DEMOCRACY

ELECTIONS AND BEYOND

‘Calling this a free and fair election would be a betrayal to the people of Maldives’

Shahindha Ismail | MALDIVES

‘Election violence is a cover for ideological ambivalence and lack of substantive programmes’

Wellington Mbofana | ZIMBABWE

SOUTHERN AFRICA

‘Threats don’t solve problems; the international response must emphasise dialogue and negotiation’

Clément Kocou Gbedey | NIGER

‘Democracy has allowed room for organised crime and narco-politics to grow’

Mauricio Alarcón Salvador | ECUADOR

‘We’ll have the most right-wing government since the 1930s’

Silla Ristimäki | FINLAND

‘Our democracy is at risk in the hands of political-criminal networks’

Evelyn Recinos Contreras | GUATEMALA

CENTRAL AMERICA

‘These elections are key because they give us a chance to take a different path’

Jordán Rodas Andrade | GUATEMALA

CENTRAL AMERICA

‘Civil society plays a crucial role in ensuring free and fair elections’

John Caulker | SIERRA LEONE

‘People understood election monitoring was important to ensure checks and balances’

Yingcheep Atchanont | THAILAND

‘Very tough years are ahead for civil society that promotes human rights’

Marta Ferrara | PARAGUAY