Democratic Institutions

The FES believes that democracy needs democratic political institutions and civil society organisations. Political institutions should represent the inte­rests of the population and allow peaceful elections and debates among political and civil society actors. Democratic consolidation of political institu­tions can be promoted by prodemocratic actors in parties, society and the state. The FES aims to improve the functioning and transparency of political structures at all levels, promote a more active democratic participation within all parties and reduce of the risk of violent conflicts in elections.

Therefore, the FES is engaged in a continuous dialogue on democracy with different political institutions and personalities such as political parties, par­lamentarians and organisations of the civil society. The FES, for example, works in close co-operation with the Chama Cha Mapinduzi. The co-opera­tion includes the exchange of experiences and ideas on social democracy. Besides strengthening democratic dialogue within and between political parties the FES supports peaceful electoral processes. To ensure a democra­tic environment, the FES helps to establish platforms that will bring together civil society organisations with different political orientations, media practi­tioners as well as election stakeholders to have a moderating influence on potential conflict.