BUILDING PUBLIC TRUST THROUGH A RESPONSIVE PARLIAMENT - A Quick Guide to Constituency Outreach
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BUILDING PUBLIC TRUST THROUGH A RESPONSIVE PARLIAMENT A Quick Guide to Constituency Outreach National Democratic Institute
ABOUT NDI The National Democratic Institute is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, nongovernmental orga- nization that has supported democratic institutions and practices in every region of the world for more than three decades. Since its founding in 1983, NDI and its local partners have worked to establish and strengthen political and civic organizations, safeguard elec- tions, and promote citizen participation, openness and accountability in government. NDI has worked with Iraqi Members of Parliament (MPs) to open constituency offices across Iraq since 2010. In the 2014-2018 parliamentary mandate, these offices received almost 100,000 visits from constituents. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This guide was prepared by the National Democratic Institute - Iraq with funding from the U.S. Department of State. Sarah Beckerman, Resident Senior Program Manager, and Aamir Botani, Program Manager, compiled and drafted the main text of this document. NDI would like to thank the following members of parliament and their constituency out- reach assistants for contributed to this manual. The MPs include: Abdulqahar al-Samarrai, Vian Dakhil, Saleem Shawqi, Khalid al-Mafraji, Sabah al-Tamimi, and Najat al-Obeidi. The constituency outreach assistants include: Abbas Fadhil, Faisal Abdulhadi, Naji Abdulhasan, Sozdar Rasheed, Omar Aws and Oqba al-Naseri. The guide was edited by Jennifer Rowland, Resident Senior Program Officer.
CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 5 TIPS AND TOOLS FOR EFFECTIVE CONSTITUENCY OUTREACH 6 CONSTITUENCY OUTREACH OFFICE CASE STUDIES 12 BEST PRACTICES & LESSONS LEARNED 20
BUILDING PUBLIC TRUST THROUGH A RESPONSIVE PARLIAMENT A QUICK GUIDE TO CONSTITUENCY OUTREACH
Direct communication with citizens is key for elected officials to effectively represent
and respond to their constituents’ needs in the legislature. This quick guide provides tips
and tools to help parliamentarians enhance their constituency outreach efforts for more
responsive and inclusive governance. Included in the guide is an overview for how to set
up a constituency outreach office, guidelines for conducting outreach and policy discus-
sions, and case studies from NDI-Iraq’s Constituency Outreach Program. Many of these
case studies highlight the efforts of members of parliament (MPs) and their Constituency
Outreach Assistants (COAs) in provinces liberated from ISIS in order to draw out lessons
learned and best practices for how to remain connected and responsive to constituents
during times of conflict and transition.
INTRODUCTION how to engage their constituents in order
to strengthen lines of communication and
When NDI launched the constituency out- foster a constructive relationship between
reach program in 2010, Iraq was in the early citizens and government. NDI worked with
stages of its transition to democracy. The MPs to open constituency outreach offic-
principles and values that shape a demo- es (COOs) in their provinces, as well as on-
cratic nation were still new and were strug- board COAs to serve as the daily ‘face’ of
gling to find a foothold. At the time, democ- MP relations in their community.
racy was seen as a system that merely held
elections, and the representative, oversight, Witnessing the impact of the program
and legislative roles and responsibilities of and the improved constituency relations
elected officials were viewed as a formality. enjoyed by these MPs, other political par-
This created an environment where NDI’s ties and parliamentary blocs began to ex-
constituency outreach program was met press cautious interest in the program and
with skepticism and reservation by many eventually nominated MPs to participate.
MPs. Despite this reluctance, NDI saw an As the program gained momentum and
opportunity to pilot the program with mi- garnered positive results for participating
nority MPs and political parties within the MPs, political parties began to request
Council of Representatives (CoR), namely additional support for more MPs to open
the Christian and Yezidi components, given constituency offices across the country. So
that these groups had established linkages what was initially met with apprehension
with their constituents. and doubt was now being sought after and
viewed as a vital element to effective gov-
Initial engagement with minority MPs ernance. For example, as NDI-supported
proved to be effective as they quickly MP Khalid al-Mafraji (Mutahidun, Kirkuk)
grasped the approaches and techniques for said, “Meeting constituents in my constit-
5BUILDING PUBLIC TRUST THROUGH A RESPONSIVE PARLIAMENT A QUICK GUIDE TO CONSTITUENCY OUTREACH
uency office or at their homes, I found out tional attention focused on defeating the
that even if I could not solve their cases, insurgent group and providing humanitar-
they were happy to see their representa- ian aid to millions of Iraqis, NDI adjusted
tive by their side and working for them.” its programmatic approach to ensure it
was providing the necessary support to
By 2018, NDI had worked with 48 MPs MPs from these areas, including relocat-
across 16 provinces. In that time, they met ing their offices to support internally dis-
with 159,517 constituents, solved 26,281 placed persons (IDPs). Following the de-
cases addressing a range of issues from feat of ISIS, NDI continued to work with
employment to service delivery, and con- MPs from liberated areas to support them
ducted over 8,200 outreach activities. as they navigated post-conflict dynam-
However, at the height of the program, ics and devised strategies and policies to
the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) overcome new governance-related chal-
took hold of one-third of Iraq’s territory lenges, such as the timely and equitable
and brutally occupied this area for almost provision of services and resources, secu-
four years. With domestic and interna- rity, and reconstruction.
