International Association for Democracy - IAD

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International Association for Democracy - IAD

IAD is a charity that works to defend & promote democracy around the globe.

We link people with their governments and lobby governments to promote, strengthen and safeguard democracy at home and abroad. We also work towards raising public awareness about the current state of democracy around the world and what should be done to better defend and promote democracy.

18/06/2026

Iran’s protests and the resistance overshadowed by war.

16/06/2026

Swiss voters rejected limiting Switzerland’s population to 10 million in a referendum on Sunday. 55% of voters opposed the measure while 45% supported it. Voter turnout was 60% while the current population is 9.1 million. Under Switzerland’s system of direct democracy, many policy decisions are made by voters rather than politicians, and any proposal can be put to a vote if 100,000 people sign a petition.

The proposed population limit was supported by the right-wing Swiss People’s Party (SVP) and opposed by all other major parties. The SVP, a longtime critic of immigration, argued that limiting the population would reduce pressure on social services, the environment, and housing. Opponents, however, feared the cap would jeopardise Switzerland’s access to the EU single market, which requires freedom of movement, and lead to labour shortages in key economic sectors.

Source:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c20ygjem17zo

12/06/2026

Former President of South Korea Yoon Suk Yeol was sentenced to 30 years in prison on Friday for authorizing the incursion of military drones in to North Korea in October 24.

Prosecutors sought a 30-year sentence arguing that the drone operation was intended to “fabricate wartime conditions” as a pretext for [Yoon’s] subsequent martial law declaration.

Yoon was impeached and removed from office last year, triggering a snap election won by liberal President Lee Jae Myung. Yoon was also sentenced to life in prison in February after being found guilty of leading an insurrection in connection with the martial law declaration.

Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/6/12/south-koreas-ex-president-yoon-gets-30-years-over-drone-operation

08/06/2026

Armenia’s ruling party Civil Contract, led by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, won yesterday’s parliamentary election with nearly 50% of the vote, securing a majority of seats in the National Assembly. The Strong Armenia bloc, led by Samvel Karapetyan, came second with 23% of the vote. Karapetyan is under house arrest on charges of supporting the overthrow of the government while members of his party have been accused of vote buying. He rejects the allegations as politically motivated.

Major issues in the election included relations with the EU, Russia, and Azerbaijan. Pashinyan has advocated for closer ties with the EU while Karapetyan has called for closer ties with Russia. The EU and Russia accused each other of interfering in the election. Candidates also clashed over Pashinyan’s plans to normalise relations with Azerbaijan after decades of conflict over the Karabakh region.

Image: Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan

Source:
https://apnews.com/article/armenia-election-pashinyan-6e73e44ff1fea62aecf20c8d7bfabe2c

01/06/2026

Two candidates in Colombia’s presidential election will advance to the runoff vote in three weeks after neither won a majority in the first round yesterday. Right-wing candidate Abelardo de la Espriella won 44% of the vote, ahead of left-wing candidate Iván Cepeda with 41%. The campaign was marked by significant political violence, including the assassination of a candidate last year. President Gustavo Petro, an ally of Cepeda, alleged electoral irregularities while electoral authorities insist the election was fair.

Major issues in the election included ongoing armed conflict, the economy, and foreign relations. Despite a peace deal between the government and the FARC rebel group in 2016, violence has flared in recent years. Cepeda has advocated negotiations with armed groups while de la Espriella has called for military intervention, new prisons, and deeper military cooperation with the US.

Image: Iván Cepeda (left) and Abelardo de la Espriella (right)

Source:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1w2xvwq8g9o

26/05/2026

A parliamentary election in Cyprus on Sunday resulted in a fragmented House of Representatives with several parties winning seats. The right-wing Democratic Rally (DISY) won the most votes with 27% followed by the communist Progressive Party of Working People (AKEL) with 24%. The two parties have traditionally dominated politics in Cyprus. The far-right National People's Front (ELAM) came third with 11% of the vote while two new parties, ALMA and Direct Democracy, gained seats for the first time.

Meanwhile, centrist parties supporting President Nicos Christodoulides suffered heavy losses, with the president promising to cooperate with the new parliament in the two years before the next presidential election. While executive power resides with the president, parliament approves legislation. Major issues in the election included the cost of living and corruption, with ALMA campaigning as an anti-corruption party.

Image: Annita Demetriou, leader of DISY

Source:
https://www.reuters.com/world/cyprus-votes-new-parliament-with-corruption-living-costs-focus-2026-05-24/
https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2026/05/24/cyprus-parliamentary-elections-disy-and-akel-race-for-first-place-as-far-right-make-gains

19/05/2026

Cape Verde’s opposition won the parliamentary election on Sunday, ending a decade of governance by the ruling party. The African Party for the Independence of Cape Verde (PAICV) won 47% of the vote and is on course to secure a majority in the National Assembly. The Movement for Democracy (MpD), which has been in power since 2016, won 44% of the vote.

The two parties have long dominated politics in Cape Verde since it became a democracy in 1991. Outgoing Prime Minister Ulisses Correia e Silva of the MpD conceded defeat and will be replaced by PAICV leader Francisco Carvalho. Major issues in the election included the cost of living and youth unemployment.

Image: Francisco Carvalho

Sources:
https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/cape-verde-ruling-party-unseated-election-partial-results-show-2026-05-18/
https://www.dw.com/en/cape-verde-election-2026-is-democracy-on-the-line/video-77150486

17/05/2026

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni was sworn in for his seventh term as the African nation’s leader on Tuesday, forty years after his first election win in 1986, and following a controversial election in January rife with scandal.

“The election in January took place amid a nationwide internet blackout and reports of intimidation and abductions of the opposition. Museveni won about 72 percent of the vote, according to Uganda’s Electoral Commission. Opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi, an entertainer known as Bobi Wine, received 25 percent and said ‘massive’ ballot stuffing had taken place.”

Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/5/12/ugandas-yoweri-museveni-sworn-in-for-seventh-term-as-president

13/05/2026

The Prime Minister of the Bahamas Philip Davis and his Progressive Liberal Party won yesterday’s general election, securing at least 30 out of 41 seats in Parliament. The opposition Free National Movement came second, winning eight seats. Davis has been prime minister since 2021 and called an early election to avoid voting during the summer hurricane season. He is the first prime minister to be reelected in almost 30 years.

Major issues in the election included affordability, housing, and wages. A shortage of affordable housing has been a longtime concern for voters, with successive governments unable to resolve the issue.

Source:
https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/bahamians-vote-snap-election-pm-davis-seeks-rare-second-term-2026-05-12/

05/05/2026

In the Indian state of West Bengal, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won a landslide victory, securing a majority in the state assembly for the first time. The BJP, a Hindu nationalist party, defeated the incumbent Trinamool Congress, which had been in power in the state government for 15 years and faced growing voter dissatisfaction.

The election follows criticism of the Election Commission of India by the opposition and election observers for removing 2.7 million voters, disproportionately Muslims, from West Bengal’s voter registry. During the campaign, the BJP accused Muslims of being illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. Following other recent state elections, the BJP now governs 20 out of India’s 28 states.

Sources:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/may/04/modis-bjp-party-win-election-west-bengal-first-time
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/5/5/what-modis-big-win-in-indian-state-elections-could-mean-for-its-democracy

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