Sam van der Staak is the Head of International IDEA’s Europe Programme, and Head of the International IDEA Office to the EU. He has previously worked in countries including Kenya and Georgia, where he advised electoral commissions, political parties and other democratic institutions on a broad range of democratic reforms. Sam is the author of publications on political finance, political party development, and citizen movements. He is a regular commentator for various international media. Prior to his involvement in democracy assistance, he worked in the Netherlands House of Representatives.