The five-party group said in a news release Sunday that it was releasing a resource “outlining concrete steps that government leaders and democracy advocates can take to strengthen democracy and elections,” as concerns persist about the stability of democratic systems around the world.
The document, titled “An Exemplary Commitment to Advancing Authentic and Credible Elections,” was produced by a group of researchers from the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA), the Carter Center, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems, the National Institute for Democracy and the Kofi Annan Foundation, according to a press release.
The draft resource shared with The Hill lists commitments to “strengthen election integrity by supporting the efforts of individual states and election integrity advocates, and engaging other states, institutions, international and national actors to advance election integrity.” Among the commitments are “authentic elections,” “information integrity,” and “election accountability.”
“No country fully lives up to the democratic ideals it embraces. Democratic development, including ensuring genuine elections, requires sustained and coordinated efforts,” the draft reads. “Making commitments is important, but so is delivering on them. The model commitments below are intended to serve as high-level benchmarks.”
In recent years, concerns about the instability of democracy have grown around the world. In the United States, Democrats have singled out former President Trump as a threat to democracy, especially after the riot at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.
In a March poll, most Americans said democracy was important to their country’s identity, but they said the country’s democratic system was not functioning well. More than half (53%) said they thought the U.S. was a “poorly functioning democracy,” while 31% said they thought the country was a “well-functioning democracy.”
