Haissam Riad Minkara
2011 MENA Fellow, Lebanon
Haissam is a Research Manager at the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) in Beirut, Lebanon. He manages the research on elections administration and its legal framework. He developed and implemented the elections risk assessment methodology for the 2009 elections in Lebanon and Developed the GIS Violence-Risk/Hot-Spots maps of Lebanon. He is also tasked with providing in depth political analysis and recommendations to the Programme’s administration, and briefing diplomats, donors, local and international stakeholders about elections-related and political developments in Lebanon.
Haissam is also a Research Fellow for the British Council in London, where he has recently led the research and coordinated with the BBC for the preparation of the “Open Agenda”, television series broadcast on BBC Arabic. He has two BA and Two Masters Degrees in Democratic Studies and Mass Communication.
Haissam will use his experience in the UK to build on the existing capacities of
the electoral system and establish a regional network of elections professionals.
He hopes this network will:
• create a forum where central officers and regional members can exchange expertise
• use its “Arabic hat” to liaise with the Arab League Elections Observation
Department and promote the international standards of elections
• establish a sustainable training course that is designed to fill the lack
of knowledge in different fields of elections in the MENA region