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The International Republican Institute (IRI) has been committed to Nicaraguan democracy since it began working in this country in 1986. For nearly 20 years, IRI has worked with political parties and civil society organizations to strengthen democracy in Nicaragua. Participants in IRI programs during this period include women, youth, civil society and the Nicaraguan National Assembly. The goal of IRI?s programs is to strengthen democracy, create democratic space, increase participation, raise awareness and promote reform of Nicaragua?s institutions.
Most recently, and in the run up to the November 2006 general elections, IRI focused its efforts on assisting non-Pacto political parties including Nicaraguan Liberal Alliance — Conservative Party (ALN-PC) and the Sandinista Renovation Movement (MRS) in their endeavors to train poll watchers as a means to protect the vote.
Additionally, IRI partnered with civil society groups dedicated to increasing democratic space in Nicaragua by exposing the corruption of the Pacto forces embodied in the Sandinista National Liberation Front's (FSLN) Daniel Ortega and the Liberal Constitutionalist Party's (PLC) convicted former-President Arnoldo Alemán. The civil society groups currently working with IRI in Nicaragua include Movement for Nicaragua (MpN), Let's Make Democracy and Nicaraguan Democratic Youth (JUDENIC). Each of these civil society groups endeavored, with IRI's material and technical support, to counter the Pacto forces of the FSLN and the PLC through a variety of activities outlined below.
Political Party and Candidate Development
With continuing efforts underway by the Pacto forces to undermine the integrity and strength of the country's democratic institutions, Nicaragua's democratic forces have expressed the need to pave the way to strengthen democracy in Nicaragua.
As a component of this effort, IRI, in preparation for the November 5, 2006 presidential and legislative elections, implemented a political party poll watcher training program as a means to strengthen political parties in their endeavor to protect the vote and guarantee greater transparency and accountability in the November elections.
In partnership with local nongovernmental organizations (NGO) Hagamos Democracia, FUNDEMOS, and Center for Constitutional Rights (CDC) more than 50,000 ALN-PC and MRS poll watchers received training.
As part of an overall strategy in Nicaragua, IRI continues to provide training activities designed to assist Nicaraguan pro-democracy parties in learning more about crafting political party platforms, candidate development and the electoral system. Participants in these training seminars include women and youth political aspirants.
IRI's work in Nicaragua does not include the FSLN and the PLC. Dedicated to advancing democracy, IRI is among those organizations that believe that the two parties have long stunted the growth of democracy in Nicaragua (see for example, The Washington Post editorials of October 3, 2005 and August 4, 2006).
Youth Leadership Development
Nicaraguan law grants voting rights to citizens 16 years of age. With this in mind, youth participation in the political process is important to strengthen democracy. IRI's 2005 poll indicated that 89 percent of Nicaraguan youth support the establishment of youth quotas within party political leadership. To that end, IRI has coordinated numerous leadership development trainings during 2004 and 2005. These activities have enabled youth party supporters to increase their participation in the political process and within their respective political parties. This new-found voice and influence resulted in the establishment of a youth leadership quota within political parties and increased the profile of youth in Nicaraguan politics.
In 2006, IRI sponsored the formation of JUDENIC, a nonpartisan youth organization dedicated to increasing youth participation in the Nicaraguan political process through exercising the right to vote. JUDENIC's get-out-the-vote project included the production of eight rock concerts in the run up to the elections featuring popular Nicaraguan artists with a non-partisan appeal as a means to encourage young people to vote in the November elections. JUDENIC's message reached 40,000 young people directly though the concerts and thousands more via the GOTV media campaign held throughout Nicaragua during the 2006 electoral cycle.
Party Poll Watcher Training
While the Supreme Electoral Council's (CSE) technical administration of elections has improved over the years, its implementation of changes to the electoral law borne out of a January 2000 agreement between then-President Alemán and Daniel Ortega have essentially eliminated competition from third parties. In practical terms, the CSE is a politicized organization still under the control of the Pacto forces which compose the directorate of the CSE.
In 2004, IRI trained more than 300 party poll watchers from the 11 parties fielding candidates in municipal elections. As part of this effort, IRI also distributed 8,000 party poll watcher manuals enabling IRI-trained poll watchers to train additional trainers.
Governance Initiatives
To address the need for accountability in Nicaraguan politics, IRI and a local NGO have collaborated to increase citizen participation and legislative accountability through issue-oriented town-hall meetings. These events brought together thousands of citizens and their elected representatives resulting in successful legislative and regulatory initiatives, such as the citizen participation law.
IRI and local NGOs have also established grassroots committees throughout Nicaragua designed to empower local constituents. Attended by local civic leaders and citizens, the committees present legislative proposals at town-hall meetings at which attendees are encouraged to offer their input.
IRI has also created a comprehensive national assembly database, which is a source of information on the status of new and pending Nicaraguan legislation. The database includes the voting and attendance records of legislators, which provides citizens with voting information useful in promoting accountability of elected leaders. Several issues of a Who's Who in the National Assembly have been published to familiarize citizens with their representatives. Citizens may now access this information via the citizen participation office at the National Assembly.
Recently, IRI has launched a governance project in Nicaragua. This program will focus on providing citizen feedback regarding government responsiveness to pertinent issues and will serve to forge and strengthen lines of communication between newly-elected officials and citizens.
Civil Society Initiatives
In late 2004, a group of civil society leaders formed the MpN in response to legislative actions designed to undermine the authority of the executive branch. The MpN is a civic initiative whose objectives include increasing public awareness and encouraging citizens to participate in the decision-making process.  In 2004, IRI began working with the MpN to strengthen its grassroots outreach efforts as they address constitutional reform and encourage citizen participation in the electoral process. Since the inception of the MpN, it has organized numerous debates, forums and public, non-violent pro-democracy marches designed to increase awareness and civic participation in politics.
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