TIPS AND TOOLS FOR EFFECTIVE zens, MPs can solicit valuable information
CONSTITUENCY OUTREACH1 to develop more responsive and inclusive
policies and legislation.
Through the use of constituency outreach
activities, elected officials can be become Setting Up a Constituency
better informed and therefore better posi- Outreach Office
tioned to address the needs of their con-
stituents in a timely and consistent man- Constituency outreach offices can help
ner. By connecting with citizens and get- streamline constituency services and im-
ting involved with their day-to-day chal- prove the efficiency of outreach activities.
lenges, elected officials can demonstrate These offices provide citizens with a safe
the government’s commitment to respond space to meet with an MP to share their
to the needs and problems of citizens. In needs and concerns, as well as provide a
addition, listening to the concerns of citi- centralized location for dealing with case-
work or individual requests for help from
citizens. An office can also help increase an
1 Information adapted from the following resources by
the National Democratic Institute: “Moving Closer to MP’s visibility in his or her constituency, and
Citizens: A Manual on Outreach for Elected Representa-
tives in Morocco,” 2016; “Practical Guide on Constituency convey a positive message to citizens about
Outreach For Members of Parliament and Constituent their commitment to the community.
Outreach Office Assistants,” 2013; and “Constituent Re-
lations: A Guide to Best Practices,” 2008.
6BUILDING PUBLIC TRUST THROUGH A RESPONSIVE PARLIAMENT A QUICK GUIDE TO CONSTITUENCY OUTREACH
• The constituency office should be located Running an Effective
in an area that is easily accessible. Con- Constituency Office
sider the personal safety and security of
constituency office staff and citizens • Try to establish permanent working hours
when deciding on the location of the of- of the office. For example, every workday
fice, including accessibility for women for at least four to five hours. It is recom-
and people with disabilities. mend that offices hours be in the after-
noon (15:00 to 19:00) so citizens could
• The constituency office should be sepa- visit the office after their work day ends.
rate from other offices, or it could, for ex-
ample, be located in a municipal building. • Try not to change the location of the con-
Constituency offices can also be located stituency office or change working hours.
in political party offices, which can be a
good first step to building party outreach • Try not to change the day reserved for
practices and increase the visibility of meetings between the MP and constit-
the party in the area. However, the office uents (for example, every other Satur-
should be seen as accessible to all citizens day and/or when the parliament is not
regardless of political affiliation. All con- in session).
stituents, including those who voted for
the legislator and his/her party and those • The MP should try to work from the con-
who did not, need to feel comfortable vis- stituency office at least once every two
iting and discussing their concerns. weeks for several hours. Put a sign out-
side the office indicating when the MP
• The office should be large enough to would be available, for example, every
accommodate a desk with a computer, other Saturday of non-session weeks
filing cabinet, and a table and chairs for from 10:00 to 14:00.
meetings.
• Look for skilled constituency office assis-
• Put a visible sign outside the office with tant who has experience in communica-
the name of the constituency office, tion, politics and/or government.
working hours, and contact information.
• Constituency office assistant must keep
• If and where appropriate, organize an of- good records of all visits to the office.
ficial opening of the constituency office This information will be critical for fol-
including a press conference and/or press low-up on constituency cases and to
release, and continue to promote the of- support policy and legislation develop-
fice to raise awareness of its existence ment. This data and information will also
and purpose among citizens. be useful to communicate with citizens
during the election campaign.
7BUILDING PUBLIC TRUST THROUGH A RESPONSIVE PARLIAMENT A QUICK GUIDE TO CONSTITUENCY OUTREACH
• Use forms for tracking and registering constituent informed about any progress
constituent cases. you make while attempting to solve the
case. Keep records of the meetings, phone
• Arrange for the constituency office as- calls, and letters you sent in the process of
sistant to take and record notes in meet- solving constituent cases.
ings with citizens. This way, you can fo-
cus on what citizens are saying. Forwarding the case
If a particular issue or case raised by a
• Direct meetings with citizens (constitu- constituent is something you cannot ad-
ents) are more effective than correspon- dress directly you should refer the case and
dence through letters or emails; howev- citizen to the appropriate institution re-
er, try not to allocate more than 15-20 sponsible for solving those issues. In that
minutes per meeting with a single con- situation, inform the citizen that you are
stituent. This would enable you to meet referring their case to the institution, con-
with more citizens. tact a representative at the institution to
alert them about this particular case and
• It is more efficient and time effective to provide instructions to the citizen(s) about
schedule meetings with citizens in ad- how to best handle their problem. All re-
vance. ferred cases should be marked in your re-
cords as solved cases.
