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Today we zoom in on elections and democracy in the digital age, and on democracy in Southeast Asia. As our Chair Kofi Annan, and a few team members, prepare to visit Silicon Valley, Project Coordinator Declan O'Brien shares hour take on how we intend to safeguard the integrity of elections.
Meanwhile, together with the Malaysian Human Rights Commission, we have published a report that takes a close look at what some have termed the "backsliding of democracy" in various parts of Southeast Asia and what must be done to stop it.
All democracies face challenges to electoral integrity but a landmark regional conference in Kuala Lumpur last September captured some of the particular hurdles facing the countries of Southeast Asia. On the positive side, the region’s phenomenal economic development has created a large, educated and urban middle class that can provide a firm foundation for the development and entrenchment of democratic practice. On the less positive side, some countries have slid back to authoritarian, or even military, rule. In other words, political development has not always kept up with economic progress. This new report outlines how Southeast Asia may tackle these challenges and defend democracy.
In a staggeringly short period of time, digital technologies have profoundly altered democratic processes, including elections. As evidenced by the recent revelations surrounding Cambridge Analytica or the challenge to the outcome of the elections in Kenya, this impact is not always positive, yet the potential offered by digital technology to reengage citizens, empower or educate voters, and strengthen the integrity of elections remains almost without parallel. The Kofi Annan Foundation’s Declan O’Brien on what needs to happen now.
