Re-evaluating electoral assistance

Elections usually receive a high level of international political attention and abundant funding when they are linked to crisis resolution. Examples range from the Balkans in the mid-1990s, to a host of African countries, including Liberia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Côte d'Ivoire. However, focusing on elections, without considering accompanying institutional developments, can aggravate rather than mitigate existing conflict dynamics.

An increasing number of countries are caught between conflict and electoral cycles. They each have different histories, social structures and political contexts, which require electoral assistance to adapt to new challenges. Assistance includes helping to revise electoral laws and creating credible electoral commissions. However, most international electoral assistance missions focus on the event itself, and leave immediately afterwards.

The recent examples of Nigeria, Kenya and currently Zimbabwe, show that preventing crises triggered by potentially flawed elections is a priority. Robust electoral observation and assistance should be an integral part of conflict prevention. The following also contribute to conflict prevention:

Approach elections as long-term technical operations
To positively impact an electoral process, observation and technical support must start long before election day and continue well after. Long-term international political engagement is needed to address the potential causes of future crises. It should support the emergence of legitimate institutions, interactions between local people and the government, and good governance.

Adapt to the local political context
Avoid a 'top-down' approach which usually ignores both local history and conflict dynamics. In Africa and elsewhere, political parties often mobilise voters along established ethnic or regional divisions. Importing Western models of legislation does not automatically lead to sustainable democratisation, even if it is often accepted to please foreign donors.

Strengthen regional capacities
In Africa, this means assisting organisations, such as the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States, to mobilise professional resources and mechanisms of electoral assistance and monitoring that go beyond the deployment of a short-term mission on election day.

The role of regional organisations is especially important in long-term electoral processes, such as when electoral lists are produced or when corrective measures are suggested to the relevant national authorities. Long-term involvement is best done, for perception and political reasons, by regional, rather than other foreign, institutions, especially when former colonial powers are suspected of having an agenda. But this can only work if those regional organisations have sufficient capacity for such involvement.

The African Union (or any other sub-regional organisation), is increasingly getting involved in preventing and reducing conflict. As part of this, it will have to develop electoral assistance mechanisms that it can own, adapt and implement.

If donor countries are serious about conflict prevention as part of their aid packages, they need to support these developments.

Gerard Stoudmann
Formerly with the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights and the UN High Representative for Elections in Côte d'Ivoire (2006/2007)
g.stoudmann@yahoo.fr
www.osce.org/odihr