• It is recommended to introduce an “open
door policy” so all citizens, no matter Rejecting the case
who they are, feel welcome to visit the of- Often, you will have to say no to constit-
fice. You can only benefit if more people uents and reject their cases. For example,
come to your office and meet with you. members of parliament should not accept
cases that fall under the jurisdiction of the
Conducting Constituent judicial system or requests for employment
Casework that an MP cannot fulfill. It is better to say
no rather than to promise to do something
Receiving, responding to and tracking and then not to do it.
progress on solving citizens’ problems can
be broken down into a multi-step process Record Keeping
called casework. Casework means working In each constituency office, it is very im-
through the public administration to help portant to keep detailed records of all con-
solve individual problems (cases) of citizens. stituent visits, meetings, cases, and the
progress made towards solving each con-
Accepting the case stituent case. Constituent outreach offices
If you accept a citizen’s case you should should develop a comprehensive filing and
inform them about the steps you are plan- documentation system. Effective and ac-
ning to take to solve the issue. Keep the curate record keeping is also important for
8BUILDING PUBLIC TRUST THROUGH A RESPONSIVE PARLIAMENT A QUICK GUIDE TO CONSTITUENCY OUTREACH
analyzing what issues are of greatest con- • Work in the parliament according to ini-
cern to constituents. Information about tiatives received from constituents, such
constituent cases can be useful when par- as submitting MPs questions, drafting
liamentarians and their respective political legislation and amendments, and writing
parties are designing particular policies on letters to members of the executive and
key issues facing the country and deciding other officials from the state institutions.
on campaign strategies.2
• Participate in TV and radio shows.
Conducting Constituency
Outreach Activities Activities for Constituency Office Assistant
Elected representatives may use a com- • Develop a constituency outreach strat-
bination of different, yet interrelated, egy in consultation with the Member of
constituency outreach methods, such as Parliament.
policy discussions, constituent question-
naires, special events, and other formal • Work from the constituency office every
and informal methods for reaching out to work day for a minimum of five hours.
constituents. Regardless of the outreach
method, the fundamental goal is to create • Receive constituents, register their is-
an ongoing dialogue between MPs and the sues, and make appointments for meet-
citizens they represent. ings with the Member of Parliament.
Activities for Members of Parliament • Keep and secure records of every individ-
ual constituent visit and case.
• Bi-weekly face-to-face meetings with
constituents. • Work to solve cases according to the in-
structions given by the Member of Par-
• Work on solving individual constituent liament.
cases.
• Inform constituents about progress
• Holding public meetings with citizens made on solving their cases.
outside the constituency office.
• Develop and distribute promotional ma-
• Visit constituents living in remote loca- terials for the constituency office, news-
tions who do not have easy access to the letters, and constituency questionnaires.
constituency office.
• Provide assistance to the MP on tasks
such as research projects, constituency
2 “Practical Guide on Constituency Outreach For Mem- related assignments, and their work in
bers of Parliament and Constituent Outreach Office As-
sistants.” the parliament.
9BUILDING PUBLIC TRUST THROUGH A RESPONSIVE PARLIAMENT A QUICK GUIDE TO CONSTITUENCY OUTREACH
• Organize policy discussions, listening Policy discussions are the most common
tours, and special events with citizens way for government officials, elected rep-
for the Member of Parliament. resentatives and citizens to come togeth-
er to discuss matters of public concern.
• Prepare media events (press confer- They typically address a specific problem
ences) for the Member of Parliament. or issue and are often organized by a lo-
cal organization or government agency.
Organizing a Policy Discussion They are particularly useful for opening up
lines of communication between citizens
A policy discussion is a meeting held for the and government, stimulating discussion,
general public where people can exchange helping define problems, and developing
opinions and ideas on a particular issue. solutions to them.
CHECKLIST FOR ORGANIZING A POLICY DISCUSSION
Before
O List of participants developed.
O Registration form developed, includes all necessary information.
Invitation drafted, includes all necessary information, such as the location, time, and
O objective.
O List of contact information (email and cell phone numbers) for participants prepared.
O Room for the policy discussion identified.
O Layout of the room arranged as advised; seating arrangement.
O The section for observers/general public identified and clearly marked.
O Main table arranged for MP and/or moderator, located in the center of the room.
O Designated and clearly marked the area for media representatives.
O Located positions for TV cameras and photographers.
O Microphones in place on the table.
Information package with relevant information (draft law, complaints, research
O papers) prepared for the MP.
O The equipment for recording of proceedings is in place and functioning, if needed.
10BUILDING PUBLIC TRUST THROUGH A RESPONSIVE PARLIAMENT A QUICK GUIDE TO CONSTITUENCY OUTREACH
O “No cell phone” signs printed and placed on visible places.
Sign in sheet prepared and printed.
O Promotional banners printed and placed on appropriate locations.
O Talking points prepared for MP.
O Invitations sent to participants.
O Participants receive follow-up call for confirmation of participation and email receipt.
O Registration forms filled and received from all confirmed participants.
O Venue checked one or two days before the event.
During
O Begin and finish on time.
Ensure that the chairperson establishes the purpose of the forum and
O introduces the speakers.
O Make announcements about future activities.
O Take questions but avoid speeches from the audience.
O Make sure the chairperson is firm but fair.
Make sure the journalists do not interrupt the event by pulling participant away for
O interviews.
After
O Thank your guest speakers and volunteers in writing.
O Write to attendees and non-attendees to share the policy discussion report.
O Phone target journalists and tell them about the policy discussion.
O Deal with costs of hall rentals and other incidentals.
O Follow up on what action needs to be taken as a result of the policy discussions.
