The document discusses the roles of local and international observers in Malawi's 2014 Tripartite Elections. It states that both local and international observers play important roles such as disseminating electoral standards, deterring fraud, increasing credibility of the process, and developing the capacity of local observers. However, it also notes challenges such as international observers only being present for a short time and not seeing the entire electoral process. It emphasizes the important role of local observers and CSOs in areas like civic education. It concludes by recommending that election observation be a long-term process focused on strengthening democracy, not just isolated events.
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1. Role of Local and International
Observers (Including Party
Monitors) in the 2014 Tripartite
Elections
PRESENTER: HAPPY MHANGO (PROGRAMME MANAGER)
CHURCH AND SOCIETY PROGRAMME, SYNOD OF LIVINGSTONIA
2. PRESENTATION OUTLINE
• UNDERSTANDING THE TERMS (MONITORING OR OBSERVATION)
• ROLES OF LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL OBSERVERS
• SUCCESSES AND CHALLENGES
• SUGGESTIONS
3. ELECTION MONITORING
• In a simple sense, monitoring and observation of election is a process
through which an election is scrutinized and evaluated “for purposes
of determining its impartiality in terms of organization and
administration”.
• It involves “stationing of independent missions, officials or individuals
representing international or local organizations for a specified time
in a country which is in the process of organizing a national election
with a mandate to closely observe and pronounce on the entire
process and outcome
4. MONITORING AND OBSERVATION (CONT’D)
• To function effectively as a midwife of democratic succession and
command the confidence of the electorate however, elections must
not only be free and fair, they must also be seen to be so. Hence the
need for observation.
• Election monitoring and observation have evolved as standard
mechanisms for assisting in the conduct of free and fair elections,
increasing voters’ confidence in the electoral process, enhancing the
acceptability of election outcome and the legitimacy of the
governments constituted through such elections.
5. MONITORING (CONT’D)
• Election observers, THEREFORE MUST FOLLOW an established
methodology which focuses on a comprehensive analysis of all stages of an
election process –
• political and legal context,
• campaign environment,
• media coverage,
• level of preparation of election management body,
• voting,
• counting and tabulation
• complaints and appeals process.
• DID BOTH LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL OBSERVERS STICK TO THIS?
6. MANDATE FOR INTERNATIONAL OBSERVERS
• Do international observers violate the sovereignty of host nations?
Malawi has signed international and regional agreements to uphold
democracy and hold clean elections.
• More importantly, international observer organizations only operate in
countries based on invitations from the host governments.
• To enter polling booths and conduct their work, they generally need access,
and access usually comes with formal registration and accreditation as
observers.
• Host governments are aware of and have normally consented to their
presence.
• Monitoring missions operate in the open, holding press conferences and
issuing reports.
8. Disseminating international standards and
good practices
In the May 20, 2014 TPE, Electoral administrators, politicians and
national observers engaged with international observers to harmonize
international standards and local ones for free and fair elections.
International observer (NGOs) missions also provided local electoral
administrators the opportunity for comparative exchange of
professional knowledge with other experts, particularly on integrity
mechanisms
9. International Observers (cont)
Deterring integrity problems
• The presence of international observers monitoring the election
process may help deter attempts to disrupt or tamper with the
process. There is a public perception in most countries that
international observers will be able to uncover fraud on election day.
10. Holding a fragile process together
• In situations of conflict or in countries in transition, the presence of
international observers can to some extent deter violence and
intimidation. Their presence during the TPE to some extent helped
reassure candidates, monitors and voters that it is safe to participate.
• The presence of international observers also helped to convince opposition
politicians that competing in the election is preferable to boycotting, or
engaging in civil disobedience or disturbance.
• The International Observer team came in at a time when some opposition
parties had started losing trust in MEC, following its partnership with ZEC,
the International Observers assured Malawians that there was no room for
rigging in the 2014 Tripartite elections MEC.
11. Increasing the credibility and legitimacy of the
process
• Through their reporting and analysis, observers can uphold or
denigrate the legitimacy of the electoral process and its outcome. If
their reports show that the election is proceeding within acceptable
parameters, this finding reinforces the acceptability of the process
and the legitimacy of the results. The international team was able to
do that as evidenced by the EU report.
12. Developing the capacity of national observers
• If international observation is occurring simultaneously with national
observation, the example set by international observers can help
develop and improve the capacity of national observation efforts.
• For example, international NGOs or observers assisted MESN/MEIC
concerning how to set up a nationwide election observation effort,
conduct a parallel vote tabulation and assimilating field observation
reports. They can also contributed towards national observers
efforts, and perhaps inform them of standards and best practices
relevant to their activities.
13. Challenges with International observers
• There assessment may be misplaced since international observers
have only limited data and may not understand the ”local” way of
doing things. This is evidenced by the fact that they were here mainly
for a short time (EU Team arrived on 12 April, 2014, about 18 days).
• The team was not around from the first day of registration.
14. CHALLENGES WITH INTERNATIONAL
OBSERVERS
• International observers are not available during the entire electoral
process (registration to announcement of results). Yet rigging or
electoral fraud can happen at any stage of the electoral process)
• It is possible therefore that international observers may declare
results free and fare when they were not.
