This background paper is part of a wider UNDP regional initiative that focuses on a number of core issue related to representative systems and local elections. Most UNDP interventions have traditionally focused on direct participation in local governance, notably in the involvement of citizens and community-based organizations in planning and implementation, the empowerment of citizens and strengthening of civil society to participate directly in governance and to hold their local governments (LGs) accountable.  In contrast, remarkably little attention has been paid to the ways in which formal electoral processes at the local level lead to appropriate outcomes in terms of representation and accountability. The aim of this practice initiative, then, is to strengthen UNDP's ability to provide policy advice and support for capacity development related to the 'first layer' of participation.