Arrange for a small group of supporters to evaluate the success of the forum and plan
O for the next one.
11BUILDING PUBLIC TRUST THROUGH A RESPONSIVE PARLIAMENT A QUICK GUIDE TO CONSTITUENCY OUTREACH
CONSTITUENCY OUTREACH Constituents Visits
OFFICE CASE STUDIES
Abdulqahar al-Samarrai, Mutahidoon,
Salahaddin
In 2015, NDI began supporting MP Abdul-
qahar al-Samarrai and worked with him to
open an office in his hometown of Samarra
in Salahaddin. Shortly after opening the
office, ISIS overran the province, forcing
thousands to flee their homes. Trying to
engage and provide assistance to a con-
stituency scattered across the province and
even throughout the country proved to be a
major challenge at first, but the MP quickly
adapted to the new reality and started to
meet his constituents wherever they were Men
relocated and displaced. Applying one of Women
the core principles of constituency outreach
-- “get out of the office” -- the MP and his Over the course of three years, this office
assistant began to implement a rigorous received around 6000 constituent visits in-
outreach schedule to meet with displaced cluding 1612 women.
citizens across the province. Listening to his
constituents’ concerns and learning about
the lack of services in the displaced areas the return of IDPs. As a result of his efforts,
led the MP to increase his efforts liaising MP al-Samarrai facilitated the reopening of
and coordinating with humanitarian and government agencies in the province such as
security officials to ensure IDPs received the Identification Directorate, the Water De-
basic provisions to ease their suffering. partment, and the Pension Directorate, all of
which helped ease the return process. In ad-
Following the liberation of Salahaddin in dition, the MP started to address new chal-
2017, IDPs were hopeful and believed that lenges that emerged with the return of IDPs,
they would be able to quickly return home. namely security-related issues involving the
However, a devastated infrastructure and various military groups in the province. An
inadequate support from the government to increase in checkpoints hindered citizens’
rebuild and reopen its agencies hindered the freedom of movement, which led the MP to
return process. The MP played an important advocate to security commanders on behalf
role in exerting public pressure on the gov- of his constituents and exert public pressure
ernment through the media and through his on the Ministry of Interior to create a better
oversight capacity in the CoR to expedite security environment in Salahaddin.
12BUILDING PUBLIC TRUST THROUGH A RESPONSIVE PARLIAMENT A QUICK GUIDE TO CONSTITUENCY OUTREACH
After receiving cases from across the prov- format to gather citizen insights on issues
ince, including remote and rural areas, in a structured manner -- the MP and COA
the MP also realized that he needed to be resisted the idea at first. But once they
more accessible to his constituents during put it into practice, the MP and COA im-
this vital transition period of reconstruc- mediately recognized the benefits of such
tion and as IDPs return home. He decided structured discussions. “Policy discus-
to open two more offices, one in Tikrit and sion allowed us to get to the roots of the
the other in Baghdad, where IDPs from the problems since the participants were more
province still reside. NDI trained two addi- open in such a setting, unlike other formal
tional COAs to manage offices. settings”, the MP said. “Knowing the roots
of the problems allowed us to find the
In addition to supporting MPs and their as- suitable solutions for them,” he added.
sistants in post-conflict transition efforts,
a primary focus of NDI’s constituency out- Vian Dakhil, Yezidi, Ninewa
reach program was to support MPs to im- The occupation of Ninewa by ISIS brought
plement inclusive and responsive constitu- with it utter devastation and destruction,
ent relations processes and public policies. including a targeted and systematic geno-
In this context, to support MP al-Samar- cide of the Yezidi community. Whole vil-
rai’s extensive outreach efforts across the lages were destroyed, thousands of men
province, NDI consistently encouraged him were killed, and women and children were
to broaden his efforts to include constitu- kidnaped, including the over 3,000 Yezi-
ents from different ethnic, sectarian, and di women and girls who remain missing.
ideological backgrounds. Like many other Amidst all this, MP Dakhil refused to re-
aspects of the constituency outreach pro- main silent. As the only Yazidi elected
gram, this approach was met with appre- official in the CoR, she delivered an im-
hension at first; however, over time, the MP passioned statement on the floor of the
and COA discovered that constituents re- parliament to direct efforts to address
sponded very positively to them as the MP the plight of the Yazidi community. Her
and COA were listening to their concerns speech, which ended with her collapsing
regardless of their backgrounds or affilia- on the floor of parliament, received glob-
tions. “At the beginning, we did not notice al recognition and resulted in an immedi-
the importance of the program,” the MP ate response to provide rescue and relief.
said. “However, the more we were indulged Following this, she accompanied the Iraqi
in the details of its components, the more Army on a mission to provide humanitar-
we realized its importance especially when ian aid to Yazidis trapped on Mount Sin-
we started to reach out to different groups jar. Her advocacy efforts to represent and
who stood with us in elections.” he added. speak on behalf of her community also
helped her get the Kurdistan Regional
Similarly, when NDI introduced the concept Government to establish an agency fo-
of policy discussions -- using the town-hall cused on saving Yazidi women kidnapped
13BUILDING PUBLIC TRUST THROUGH A RESPONSIVE PARLIAMENT A QUICK GUIDE TO CONSTITUENCY OUTREACH
by ISIS and providing them with psycho- nated thousands of publications to sup-
social support. port her initiative. The MP also opened a
child-friendly space in the Sharia IDP camp
With her constituency spread out across near Dohuk where kids could learn to read
the country and in IDP camps, the MP be- and write, draw, and play music.
