Since the uprisings in the countries on the southern shores of the Mediterranean in 2011, several elections have taken place in the region with varying degrees of success and consequences for political stability.

The 2014 Lisbon Forum of the Council of Europe's North-South Centre will focus on free and fair elections as a key condition for successful democracy, since they lay necessary foundations for good governance.

International election observers, legal experts and electoral officials from Tunisia, Morocco, and Egypt among other countries in the region will travel to Lisbon to participate in workshops on the electoral process during the 15-16 September forum to be held at the Ismaili Centre.

During the workshops, participants will assess themes such as ethical issues related to financing political parties and funding electoral campaigns, making elections more transparent to the public, and the role civil society can play in observing elections. (more...)