Global State of Democracy Indices, Poland was one of only four European countries with statistically significant advances in Rule of Law between 2020 and 2025. Whether those gains will endure remains to be seen. 📊 This week's Democracy on Our Radar explores the dilemma of democratic repair, with data and analysis from International IDEA's Gentiana Gola. ➡️ Swipe through to see what Poland's experience tells us about the challenges of rebuilding independent institutions. We first covered the Tribunal dispute in our Democracy Tracker in April: idea.int/democracytracker/re…

Digital governance and electoral integrity: Lessons from elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia How could EU digital rules help countries seeking EU membership address online risks to elections? This question was at the centre of the first Brussels Digital Democracy Series discussion, organised by International IDEA and @UGZastoNe in cooperation with @ShareConference Bringing together EU policymakers, election experts and civil society representatives, the discussion explored lessons from recent elections and electoral campaigns in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia. Participants examined key digital challenges affecting electoral processes, including disinformation, platform accountability and the growing impact of digital technologies on political communication. They also discussed how EU frameworks on digital services, political advertising and artificial intelligence (AI) could support EU candidate countries in strengthening electoral integrity and addressing online risks. The series is part of International IDEA’s Closing the Digital Gap on Elections in EU Enlargement project, funded by Stiftung Mercator. 📸 A few moments from the discussion. Follow us for more from the Brussels Digital Democracy Series.

Political influencers are increasingly visible in elections. How are they being regulated? Our new report, in collaboration with @polcommtech & @SSHRC_CRSH, examines 18 countries and the EU, finding most systems rely on existing rules rather than treating influencers as a distinct electoral category. 📖 Read the report: doi.org/10.31752/40049

Political influencers are playing a growing role in elections, from voter outreach to covert campaigning and foreign interference. Join @Int_IDEA and @uOttawa Join us online to explore the new report Influence and Political Integrity and discuss its research, key findings and recommendations. 📆 5 November 💻 Register: idea.int/events/launch-influ…

Before a single result comes in, the people running the election are already making headlines. Election workers in the United States will be under intense pressure in the days ahead as millions of Americans head to the polls. Media coverage around the Midterms is taking many dimensions, from the security of election workers to the potential for disruptions. The headlines are American. The challenges have a global dimension: protecting election workers, maintaining public trust and ensuring the process can be scrutinised. International IDEA and @CarterCenter bring that global perspective to a short Q&A ahead of the vote, drawing on decades of electoral research and International IDEA’s data covering 1975–2025. It puts US elections in an international context and points readers towards resources on electoral standards, commitments to peaceful elections and managing electoral security risks. Swipe through for key takeaways, then explore the Q&A and further resources: ow.ly/Os0i5102PGr

𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗨𝗸𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆, 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗰𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘆 𝗳𝗶𝘁? That question ran through International IDEA Secretary-General Kevin Casas-Zamora’s two-day visit to Oslo, where discussions with Norwegian partners covered support for Ukraine’s democratic future, greater transparency in political finance and the role of democracy in development cooperation. Norway has been a committed partner since IDEA’s founding. Meetings with Norad, including Jorun Nossum, who leads its work on civilian and humanitarian support under the Nansen Support Programme for Ukraine, as well as State Secretaries Stine Renate Håheim and Andreas Motzfeldt Kravik explored shared priorities, including protecting democratic institutions and building partnerships across regions. At a joint event with @PRIOresearch, researchers and policymakers explored how global trends in democracy and conflict inform Norway’s foreign and security policy. 🤝 Thank you to our Norwegian partners and the The Peace Research Institute of Oslo for bringing these conversations together.

From voter outreach to covert campaigning, political influencers are becoming more prominent in elections. What does that mean for electoral integrity? Join @Int_IDEA and @uOttawa to discuss the new report "Influence and Political Integrity: Mapping Regulatory Frameworks for Influencers in Elections", its key findings and 17 recommendations. 📆 5 November 💻 Register to join the discussion: idea.int/events/launch-influ… #Elections #PoliticalInfluencers #ElectoralIntegrity #Democracy

A planned execution by firing squad in the United States has renewed debate over the death penalty. But this is far from an isolated development. In the past year, Jordan resumed executions after nearly a decade, Burkina Faso moved towards restoring capital punishment, and Israel expanded its application in terrorism-related cases. These developments raise wider questions about human dignity, individual rights and the limits of state power. Introducing Democracy on Our Radar, a new series where we take a closer look at developments that catch our attention, using International IDEA's data and research to explore the bigger democratic picture. For this first edition, we're comparing four countries at the centre of recent debates on capital punishment, looking at how they perform across different dimensions of democracy. And for a bit of global context: according to @amnesty's latest annual report, at least 2,707 executions were recorded worldwide in 2025, a 78% increase from 2024. Yet only 17 countries were known to have carried them out. The figures exclude countries where reliable totals are unavailable. The four countries we're looking at here have different democratic profiles, but these cases raise some of the same fundamental concerns. The death penalty is irreversible. Judicial errors happen. Its application can be unequal. There are risks of state abuse and fundamental rights violations. And there's no established evidence that it deters crime more effectively than other punishments. 👉 Swipe through for a visual snapshot of the data and analysis from International IDEA's Emily Bloom. #DemocraticResilience

🌍 As COP31 approaches, climate finance and clean energy are in focus. But what about rights and accountability? Across Asia and the Pacific, communities face growing climate risks. Our latest blog explores why participation, accountability and justice matter. 🔗 Read: ow.ly/48LK5101naj #COP31 #climate #climateaction #climatejustice

Who gets a voice in building peace? Peace processes don’t always include the communities living through conflict. So how do civil society and opposition movements make their voices heard when negotiations and transitions leave them out? On 4 November at the #SthlmForum, International IDEA and partners will bring together speakers to discuss how local actors are working towards more inclusive peace and state-building in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Syria and Venezuela. Joining the conversation: 🔹 Christine Bell, University of Edinburgh and @Peace_Rep_ 🔹 Madame Fifi, @RienSlesFemmes, DRC 🔹 Razan Brghol, Dawlaty Foundation, Syria 🔹 @benalarcon, Centre for Political Studies, Venezuela The discussion will be moderated by Christopher Burnett-Cargill of Sida. 📅 4 November | 08:30 CET 📍 Stockholm Forum on Peace and Development, hosted by @SIPRIorg 🔗 More about the panel: idea.int/events/panel-stockh… Organized with @intalert Sida and @EdinburghUni. #Peacebuilding

How could the U.S. midterms affect election administration and public confidence? Join @Int_IDEA and @COGELinfo for a webinar exploring key challenges ahead of 3 November and their implications from a European perspective. 📅 28 October 2026 💻 Register: idea.int/events/webinar-exec… #USElections #Midterms

European integration and democratic consolidation must advance together. During his visit to Albania, International IDEA Secretary-General Kevin Casas-Zamora discussed democratic reforms with institutions and heard from civil society and journalists amid ongoing political tensions.

Democracy support is an investment in peace and security. Our Secretary-General Kevin Casas-Zamora takes that message to Oslo next week, joining @PRIOresearch and Norwegian partners. Join us on 27 October, in person or online. Details below 👇