gan to diversify her outreach efforts to
ensure she was engaging as many citizens While unable to re-open an office during
as she could. While initially resistant to displacement, the MP was still able to col-
the idea of holding policy discussions, she lect case files from her constituents. Af-
soon realized the benefit of this type of ter analyzing the cases submitted to her
engagement as it allowed her to commu- constituency office, the MP along with her
nicate and interact with her constituents assistant determined that youth unem-
in a more meaningful way, and provided ployment was a top concern and priority in
her with the opportunity for more in-depth her constituency. To address this, she re-
insight and analysis into a situation. For quested and was successful in getting the
example, after facilitating a few policy dis- government to include Sinjar in its housing
cussions on the role of women in peace- plans for construction in the area. Howev-
building, she learned that Muslim women er, as the government did not have land to
from her constituency were also suffering allocate to construction projects, the MP
as they were being targeted and falsely agreed to donate a piece of family land on
accused of being ISIS supporters simply the condition that, as long as they were
because they were Muslim, and recognized appropriately qualified, those hired were
that before these engagements she was from Sinjar. As a result of this effort, she
not getting the full picture of the situa- was able to bring jobs to young people in
tion. As she told NDI, “These discussions her constituency.
provided a comfortable space for all voices
to be heard.” In response, the MP increased Saleem Shawqi, Hikma, Basra
her engagement with this community to NDI-supported MP Saleem Shawqi opened
demonstrate her commitment to serving a constituency office in a northern sub-dis-
their interests, and worked within the Yazi- trict of Basra in 2015. After just a year into
di community to combat negative miscon- the program, recognizing the benefits of
ceptions and shed light on the situation of the office, the MP independently opened
Muslim women. four more offices in different districts
across the province in order to be more
As part of her outreach efforts, the MP accessible to his constituents. To ensure
and her assistant were made aware of the these offices were staffed and managed
poor learning conditions in IDP camps. In appropriately, the NDI-supported COA
response, the MP worked to open a library on-boarded new assistants utilizing the
in an IDP camp under the slogan “Read- information and resources from NDI train-
ing in the Time of Displacement.” NDI do- ings. Similarly, the COA took it upon him-
14BUILDING PUBLIC TRUST THROUGH A RESPONSIVE PARLIAMENT A QUICK GUIDE TO CONSTITUENCY OUTREACH
self to also train other MPs and Provincial and solved 24 percent of them over the
Council Members from the same party on last four years. But beyond just conduct-
constituency relations. ing case work, elected officials must work
to bring about broader institutional chang-
One of the common challenges faced by es to address more systemic problems
elected officials in transitioning countries is through public policy. In this regard, NDI
citizens’ lack of understanding of the politi- also worked with NDI-supported MPs such
cal process and inability to differentiate be- as MP Shawqi and his assistant to analyze
tween the legislative and executive branch and assess case work to identify common
of government. MP Shawqi and his assis- trends and themes that could be more ef-
tant frequently faced this challenge, with fectively and broadly addressed through
citizens approaching the MP with a concern policy or legislation. Based on the cases
or request and expecting it to be addressed submitted to his office, the MP identified
immediately. One aspect of NDI’s training youth unemployment as the top issue of
program was to coach MPs and COAs on concern in his constituency. Leveraging this
how to educate and inform their constitu- data, the MP and his assistant organized
ents about these civic processes while still a series of policy discussions on youth un-
working with them to address the case. employment with key stakeholders in the
To address this gap in understanding, MP province and developed a policy proposing
Shawqi and his COA allocated segments of the creation of an academy for youth to be
their outreach activities to civic education, trained in various aspects of the oil produc-
explaining the roles and responsibilities of tion industry. Having garnered significant
elected officials, and the legislative and de- buy-in and support from constituents and
cision making processes in the CoR and ex- stakeholders as result of this process, the
ecutive branch. By providing citizens with a government expressed readiness to estab-
foundational understanding of the political lish the training academy.
process, the MP and COA were able to build
a positive working relationship with their In addition to building a strong relation-
constituents as they were able to better ship with his constituents, MP Shawqi’s
meet their needs and expectations. “This outreach work proved to be a major val-
[civic education] increased constituents’ ue-add to his political party, which allowed
acceptance of us,” the MP said. “We were the MP to build his credibility and reputa-
honest with constituents about what we tion within his party. Although he original-
can do and what we cannot and this is how ly decided not to run for a second term,
we gained their trust.” party leadership approached him directly
and requested that he stand as a candi-
Constituency relations also involves col- date in the May 2018 parliamentary elec-
lecting and responding to cases submit- tions. While seen as a daunting and often
ted to the office, and across MP Shawqi’s burdensome requirement for an elected
five offices, the MP received 1,015 cases official, this demonstrated to the MP and
15BUILDING PUBLIC TRUST THROUGH A RESPONSIVE PARLIAMENT A QUICK GUIDE TO CONSTITUENCY OUTREACH
his political party that robust constituent
relations initiatives can have a broader
positive impact on citizens, election offi-
cials, and political parties.
