Citizen 2.0

An increased citizen participation because of the crisis? Icelanders believe it.

Selected by the Foundation EurActiv Politech and winner of the European e-Democracy Awards 2011, the Icelandic foundation citizens.is was born after the crisis of October 2008 when the Icelandic economy collapsed. The political crisis which followed highlighted an urgent need of increased citizen participation in the public debate.

The 300,000 Icelanders were already proud to have the oldest existing Parliament in the world (established in 930). Today, they are co-writing their new Constitution over the Internet and the social networks and seem determined to make their voices heard more clearly.

Born just after the crisis, citizens.is had as objective to facilitate citizen participation, based on a quality debate between citizens. In 2009, the foundation launched a website called "Skuggaping" in partnership with the Parliament, in order to open the debates to the public, authorizing comments and proposals from the citizens. A few months later, its founders, Gunnar Grimsson and Robert Bjarnason, were proposing to the political parties to discuss upon their proposals one day before the municipal elections in the capital, Reykjavik. Around 40 % of the voters asked their questions online and debated upon the proposals put forward. As a result, the City decided to launch a participative website and to discuss officially about the priorities proposed by the citizens themselves, via the website "Betri Reykjavik" (A Better Reykjavik). The budget of Iceland for 2012 will therefore be drawn up in accordance to the proposals put forward on the website.

The next project, to be launched at the end of 2011, is called "Your priorities” and is a platform open to all the countries worldwide, inviting the citizens to share their priorities. A first version has already been tested in Greece, and “a lot of constructive ideas were generated via the website” (e.g. “The Church has to pay taxes like everybody else”).

Gunnar Grimsson and Robert Bjarnason accompanied by Oskar Sandholt came to Issy-les-Moulineaux last October to present their initiative in front of the jury of the e-Democracy Awards.

The foundation citizens.is

• Iceland wins Award for exporting Democracy (The Reykjavik Grapevine)
• Population, a tool for democracy (eyjan.is)
• Democratic expansion wins an international award (DV.is)
• Residents win a prize (mbl.is)

Innovation for eParticipation

In the area of eGovernment, the Polish Government together with the European Commission are hosting the 6th European Ministerial eGovernment Conference and Exhibition "Borderless eGovernment Services for Europeans" in Poznan<http://www.egov2011.pl/>, 17th -18th November, 2011. This event will be one of the largest and biggest EU events in Poland during the six month period of Polish Presidency, with approximately 800 delegates.

This Pre-Conference is intended to show the results of important European eGovernment research in generating and implementing e-visions and e-solutions, as well as the possibilities to build new strategies upon current results.

For program and registration to the Pre-conference-free registration
http://www.kti.ue.poznan.pl/preconference-eGov2011pl/data/index.htm

The winners of the e-Democracy Awards 2011

After a selection process that lasted several weeks throughout the summer and the auditions which took place in the Multimedia room of the City Hall of Issy-les-Moulineaux on Wednesday, October 12th, the results were revealed during an official ceremony at the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Paris, on Thursday, October 14.

The winners of the e-Democracy Awards 2011:

- Winner of the French Award: Caen-la-Mer region, for its initiative Geemik.

Geemik is a playful operation conceived to boost the presence of Caen-la-mer region on the web and intended to get its inhabitants accustomed to the NFC (Near Field Communication) technology. It is trough online games that the promoters of the operation want to associate their inhabitants to the digital projects of a region that was selected as leading territory for the NFC.

- Winner of the European Award: The Icelandic foundation citizens.is whose purpose is to promote democracy worldwide.

Like every Icelandic, Gunnar Grimsson and Robert Bjarnason, founders of citizens.is, took part online in the writing of a new constitution, a Premiere for the oldest parliamentary democracy in the world. Citizens.is develops platforms that encourage the dialogue between citizens, like for example the website of the "Shadow Parliament" or the "Better Reykjavik".

