The International Republican Institute (IRI) hosted 10 Pakistani political leaders in an observation mission of the 2008 U.S. general elections. The delegation observed the democratic electoral process and campaign activities leading up to Election Day, as well as a comprehensive view of Election Day processes.
During their trip the party leaders’ met with representatives of the Democratic National Committee and Republican National Committee, had briefings with political analysts and pollsters and attended rallies for Senator John McCain in Springfield, Virginia and President-elect Barack Obama in Manassas, Virginia. The group also attended briefings on election oversight and reform with Common Cause, the American Bar Association’s Standing Committee on Election Law and the American Enterprise Institute/Brookings Institution Election Reform Project.
On Election Day they visited polling stations in Washington, DC, Maryland and Virginia, where the Pakistani leaders observed different political processes. The delegation also attended a polling briefing on Election Day by political analyst Dr. Whit Ayres.
The delegation included Dr. Muhammad Farooq Sattar, Senator Mushahid Hussain, Senator Haji Muhammad Adeel, Mr. Nafees Siddique, Dr. Muhammad Akbar Khawaja, Mr. Amir Fida Paracha, Mr. Baharamand, Mr. Chaudhary Yasin, Mr. Zulfikar Ali Badar and Ms. Nargis Parveen Awan.
The study tour was funded by the National Endowment for Democracy.
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