2009 Annual Report

2009 Middle East and North Africa Program Highlights

Despite government restrictions and political violence, political and civic groups throughout the region filled what political space they found and pushed for more. In Morocco and Kuwait, women increased their participation and won more seats in local and national elections. In Egypt and Turkey, workers formed independent labor unions and led campaigns for rights and better conditions. In Yemen and Bahrain, human rights activists and independent journalists were undeterred by brutal police treatment and harsh court sentences.

Despite fraud and restrictions, elections were held in Tunisia, Afghanistan and Algeria. High voter turnout changed the political landscape in Iraq, Iran, and Lebanon. Regional and international networks found new ways to bypass governmental restrictions, extend their reach, support advocacy efforts, and facilitate regional cooperation among activists and reformers. Islamist groups pursued peaceful political participation through elections.

Iraq’s provincial council elections broke the monopoly of sectarian elites, marking a departure away from identity politics and towards issue-based agendas. Voters turned out in large numbers and turned their backs on sectarian politicians. Such change offered civic groups new opportunities to advocate for reforms and hold officials accountable to their constituencies. NED-supported groups focused on legislative advocacy, government accountability and capacity building at the national and local levels. With NED support, Al-Noor Universal Foundation pushed for citizen engagement with newly-elected leaders. The Iraq Civic Action Network built the capacity of youth groups on legislative advocacy skills and helped youth organizations facilitate civic forums and present policy options to provincial councils.

In Egypt, a new generation of civic groups and activists emerged in the midst of continued arrests of democracy activists. Civic groups, bloggers and emerging social networks built national coalitions in preparation for future parliamentary and presidential elections. NED-supported groups, such as the Justice and Citizenship Center for Human Rights, formed and trained a coalition of provincial civic organizations to mobilize and engage citizens in the upcoming elections. In preparation for these elections, the ruling party allocated a 64 seat quota for women. Accordingly, NED supported the National Association for the Defense of Rights and Freedoms (NADRF), which launched a campaign to train independent women candidates to run for parliament.

Despite political wrangling between the continually dominant Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the more secular, established opposition, Turkey sustained the rule of law and democratization processes. The closure of Turkey’s main Kurdish political party and the on-going Ergenekon investigations demonstrated increasing political and social polarization, and prevented the cooperation necessary to push forward vital reforms. The Endowment supported activities that built connections based on accountability and communication between the government and its citizens. The Freedom of Expression Association (FEA) established small provincial assemblies in 12 Turkish cities to hold parliamentarians and municipal officers accountable to their constituencies.

The Training Human Rights Association for Afghan Women conducts awareness-raising workshops in Nangarhar province targeting local decision-makers.

Afghanistan’s 2009 presidential elections marked a low in the country’s development towards democracy. Grossly manipulated and riddled with fraud, Afghan confidence in this fundamental democratic process was significantly undermined. The government’s political legitimacy was further undercut by the insurgency’s broader geographic spread, a continued lack of basic infrastructure and social services, and top-to-bottom graft and corruption. In this environment, the Endowment focused on groups that are keeping Afghans engaged in political and civic life.

With NED support, Afghanistan’s most independent and progressive daily newspaper, Hasht-e Subh, extended its coverage and distribution to the key province of Herat. CIPE developed the advocacy skills of independent business associations and enhanced parliamentarians’ understanding of free market economics. Khorasan Legal Services Organization provided free legal assistance and raised awareness of women on basic rights through television shows and public forums.

Iran’s controversial elections and their aftermath marked a tectonic shift in its civil society. Despite government violence, massive public demonstrations demanding respect for a free and fair vote were maintained for weeks. The perseverance and size of the Green Movement empowered the people and awakened civil society. The Endowment increased its support to Iran’s civil society and independent news sources, which provide up-to-date reports on gross human rights violations committed by the Iranian government, disseminate knowledge of democratic values and practices, and afford security measures that help ensure communications and access to information in Iran.

In Morocco, the Modernity and Authenticity Party won a plurality of seats in the 2009 local elections, which saw a modest increase in voter participation. These elections also ushered in a new class of women municipal leaders, who garnered more than 3,400 seats. With NED support, several groups worked with office holders and civic activists to address new provisions of the Municipal Act that enhance the autonomy of local councils and confer a greater role to citizens in policy-making. In Mohammedia, Espace Libre de Citoyenneté, de Formation, et de Développement published a comprehensive citizen survey that served as a basis for an ambitious local governance program targeting the city’s six urban and rural communes.

Yemen sunk deeper into insecurity and instability, with increased Al-Qaeda violence in the east, Houthis’ rebellion in the north, and a separatist movement in the south. These challenges gave the government an excuse to turn its back on reforms, limit freedom of expression and quash dissent. In response, the Endowment expanded its support to groups defending freedom of expression and human rights. NED supported the Altagheer.net news website, one of the few independent media outlets in the country, as well as Women Journalists Without Chains, which campaigned relentlessly for press freedom, human rights and political reform in Yemen.

Following freely contested parliamentary elections, Lebanon turned a critical corner and formed its first government free of Syrian domination. However, a power-sharing unity government allocated Lebanon’s major communities political representation, reinforcing sub-identities and sectarian loyalties. Still, Lebanon’s civil society continued its call for real democracy that instills confidence in national government irrespective of confessional politics. NED supported national groups on women’s empowerment, freedom of information, youth engagement, conflict resolution, and rule of law. NED support to NDI and CIPE enabled civic groups to engage parliamentarians and advocate reforms.