15. THE ROLE OF LOCAL OBSERVERS
• CSO have a critical role to play in local elections. The principal role if
CSO is to safe guard principles of human dignity, rule of law and
justice.
• This is done by CSOs ability to protect the vulnerable majority in the
rural areas through awareness raising such as
• Debates
• Theatre for development activities
18. LOCAL NGOS
• Provide Civic and Voter Education.
• This was one of the major areas that CSOs make sure that the rural
people, majority of whom are illiterate are not taken for a ride by
politicians. This was done by civic educating communities on:
• A. issue based violent free campaign
• B. roles of President, MPs and Councellors
• C. voting process etc
• D. citizen manifesto through know your candidate debates
19. ROLE LOCAL OBSERVERS PLAYED
• The Malawi Election Support Network (MESN) implemented a
nationwide, nonpartisan citizen election observation using parallel
vote tabulation (PVT) and a long-term observation (LTO) - systemic
observation over a period of time prior to and after an election to
assess different types of the electoral process to provide an
independent evaluation of its fairness with financial assistance from
NDI.
• This was especially critical because it saved Malawi from potential
civil unrest especially when roumers started going around that some
political party was busy manipulating results with its hacking
machine.
20. Detecting integrity problems
• Experienced observers can detect problems or questionable activities,
and bring them to the attention of the election management body
and the public.
• Local observers asked questions about MECs conduct in an
informational way. A good example in mind is the statement from
Grand Coalition,
• Early identification of issues in this manner can allow a problem to be
solved before it is too late
21. LOCAL NGOS
• NDI partnered with 35 national and community-based organizations
to increase citizen involvement in the electoral process around issue
organizing and to engage actively with elected public officials so that
they can be held accountable to their electoral promises.
• Through issue-based civic and voter education (CVE), NDI and partner
organizations helped Malawians to identify and prioritize local service
delivery needs; understand formal and informal political processes
that impact how development and service delivery projects are
allocated; engage with and evaluate candidate positions on campaign
promises in the context of local priorities.
22. ROLE LOCAL OBSERVERS PLAYED
• The setting of the situation room was another important. This
allowed various organizations to come together and discuss electoral
issues basing on results that were coming from the field. It also saved
as an early warning system
23. SOME NOTABLE EFFORTS
• When electoral related violence erupted CSO leaders decided to embark on
maintaining peace to prevent or address the spontaneous violence.
• Chairperson National Integrity Platform, Civic and Political Space Platform
and member of MESN Taskforce(Situation Room Project)
• Chairperson NGO Board
• Chairperson NGO GCN and Deputy Chair-MESN
• A Commissioner MHRC and chair NGO Board of Trustees
• Deputy Chair HRCC
• Deputy Chair for the NGO Board
• Chairperson MHRC
24. EFFORTS MADE
• The team decided to engage the leadership of the four major parties
(UDF,PP, DPP and MCP) and the leadership of the Electoral
Commission on one- to- one discussions in order to share with them
and also hear their thoughts around the electoral process. It was also
important to work out strategies that could prevent an escalation of
violence during this trying moment for our country.
• The Pre-Voting Issue Paper issued by Grand Coalition and the
NGOGCN confirms the efforts by CSO.
25. CHALLENGES
• Capacity challenges both institutional and human
• Late transfer of resources from Donors also affected implementation of
election related activities
• CSO mainly do CVE which basically aimed at motivating people and not the
entire process. This was mainly done during the registration process
• Linkages and synergy
• Follow up on issues: Post election process e.g. Promises made by
politicians and implementation.
• Fielding of incompetent monitors especially political parties some of whom
are not party members. (How can a party that has deployed 4 Observer get
two votes? Are they really his?
26. SUGGESTIONS/RECOMMENDATIONS
• Election observation should be a process, not a one-off event
• Why observe elections? For many, the idea is still to get an
independent verdict on the quality of the process: If the observers
declare the elections "free and fair", then the outcome should be
respected by both the citizens concerned and the international
community.
• ONLY THEN WILL NEWLY ELECTED GOVERNMENT IS CONSIDERED
LEGITIMATE AND ITS DECISIONS UNDERSTOOD TO BE IN LINE WITH
THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE.
27. RECOMMENDATIONS
• Holding regular, free and fair elections is thus seen as an indicator for
a healthy democracy, but we should be mindful not to equate one
with the other. Democracy, as I understand it, is an on-going
participatory process of forming opinions and taking decisions on
issues affecting the larger community - and elections are just one part
of this process.
28. RECOMMENDATIONS
• Election observation can be a useful tool to strengthen democratic
practices, but only if it puts elections into a wider perspective.
• First, by seeing elections as ONE element of a larger process.
• Second, by not reducing elections to an isolated event on polling day,
but by including all its phases such as internal political party
nominations, public campaigns, voting, counting and possibly judicial
procedures in case of contentious outcomes.
• Third, by taking a longer-term perspective - not just judging the
current elections, but working towards improving the next ones.
29. RECOMMENDATIONS
• Election observation should thus not be a one-off event. Institutions
and organisations should make a firm commitment to stay involved,
not only by observing consecutive elections, but also by staying
engaged in between elections.