The past month was HUGE for international parliamentary convenings, new reports and resources and, of course, more major elections. We’re rounding up the highlights from:

The 149th Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly
New reports on digital innovation in parliaments by the IPU and the US Library of Congress
Portugal’s “House of Parliament” initiative to bring citizens closer to the legislative process
New research on citizen-legislator relations
Updates from the UK’s Modernization Committee

This newsletter is our opportunity to recognize the important work happening across the globe to help democratic institutions keep pace with a world that is changing rapidly due to technology and to help us all learn from each other. We’d love to hear from you about how YOUR parliament is modernizing, so send us your stories, questions, and feedback!

Please share with your colleagues and feel free to reach out. We are always happy to connect with fellow enthusiasts of legislative institutions around the world.

Beatriz Rey, Ph.D.

#YearofElections Updates

US: A GOP trifecta, with former President Trump winning both the popular vote and Electoral College; Republicans retaining the House and reclaiming the Senate.
Mozambique: The ruling Frelimo party won a disputed landslide; Daniel Chapo became the first President born post-independence amidst protests and violence.
Japan: The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) lost its majority in the lower house for the first time in fifteen years.
Uruguay: A Presidential run-off is set for next month between center-left Yamandú Orsi and conservative Álvaro Delgado.
Moldova: President Maia Sandu won the first round; a narrow majority backed EU membership in a referendum.
Lithuania: Social Democrats claimed victory in parliamentary elections against the incumbent center-right coalition.
Georgia: The Prime Minister hailed a “landslide” legislative win, while the country’s President condemned the vote as fraudulent.
Bulgaria: Center-right GERB party leads with 26.4% of the votes but will need a coalition to govern.
Uzbekistan: Parliamentary elections closed Sunday with no real opposition to President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, who retains tight control despite controversial reforms.
Mauritius: The opposition “Alliance for Change” coalition won ALL 62 seats in the recent parliamentary elections.
Ireland: Snap election called for November 29.

Writing for the Financial Times, John Burn-Murdoch provided perspective on the anti-incumbent wave that continues:

“From America’s Democrats to Britain’s Tories, Emmanuel’s Macron’s Ensemble coalition to Japan’s Liberal Democrats, even to Narendra Modi’s erstwhile dominant BJP, governing parties and leaders have undergone an unprecedented series of reversals this year. The incumbents in every single one of the 10 major countries that have been tracked by the ParlGov global research project and held national elections in 2024 were given a kicking by voters. This is the first time this has ever happened in almost 120 years of records.”

Changes & Challenges

Georgia lost its seat on the Open Government Partnership (OGP) Steering Committee for failing to address issues around civic freedoms and fundamental rights.
The ruling coalition has disbanded in Germany, triggering a January confidence vote that may lead to early elections.

On Our Radar

Rest of the World is tracking the noteworthy AI-generated election content globally.
The German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF) is tracking election deep fakes.
A new book explores The Parliamentary Dimension of the Conference on the Future of Europe, detailing the citizen-driven initiative for sharing and debating ideas within the European Parliament.
The EU Commission introduced "GPT@EC," an AI tool to help staff draft policy documents, summarize, and brainstorm.
The European Parliament’s new AI assistant, Archibot, powered by Anthropic's Claude, now offers global, multilingual access to 2.1 million archived documents.
Mexico’s Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation (SCJN) launched Sor Juana, an AI tool to help citizens navigate pending cases and judgments.
Imagined Democracies - Necessary Political Fictions, a book about the role of imagination in politics. We’ll review it soon!

Dispatch from the 149th IPU Assembly

Members of Parliament from around the world gathered in Geneva, Switzerland from October 13–17 for the 149th Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly. At a joint panel hosted by the IPU and the Association of Secretaries General of Parliaments (ASGP) on the future of parliaments, Ugandan Member of Parliament Alex Ruhunda urged nations to collaborate and share knowledge on technology:

“If you have advanced with your technology, don’t be mean with it. You should consider how best to share that knowledge with those in need so that together we can improve our universe collectively.”

Ruhunda’s speech aligns closely with the IPU’s World e-Parliament Report 2024, which highlights the growing technological divide between wealthy and less-resourced parliaments around the world. While the digital transformation of parliaments is gaining momentum — with 68% implementing multi-year digital strategies and 73% adopting formal modernization programs — income level remains the strongest determinant of a parliament’s digital maturity. Almost two thirds of parliaments in low-income countries (63%) and just over half of those in lower-middle-income countries (52%) rank among the lowest 30 for digital maturity.

Report from the P-20

Juan de Dios Cincunegui, an expert in administrative law, strategic planning, and parliamentary affairs in Argentina, shared insights from the 10th G20 Parliamentary Speakers Summit held in Brasilia on November 7-8. The Summit’s joint declaration emphasized parliaments' central role in addressing global challenges, underscoring themes like combating poverty, advancing sustainable development, and reforming global governance. The declaration also called on parliaments to strengthen their legislative, budgetary, and oversight roles to promote the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

More on Technology

The US Library of Congress released a new report on “Innovative technology in legislatures in selected countries.”
Ecuador’s National Assembly has adopted electronic voting for its standing committees.
Former Ontario legislator Janet L. Ecker wrote on the impact of AI on parliaments, emphasizing the crucial role played by the AI think tank Vector Institute in aiding Canada’s integration of the technology into governance.
Political scientists have organized a panel to discuss the digital transformation in parliaments at next year’s International Political Science Association (IPSA) Congress of Political Science in Seoul.