Khalid al-Mafraji, Mutahidoon, Kirkuk
Like many of his counterparts in the par-
liament during and after ISIS occupation,
MP Khalid al-Mafraji was confronted with
the challenge of maintaining a connec-
tion with displaced constituents from
Kirkuk. To overcome some these hurdles,
the MP made a concerted effort to build
strong working relationships with a wide
spectrum of political parties and actors to
ensure that he could best meet the needs MP’s Ethnicity
of his constituents. For example, the MP’s Other Ethnicities
frequent engagement across the eth-
no-sectarian aisle allowed him to address NDI urges offices to adopt the “open door
constituents’ cases, such as facilitating policy” in constituency outreach. Offices
travel between the Kurdistan Region and need to be welcoming everyone in the con-
Iraq for medical treatment and travel stituency beyond the political and ethnic
through security checkpoints. background. MP Khalid al-Mafraji’s office is
a clear indication of this policy. In three years
To elevant the urgency of including Kirkuk time, his office received more than 4000
in the battle to liberate provinces from ISIS, constituents. The distribution of visitors
the MP launched a wide scale media cam- seemed to be equal or rather more constit-
paign to exert pressure on the government uents from other ethnicities than the MP’s.
to expedite the liberation process. The me-
dia campaign also drew attention to the
fact that military personnel were readily uency office established youth volunteer
available in the area. This media campaign groups to work with the office to ease
proved to be effective because shortly af- the flow of returnees into Kirkuk. These
ter it was implemented, plans were put in youth volunteer groups were tasked with
place to begin the liberation of Hawija. providing food, water, and other necessary
provisions to the returnees. The volunteer
As the liberation of Hawija was approach- groups were also responsible for identi-
ing and with the impending humanitarian fying other needs and services that IDPs
crisis that would result in an an influx of required, and learned that due to supply
IDPs across the province, the MP’s constit- shortages while living under ISIS many
16BUILDING PUBLIC TRUST THROUGH A RESPONSIVE PARLIAMENT A QUICK GUIDE TO CONSTITUENCY OUTREACH
were suffering from poor health. With the oversight responsibilities. For example,
lack of infrastructure such as health clinics as a member of the Services and Re-
or hospitals to support the influx of IDPs, construction Committee, she discovered
the MP and his assistant recruited volun- many cases of corruption that contrib-
teer medics and doctors as well as collect- uted to poor services delivery including
ed medication and supplies to be distribut- water, electricity, and garbage collection.
ed to IDP areas across the province. She used her position on the committee
and her good reputation in her constitu-
In preparation for the liberation, the MP ency to draw the government’s attention
and COA anticipated a humanitarian crisis to these cases and most instances suc-
as thousands of people would be displaced cessfully arbitrated the case to restore
with no food, water, or medical support. services to her constituents. Similarly,
Therefore, with NDI support, the office or- MP al-Tamimi frequently conducted field
ganized a policy discussion with 33 young visits to assess conditions and services in
volunteers whom the office managed to her constituents neighborhoods. During
recruit to help to provide humanitarian as- one field visit to two neighborhoods in
sistance to those fleeing the combat zone. Baghdad she learned that garbage was
not collected properly. In response, she
Sabah al-Tamimi, al-Wataniya, Baghdad contacted the responsible directors in
During the 2014-2018 parliamentary man- the Baghdad municipality and the situa-
date, MP Sabah al-Tamimi focused much tion was quickly resolved with a clean-up
of her efforts in the CoR on connecting effort and new garbage containers in-
her citizen outreach to her parliamentary stalled in the area.
17BUILDING PUBLIC TRUST THROUGH A RESPONSIVE PARLIAMENT A QUICK GUIDE TO CONSTITUENCY OUTREACH
MP al-Tamimi also became a real conduit tant raised concerns about the feasibility
between citizens and government as she of hosting policy discussions due to legit-
diligently worked to maintain good coop- imate security challenges. Yet, after facil-
erative relations with executive officials itating her first discussion and witnessing
to support her constituency work. For ex- the benefits of the engagement first hand,
ample, as a sign of legislative-executive the MP added this tool to her constituen-
cooperation, the MP visited al-Adhamiya cy outreach toolbox. “Policy discussions
market place accompanied by the head of broke all the barriers between us and the
the Baghdad municipality to listen to ven- constituents as it results in serious and
dors and customers’ concerns. She learned open discussions. It gives a clear picture of
that the vendors occupied a majority of the issue and how to solve it,” said MP al-
the sidewalk illegally, limiting movement Tamimi. The MP used policy discussions to
through the streets. She mediated the further assess the current working condi-
issue between the vendors and the head tions for civil aviation staff. Through these
of the municipality and the two parties discussions, the MP learned that some
reached an agreement to share the space employees had not received their salaries
in accordance with their needs and munic- for several months due to the lack of labor
ipal regulations. regulations that protect their rights. After
meeting over 200 stakeholders impacted
Like many of the NDI-supported constitu- by the issue, the MP and her COA devel-
ency offices, MP al-Tamami and her assis- oped a policy proposal that sets out de-
18BUILDING PUBLIC TRUST THROUGH A RESPONSIVE PARLIAMENT A QUICK GUIDE TO CONSTITUENCY OUTREACH
tailed recommendations for how to regu-
late the work conditions at the airport and Constituents Cases
protect the rights of civil aviation workers.