- Winner of the International Award: Personal Democracy Forum

Personal Democracy Forum, better known as PdF, is an annual conference and community website founded by Andrew Rasiej and Micah Sifry about the intersection of politics and technology. Personal Democracy Forum has become a reference for all those who are interested in the way the Internet changes politics and governance. An associated website, TechPresident.com, covers how the US presidential candidates are using the web, and how content generated by voters is affecting the campaign.

The finalists of the e-Democracy Awards 2011 were selected by our American (PoliticsOnline), European (EurActive-Politech) and French (Blog Territorial) partners. If only three of them were rewarded within their category, it is certain that nine good examples of new forms of democracy were presented this year in Issy-les-Moulineaux within the 2011 edition of the World eGov Forum.

Private visit of the French Senate with the international guests of the World e-Democracy Awards. #issy #wegf - http://www.senat.fr

The programme of the World eGov Forum is available here: http://tinyurl.com/6ck5cgg

e-Democracy Awards : the finalists meet in Issy-les-Moulineaux

Nine finalists selected by our American (PoliticsOnline), European (Fondation EurActiv Politech) and French (Blog Territorial) partners are in race for the e-Democracy Awards 2011. If only three of them will be rewarded within their category, it is certain that nine good examples of new forms of democracy will be presented in Issy-les-Moulineaux next October within the 2011 edition of the World eGov Forum.

The finalists will personally present their achievements on Wednesday, October 12th at the City Hall of Issy-les-Moulineaux, in front of a jury made up by Internet specialists.

The international finalists of the e-Democracy Awards:

1. Personal Democracy Forum, better known as PdF, is an annual conference and community website founded by Andrew Rasiej and Micah Sifry about the intersection of politics and technology. Personal Democracy Forum has become a reference for all those who are interested in the way the Internet changes politics and governance. An associated website, TechPresident.com, covers how the US presidential candidates are using the web, and how content generated by voters is affecting the campaign.
   [Read more]
2. Alaa Abd El Fattah – It is without surprise that the international selection singles out an actor of the Arab Spring. This Egyptian blogger, who presents himself as a political activist and a software developer is known for co-founding (along with his wife Manal) the Egyptian blog aggregator "Manalaa". He is an unfailing advocator of the impact of the social networks on the Egyptian Revolution.
   [Read more]
3. Erik Telford is "the rising star» of electoral campaigns in the United States. Specialist on new media, he has been involved for a long time in communities close to the Republican Party and the Tea Party as well. He is also the Executive Director of RightOnline, the biggest annual gathering of conservative bloggers and professionals and hosts a lunch-show twice a week to raise awareness among the administrative and political representatives on these matters.
   [Read more]

The European finalists of the e-Democracy Awards:

1. EuropaTweets. What is Europe doing? The Belgian website EuropaTweets, founded by Henri Lastenouse, tries to answer this question by connecting the public to the European elected officials and by promoting a more transparent communication between the European MPs and their voters.
   [Read more]
2. Ideas Scotland. Scotland is one of the pioneer regions of e-democracy in Europe. Its Parliament was the first one to set up an e-petition system and it is through the website "Ideas for Scotland" that today the citizens are being consulted or are developing their own ideas. The objective of the website created by Jim Sproat is to prioritize and to evaluate these ideas. In short, to help people reach to a consensus before seizing the elected officials.
   [Read more]
3. Citizens.is is an Icelandic foundation whose purpose is to promote democracy worldwide. Like every Icelandic, Gunnar Grimsson and Robert Bjarnason, its founders, took part online in the writing of a new constitution, a Premiere for the oldest parliamentary democracy in the world. Citizens.is develops platforms that encourage the dialogue between citizens, like for example the website of the "Shadow Parliament" or the "Better Reykjavik".
   [Read more]

The French finalists of the e-Democracy Awards:

1. The Citizens’ Panel of Valenciennes enables the 42,000 inhabitants of this northern city in France to express themselves on a regular basis on topics of local interest. According to Mayor Dominique Riquet, the Citizens’ Panel is “An additional piece of participative democracy, much more closer to the citizens and an enabler of citizen participation". Its main asset: it reaches out to citizens that didn’t use to participate and all this thanks to ICT.
2. Biodiversité 2.0 is a mobile web platform which proposes a new set of tools and a new approach of the corporate governance for an informed city talk. At the origin of the project, ADREVA (the Parisian association for the development of variable stories), which wants “to build the future by drawing on the past”.
3. Geemik is a playful operation conceived to boost the presence of Caen-la-mer region on web and intended to get its inhabitants accustomed to the NFC (Near Field Communication) technology. It is trough online games that the promoters of the operation want to associate their inhabitants to the digital projects of a region that was selected as leading territory for the NFC.

The auditions of the finalists will take place in multimedia room of the City Hall of Issy-les-Moulineaux (62 rue du Général Leclerc) on Wednesday, October 12th from 2:30 pm till 5:00 pm. The entrance to the auditions is free. However, due to seat availability you are kindly asked to fill in this registration form.

The e-Democracy Awards 2011 are part of the World e-Gov Forum which will organize on 12-13 October a two-day set of online conferences, for a true world tour of the best experts and best e-government initiatives.

• The programme
• Practical info
• Registration

A French NGO and two cities nominated finalists for the French e-Democracy Award.

The French e-Democracy Award 2011 has once again mobilized thousands of Internet users, via Blog Territorial who presented during the summer several e-democracy initiatives. Interviews with selected people, each web-user was able to appreciate the qualities of his favorite and vote knowledgeably. They were ten at the beginning, now they are only three finalists.

The city of Valenciennes and its citizen panel comes very far ahead. Highly mobilized since the opening of votes, their place in the final is more than deserved. Behind the battle was very close.The NGO Adreva (Association for the sustainable development) and its 2.0 Biodiversity and the urban community of Caen for its operation Geemik , will join Valenciennes in Issy-les-Moulineaux to defend their initiative Wednesday, October 12 afternoon (free entrance after registration).

The international finalists of the e-Democracy Awards 2011

They are American, Egyptian, Icelandic, Belgian and British and are among those who have contributed, this year, to change the world thanks to the digital technology. After a selection phase that lasted all summer long, the list of the 6 finalists in race for the International and European Awards of e-Democracy 2011 has just been revealed. To this will be added the three French finalists for whom you can still vote, via Blog Territorial, until September 15th.
The nine persons or organizations selected for their way of changing the world of politics thanks to the Internet will personally present their motivations, on Wednesday, October 12th in the multimedia room of the City Hall of Issy-les-Moulineaux. Following an evaluation and voting process by a group of Internet experts, three of the finalists will be rewarded and will receive their corresponding awards in the prestigious venue at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday, October 13th, in the evening.

The international finalists of the e-Democracy Award:

1. Personal Democracy Forum, better known as PdF, is an annual conference and community website founded by Andrew Rasiej and Micah Sifry about the intersection of politics and technology. Personal Democracy Forum has become a reference for all those who are interested in the way the Internet changes politics and governance. An associated website, TechPresident.com, covers how the US presidential candidates are using the web, and how content generated by voters is affecting the campaign.
2. Alaa Abd El Fattah – It is without surprise that the international selection singles out an actor of the Arab Spring. This Egyptian blogger, who presents himself as a political activist and a software developer is known is known for co-founding (along with his wife Manal) the Egyptian blog aggregator "Manalaa". He is an unfailing advocator of the impact of the social networks on the Egyptian Revolution.
3. Erik Telford is "the rising star» of electoral campaigns in the United States. Specialist on new media, he has been involved for a long time in communities close to the Republican Party and the Tea Party as well. He is also the Executive Director of RightOnline, the biggest annual gathering of conservative bloggers and professionals and hosts a lunch-show twice a week to raise awareness among the administrative and political representatives on these matters.