Portugal’s House of Parliament

This month, we visited the House of Parliament, a permanent exhibition of Portugal’s National Assembly that offers an in-depth look at the country’s political system and the legislature’s role. Watch our video as we guide you through this immersive experience, showcasing interactive features and historical displays that bring the workings of the Assembly to life.

Modernization in the UK

The House of Commons’ Modernization Committee is asking for input from individuals inside and outside the institution on the topics it should prioritize for action as it develops its work plan. The Committee had already published a memorandum with the three strategic aims and some initial workstreams. Submissions can be made through this website.

Parliament Building "Gifts" Offer Lessons for Digital Solutions

Marci Harris, Executive Director of POPVOX Foundation, coauthored an op-ed in The Diplomat with Dr. Innocent Batsani-Ncube, discussing the history of China's construction of parliament buildings in countries such as Malawi, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, and the African Union headquarters in Ethiopia. This "infrastructure diplomacy” can raise questions of symbolism and sovereignty, and may have much to teach for future questions regarding technical infrastructure.

Research on Legislator-Constituency Relations

In Parliamentary Affairs, Pandanus H. Petter argues that a “void” is forming between political parties and society, weakening representation in established democracies. However, based on interviews with twenty Australian legislators, he finds that MPs are dedicating more time to constituency work and actively addressing disengagement through personal effort and deep involvement within their communities.

In Legislative Studies Quarterly, Leila Demarest and Wouter Veenendaal analyze factors influencing citizen–MP contact across 32 African countries. Their study finds that smaller districts and single-member systems promote contact, while electoral competitiveness mainly enhances contact in democratic contexts. The study challenges assumptions about partisan bias and clientelism in African political representation.

Gender in Parliaments

A new handbook by INTER PARES highlights that women's representation in parliaments has increased from 12% in 1995 to nearly 27% today, although it still falls short of the 30% target set by the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). Global progress is unequal: the Americas currently lead, with women holding 35.1% of parliamentary seats in 2024, up from 22.4% in 1995. In contrast, the Middle East and North Africa region has seen slower progress, starting at just 4.3% in 1995 and reaching 16.5% in 2024. Despite such progress, women remain underrepresented in leadership positions, with only 31.1% of parliaments having female speakers and 26.2% having female secretary generals in 2022.

Related: While women remain underrepresented in the US Congress, the 2024 election included many “firsts.”

Report from the US: News on Modernization and AI

Representatives Derek Kilmer [D, WA], Joe Morelle [D, NY], and Mike Carey [R, OH] introduced a bipartisan resolution to create a Congressional modernization competition for students. The initiative encourages young people to propose innovative ideas for improving Congress' operations, aiming to boost youth involvement in civic life while providing valuable recommendations for modernizing the legislative process. Rep. Kilmer is the Ranking Member of the Modernization Subcommittee of the House Committee on Administration and formerly served as the Chair of the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress.

POPVOX Foundation’s Director of Government Innovation Aubrey Wilson has written on the steps taken by the House of Representatives and the Senate to incorporate AI into Congressional operations. She highlights that, for the first time in recent memory, Congress is keeping pace with technological advancements rather than falling behind.

Events

November 20, 2024: AI Tools in Parliaments (ParlAmericas, House Democracy Partnership, and POPVOX Foundation, virtual)

November 20, 2024: Developments, innovations and challenges in public engagement in the Mexican Congress (IPU/PEN, virtual)

November 20, 2024: AI Tools for Parliaments: Caribbean Webinar Series (ParlAmericas, virtual)

November 22, 2024: Building Safe, Inclusive, and Violence-Free Digital Spaces (ParlAmericas, Panama City, Panama)

November 26-28, 2024: Engaging the public in strengthening accountability through key oversight institutions (IPU/INTOSAI/CAROSAI, St. Lucia)

December 3, 2024: Launch of the IPU Guidelines for AI in parliaments (IPU, virtual)

December 16-18, 2024: Parliamentary Track at the Internet Governance Forum 2024 (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia)

January 13-14, 2025: Third World Summit of the Committees of the Future (IPU, Santiago de Chile, Chile)

June 18-20, 2025: Inaugural Africa Regional Conference on Parliament and Legislation (AFRIPAL) (Kampala)

Tell us your stories!

POPVOX Foundation wants to learn about your experiences in parliaments across the globe. What are examples of progress in your legislative institutions that are happening quietly and would serve as positive examples to staffers from other countries? Don’t hesitate to reach out with your stories: beatriz@popvox.org.

About POPVOX Foundation

POPVOX Foundation is a US-based nonprofit with a mission to inform and empower people and make government work better for everyone. Its dedicated team of former Congressional staffers are united by an enduring commitment to democracy and the legislative process. Through initiatives like the Comparative Legislative Strengthening Project, POPVOX Foundation connects legislative modernizers around the world through a shared passion for public service that knows no borders.

ModParl: Major Convenings + Election Insights