Najat al-Obeidi, Mutahidoon, Anbar
Hundreds of thousands of people fled An-
bar during the ISIS occupation and the en-
suing battle against the insurgent group.
Citizens scattered across the country, with
many fleeing to Baghdad and the Kurdis-
tan Region. As the majority of MP Najat
al-Obeidi’s constituents were displaced
to Erbil, the MP decided to relocate with
them to Erbil in order to best serve them.
But her constituents were still spread out
across the country, which proved to be a
major challenge and one that required an IDPs
extraordinary effort by the MP and COA to Education Services
be able to engage all of her constituents to Security Official Documentation
listen and try to address their immediate
needs and concerns. For almost two years, Having analyzed their received cases, this
the MP split her time travelling back and office realized that IDP issues prevail. There-
forth to to these areas to oversee the dis- fore, they selected this issue as the theme of
tribution of aid to IDPs by the government their policy change efforts.
and humanitarian organizations. Like
many during the crisis, the MP realized
that the aid was not being delivered prop- core principle for effective outreach is to
erly, especially when she was not there to maintain regular and close contact with
monitor the distribution process to IDPs citizens. At first, the MP was unsure about
living outside camps. She therefore inten- the required level of effort and potential
sified her efforts and was regularly seen results, but in time the benefits became
at IDP camps and other IDP locations with apparent: “In the beginning of my involve-
truck loads of aid, and over the course of ment in this program, I visited one of the
two years, the MP and her assistant sup- constituents while he was in the hospital
ported aid distribution to more than 6,500 to check on him,” the MP explained. “After
of her constituents. Moreover, the MP’s three years and when time came for me
commitment to being as embedded with to run for another mandate, “I received a
and close to her constituents as possi- phone call from the same man telling me
ble also demonstrates a shift in the MP’s that he did not forget [the visit] and that
thinking toward constituency outreach. A he will vote for me again,” she added.
19BUILDING PUBLIC TRUST THROUGH A RESPONSIVE PARLIAMENT A QUICK GUIDE TO CONSTITUENCY OUTREACH
With her constituency spread across dif- tarian, NDI worked with the MP to devise
ferent provinces and what appeared to be a policy discussion and outreach strategy
insurmountable humanitarian challenges, to help set expectations for citizens prior
the MP and her COA found it difficult to to their participation. With a strategy in
hold policy discussions focused on medi- place, the MP’s office successfully facilitat-
um-to-long-term systemic issues while ed a series of discussion on IDP youth and
their constituents had immediate needs education. “Advice and methods of holding
that had to be solved. “We are afraid that policy discussions provided by NDI proved
participants will ask for food and blankets to be a success,”the MP said. “After every
during these discussions,” the COA said. policy discussion, participant were asking
Recognizing the need to find a balance be- us to hold more as they realized it is the
tween the MP’s urgent humanitarian work right time and place to give their opinions
and her responsibilities as a parliamen- on certain issues,”she added.
BEST PRACTICES & LESSONS community and not just those from their
LEARNED own ethnic or religious group.
Ensure outreach efforts are inclusive of Maintain regular engagement to build
all voices. An elected official represents trust and open lines of communication
all citizens in their constituency regardless between citizens and the government.
of gender, race, ethnicity, religion, sect, or Through regular outreach and engage-
socio-economic status. Therefore, MPs ment with citizens, elected officials can
and their assistants need to engage all work to build trust in government. While
voices in their outreach work, particularly their first duty is to represent the interests
those from marginalized groups, such as of their constituents in the parliament,
women, youth, and minorities, to ensure they are also the face of government and
that they are effectively representing the should use that platform to keep citizens
needs and priorities of everyone in their informed on progress and setbacks on
constituency. This includes making sure government activities and collect data to
that constituency offices are accessible inform government policies and legisla-
and welcoming to different groups and tion. This two-way channel of communi-
that elected officials make a concerted cation allows for higher levels of govern-
effort to reach out to citizens across the ment transparency and accountability and
ethno-sectarian divide. This would also provides citizens with the opportunity to
contribute to building trust among cit- meaningfully engage in the political pro-
izens as they would see the MP working cess. That is why every form of citizen
to serve the interests of everyone in their outreach is a value-add and MPs and their
20BUILDING PUBLIC TRUST THROUGH A RESPONSIVE PARLIAMENT A QUICK GUIDE TO CONSTITUENCY OUTREACH
assistants should engage in direct out- activities providing elected officials with
reach whenever possible. For example, the opportunity to interact directly with
one MP called ten constituents every Fri- citizens, these efforts allow citizens to
day afternoon and contributed to the MPs interact with the political process beyond
reputation as a trusted official, which also voting. Outreach activities like policy dis-
proved valuable during election campaigns cussions, listening tours, and even visiting
as citizens had a positive image of the MP. a constituency office to submit a case can
be a positive point of interaction between
Develop responsive and inclusive legisla- citizens and government. At a time when
tion and policies. Constituent outreach is trust in government and political institu-
one of the best ways to identify citizens’ tions is low, these interactions can help re-
needs and priorities in order to inform the build that relationship and trust. Moreover,
development of government policies and in an emerging democracy, understanding
legislation that directly responds to cit- about the political process and the re-
izens. While elected officials do not set sponsibilities of different institutions is
government policy, they can inform the often limited, and a concern often raised
development process. Using a tool such by elected officials is that citizens do not
as a policy report, elected officials can use understand their role or what is within
the information collected through their their power and capacity to address. Citi-
constituency outreach to outline recom- zen outreach can provide elected officials
mendations and measures that need to with an informal avenue to help build civic
be adopted. Direct engagement with con- awareness and understanding by explain-
stituents, whether through one-on-one ing, for example, how a particular ministry
meetings at the constituency office, cit- will address a case or how proposed legis-
izen questionnaires, or targeted policy lation will work its way through the deci-
discussions sheds light on the immediate sion-making process in parliament.
