Democratization is the transition to a more democratic political regime, including substantive political changes moving in a democratic direction. It may be the transition from an authoritarian regime to a full democracy, a transition from an authoritarian political system to a semi-democracy or transition from a semi-authoritarian political system to a democratic political system.
Santiago José Carrillo Solares was a Spanish politician who served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of Spain (PCE) from 1960 to 1982. He was a key figure in Spanish communism since from the era of the Second Spanish Republic to the culmination of the Spanish transition to democracy. He fought in the Spanish Civil War, his role in the Paracuellos massacres being particularly controversial. He would later be exiled, and during the military dictatorship of Francisco Franco he was a leader of the democratic opposition to the regime. His role as leader of the PCE would later make him a key figure in the transition to democracy. He later embraced Eurocommunism and democratic socialism, and was a deputy in the Congress of Deputies from 1977 to 1986.
The Club de Madrid is an independent non-profit organization created to promote democracy and change in the international community. Composed of 95 regular members, 64 of whom are former presidents and 39 of whom are former prime ministers from 65 countries, the Club de Madrid is the world's largest forum of former heads of state and government.
According to the Democracy Index 2016 study, Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East, while Tunisia is the only democracy in North Africa. The measure of the level of democracy in nations throughout the world published by Freedom House and various other freedom indices, the Middle Eastern and North African countries with the highest scores are Israel, Tunisia, Turkey, Lebanon, Morocco, and Kuwait. Countries that are occasionally classified as partly democratic are Egypt and Iraq. The remaining countries of the Middle East are categorized as authoritarian regimes, with the lowest scores held by Saudi Arabia and Yemen.
World Movement for Democracy is an international network of individuals and organizations who share the common goal of promoting democracy. The World Movement was launched in February 1999 when the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and two nongovernmental organizations in India brought together a cross-section of democracy activists, practitioners, and scholars from over 80 countries in New Delhi for discussions of ways to advance democracy. The participants adopted a Founding Statement launching the World Movement "to strengthen democracy where it is weak, to reform and invigorate democracy even where it is longstanding, and to bolster pro-democracy groups in countries that have not yet entered into a process of democratic transition." It is intended to unite the global community of democracy advocates and practitioners; to facilitate exchanges of information, knowledge, and experiences; and to build cross-border solidarity. The World Movement is led by an international steering committee, and NED currently serves as its secretariat.
The Democratic Party of Moldova is a centre-left political party in the Republic of Moldova. The party was established in 1997 and it is an associate member of the Party of European Socialists (PES) and is a full member of the Socialist International.
Kevin Eugene Deveaux is a Canadian lawyer and an international expert on parliaments and political parties who worked for the United Nations as the senior global adviser on parliaments and their development from 2008-2012. He served as the Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for the constituency of Cole Harbour-Eastern Passage in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly. He was first elected in 1998 and was re-elected in 1999, 2003 and 2006. He also worked for the National Democratic Institute in promoting good governance, transparent and accountable parliaments and effective political parties.
Transitional justice consists of judicial and non-judicial measures implemented in order to redress legacies of human rights abuses. Such measures "include criminal prosecutions, truth commissions, reparations programs, and various kinds of institutional reforms". Transitional justice is enacted at a point of political transition from violence and repression to societal stability and it is informed by a society’s desire to rebuild social trust, repair a fractured justice system, and build a democratic system of governance. The core value of transitional justice is the very notion of justice—which does not necessarily mean criminal justice. This notion and the political transformation, such as regime change or transition from conflict are thus linked toward a more peaceful, certain, and democratic future.
The International Centre for Democratic Transition (ICDT) is a non-profit organization based in Budapest, Hungary which collects the experiences of recent democratic transitions and shares them with those who are determined to follow that same path. Instead of promoting democracy in general, the ICDT sets more concrete and pragmatic goals. The Centre strives to show how dozens of young democracies have made and are making the transition, so that those who set off on this difficult journey from dictatorship to democracy in the future may learn from the successes as well as from the failures. It was founded in 2005.
Guillermo Alberto O'Donnell was a prominent Argentine political scientist, who spent most of his career working in Argentina and the United States, and who made lasting contributions to theorizing on authoritarianism and democratization, democracy and the state, and the politics of Latin America. His brother, Pacho O'Donnell, is a well-known politician and writer.
The Community of Democratic Choice Youth Forum is an international organisation registered in Riga, Latvia. It aims to promote partnership and dialogue among the youth of the region of the Community of Democratic Choice.
Democracy promotion, which can also be referred to as democracy assistance, democracy support, or democracy building, is a strand of foreign policy adopted by governments and international organizations that seek to support the spread of democracy as a political system around the world. Among the reasons for supporting democracy include the belief that countries with a democratic system of governance are less likely to go to war, are likely to be economically better off and socially more harmonious.
The North–South Centre, officially the European Centre for Global Interdependence and Solidarity, is a Partial Agreement — of the Council of Europe, the oldest political organisation of European states.
The United Nations Office for Partnerships (UNOP) strives to serve as a gateway for public-private partnerships in furtherance of the Sustainable Development Goals. The Office oversees the following areas:
The African Democracy Forum (ADF), is a regional network launched in Abuja, Nigeria in October 2000. It comprises civil society organisations, media institutions, community based organisations, academic institutions and donor entities that work on democracy, democratic research, protection of human rights, upholding the rule of law and promoting good governance through the twin principles of transparency and accountability in the African continent. ADF also acts as a platform for mutual support and sharing of resources for over 450 organisations and individuals. The ADF is a regional network of the World Movement for Democracy, a network of organizations from around the world advocating for democracy. The ADF uses the strength and knowledge of its members to create a strong network of communication. Its members include leading human rights and democracy activists who use their experiences to teach others.
The World Justice Project (WJP) is an international civil society organization with the stated mission of "working to advance the rule of law around the world".
Education for Democracy Foundation is a Polish foundation, launched in 1989, which operates as a public benefit organization.
The Bali Democracy Forum (BDF) is a meeting held in Bali and attended by representatives from nations in the Asia Pacific region. The forum was initiated by Indonesia in 2008 with the stated aim of fostering democracy, human rights, equality, and mutual respect. As of 2018, there have been 11 forums, held each year since 2008. 58 nations have attended the forums, with some from outside the Pacific region, such as Yemen and Afghanistan. The forum has been the subject of controversy and has been boycotted by several groups because of the perceived lack of democratic ideals in Bali, the removal of direct elections for local bodies, and the banning of protests during the forum itself.
The Institute for Democratic Alternatives in South Africa (IDASA) later known as the Institute for Democracy in South Africa was a South African-based think-tank organisation that was formed in 1986 by Frederik van Zyl Slabbert and Alex Boraine. Its initial focus from 1987 was creating an environment for white South Africans to talk to the banned liberation movement in-exile, the African National Congress (ANC) prior to its unbanning in 1990 by the President F. W. de Klerk. After the South African election in 1994, its focus would be on ensuing the establishment of democratic institutions in the country, political transparency and good governance. Caught up in a funding crisis after the 2008 global financial crisis, it would close in 2013.
Socialism in Tunisia or Tunisian socialism is a political philosophy that is shared by various political parties of the country. It has played a role in the country's history from the time of the Tunisian independence movement against France up through the Tunisian Revolution to the present day.
