The American Council of Young Political Leaders (ACYPL) has invited City Clerk Ardashes “Ardy” Kassakhian to participate in an international exchange program to South Africa and Namibia this September.

According to Asbarez, he will be part of a seven-member, bipartisan delegation to South Africa and Namibia, serving as a young political leader representing the United States. Participants in the program must be nominated by a member of U.S. Congress or an alumnus of the program. Delegates have the unique opportunity to meet with elected officials at the national, regional and local levels, as well as policy makers, business and community leaders in the host countries.

“I have always had a strong interest and admiration for the election processes in South Africa, particularly in the post-Apartheid era,” said Kassakhian, who has a framed ballot from that historic election when Nelson Mandela ran for President hanging in his office at City Hall. “I am equally interested in the elections processes in a relatively young nation like Namibia which has only been a state since 1990,” he added.

Based in Washington, ACYPL is a nonpartisan NGO that is internationally recognized as the pre-eminent catalyst for introducing rising political and policy professionals to international affairs.