needs of a community, as well as more
long-term systemic changes, such as edu- Establish relationships with government
cation reform, improvement in service de- agencies at the local and national level. Of-
livery, and health care benefits. Using this ten times, in order to address cases submit-
information to develop responsive policies ted to the constituency office, an MP needs
and legislation can demonstrate to citizens to coordinate and raise the issue with a par-
that elected officials are listening to them ticular government agency or department.
and representing their needs in the legis- As such, establishing and nurturing coop-
lature and in their political parties. This in erative relations with executive officials to
turn can also help address the trust deficit support constituency work is an important
between citizens and government. resource and tool for an elected official. It
can contribute to increasing efficient and
Provide opportunities for civic education responsive to the problem if the MP is able
and engagement. In addition to outreach to work directly with the government agen-
21BUILDING PUBLIC TRUST THROUGH A RESPONSIVE PARLIAMENT A QUICK GUIDE TO CONSTITUENCY OUTREACH
cy, and it allows the MP to serve as conduit centralize and organize data such as case
between citizens and government by draw- files and complaints raised by citizens that
ing attention to specific community needs. could later be used to inform policy prior-
ities and legislation, as well statistics on
Remain present and engaged during the MPs accomplishments and record of
times of conflict and transition. Engaging engagement that could be used in cam-
in constituency outreach during times of paign messaging and public newsletters.
violence or in its immediate aftermath may In larger provinces or in situations where
seem meaningless or unproductive as con- an MP’s constituency is spread across
stituents are in need of more immediate multiple provinces due to displacement,
humanitarian assistance. While an elected the MP can consider opening satellite of-
official can provide this much needed aid, fices in order to maintain a connection
remaining engaged and present among to their constituents. Each office should
constituents demonstrates solidarity and have a dedicated assistant to manage
offers opportunities to address needs in day-to-day operations but all information,
the short- and medium-term. Meeting especially case work and other statistics,
with citizens during listening tours at IDP should be relayed back to and centralized
camps or host communities, opening tem- in the main office.
porary constituency offices, and facilitat-
ing policy discussions can draw attention Work with a constituency outreach as-
to the concerns and priorities of constitu- sistant. Constituency outreach assistants
ents beyond their immediate and provide oversee the daily operations of each office,
elected officials with valuable information including event schedules for MPs, listen-
that can support them as they try to create ing sessions with interest groups, and in-
more systemic and institutional changes formation sessions about government ser-
for long-term support and development. vices. These assistants are the daily ‘face’
Moreover, as many government processes of MP relations in their community, and
are rigid and often unable to accomodate help coordinate communication between
emergency situations, elected officials and citizens, MPs and their parliamentary
their assistants can play a vital role in fa- blocs, as well as relevant ministries or civil
cilitating ad-hoc processes to quickly re- society organizations. To be effective how-
spond to a situation. ever there should be mutual trust and re-
spect between the MP and their assistants
Open a constituency office for direct en- in order for the MP to have confidence in
gagement with citizens. One of the best their COA’s ability to represent them prop-
outreach tools for an MP is a constituency erly to his/her constituents.
office. It provides MPs with a physical safe
spaces in each constituency where the MP Adopt a structured and strategic ap-
and their staff can host citizens to discuss proach to constituency outreach. At
community concerns. It is also a space to the outset of an MPs term and regularly
22BUILDING PUBLIC TRUST THROUGH A RESPONSIVE PARLIAMENT A QUICK GUIDE TO CONSTITUENCY OUTREACH
thereafter, the MP in coordination with
their assistant should map out the inter-
nal operations and protocols of the office,
such as office hours, publication timelines,
and regular MP visits. This process should
also include the development of a short-
and long-term outreach strategy outlining
public activities and setting benchmarks
for the constituency office. Outreach
should be for planned and implemented
consistently throughout an MPs mandate
and not just in the lead up to an election.
Conducting citizen outreach just prior to
an election could negatively impact an MP
as they would be viewed as only wanting
votes and not because they are committed
to their constituents. However, an MP with
proven outreach skills and a positive pub-
lic profile would become a big value-add
to their political party as they would be
resource for information and strong candi-
date during an election.
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