The European finalists of the e-Democracy Award:

1. EuropaTweets. What is Europe doing? The Belgian website EuropaTweets, founded by Henri Lastenouse, tries to answer this question by connecting the public to the European elected officials and by promoting a more transparent communication between the European MPs and their voters.
2. Ideas Scotland. Scotland is one of the pioneer regions of e-democracy in Europe. Its Parliament was the first one to set up an e-petition system and it is the website, "Ideas for Scotland" that today the citizens are being consulted or are developing their own ideas. The objective of the website created by Jim Sproat is to prioritize and to evaluate these ideas. In short, to help people reach to a consensus before seizing the elected officials.
3. Citizens.is is an Icelandic foundation whose purpose is to promote democracy worldwide. Like every Icelandic, Gunnar Grimsson and Robert Bjarnason, its founders, takes part online in the writing of a new constitution, a Premiere for the oldest parliamentary democracy in the world. Citizens.is develops platforms that encourage the dialogue between citizens, like for example the website of the "Shadow Parliament" or the "Better Reykjavik".

The auditions of the finalists for the e-Democracy Awards 2011 will take place in multimedia room of the City Hall of Issy-les-Moulineaux (62 rue du Général Leclerc) on Wednesday, October 12th from 2:30 pm till 5:00 pm. The entrance to the auditions is free. However, due to seat availability you are kindly asked to fill in this registration form.

News on e-voting in France

The primary election organized by the French Green party, Génération Ecologie, in order to designate its candidate in the presidential election of April 2012, take place from 15th to 23rd of June, for the first round and from 30th June to 6th July for the second round. Interested voters can cast their votes either by mail or over Internet. This represents a real cultural revolution for a party that has been, for a long time, a fierce opposer to e-voting.

Voters received by mail a user name and a password allowing them to vote in the two election rounds. In case of a double vote cast (both by mail and over the Internet), it is the electronic ballot which is taken into consideration.

The company Extelia, a subsidiary of La Poste (the French postal operator), was chosen to carry out the Internet ballot casting process. Specialist of complex information systems based on the treatment of sensitive data, Extelia has developed with EADS (European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company) an efficient, reliable and acknowledged solution of Internet voting.

Even if the debate remains fierce within the party, the choice of electronic voting marks a significant step in the evolution of mentalities. This follows upon the widespread Internet voting implemented by the state of Geneva in Switzerland, the first constituency in the world to have deployed this new kind of voting. Indeed, on May 15th, 1 voter out of 4 cast a ballot online.

In Estonia as well, 1 elector out of 5 had cast his/her vote online during the general election beginning of March. The Baltic country is the first one to have generalized Internet voting for all kinds of elections.

Egypt: Web 2.0 Revolution, Act II

 
The revolution in Egypt has proven, once again, that Internet can change the world. After the election of Barack Obama and Ben Ali's downfall in Tunisia, the resignation of Hosni Moubarak provides a wealth of insights.

First of all, it is no longer possible to cut off a country from the rest of the world. In the past, this could be done by closing the borders, cutting off the telecom system, and repression was carried out secretly. No regime had yet resorted to a complete shutdown of the Internet. Restrictions had been imposed in Burma, Iran, Nepal and even in China, but Internet had never been blocked as such during 8 days.

Nevertheless, communication continued despite Internet take-down, especially thanks to the role played by the multinational companies, as was the case with Google and Twitter, which launched the “speak-to-tweet” service. This service allowed anyone with a voice connection to dial an international number and have their voice messages sent out as tweets. The role of Facebook in by-passing the governmental censorship in Tunisia had already been the sign of the big role the actors of Web could play in the events. It is no wonder that Google marketing executive for the Middle East, Wael Ghonim, became a symbol for the Egyptian movement.