Election Management Bodies in West Africa

Election Management Bodies in West Africa PDF

Author: Madior Fall

Publisher: African Books Collective

Published: 2012-09-05

Total Pages: 258

ISBN-13: 1920489746

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This report is an in-depth study of electoral commissions in six countries of West Africa Benin, Cape Verde, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal and Sierra Leone assessing their contribution in strengthening political participation in the region. As institutions that apply the rules governing elections, electoral management bodies (EMBs) have occupied, over the last two decades, the heart of discussion and practice on the critical question of effective citizen participation in the public affairs of their countries. The way in which they are established and the effectiveness of their operations have continued to preoccupy those who advocate for competitive elections, while reforms to the EMBs have taken centre stage in more general political reforms. Election Management Bodies in West Africa thus responds to the evident need for more knowledge about an institution that occupies a more and more important place in the political process in West Africa. Based on documentary research and detailed interviews in each country, the study provides a comparative analysis which highlights the similarities and differences in the structure and operations of each body, and attempts to establish the reasons for their comparative successes and failures.

Election Management Bodies in West Africa

Election Management Bodies in West Africa PDF

Author: Ismaila Madior Fall

Publisher:

Published: 2012

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781920489168

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This report is an in-depth study of electoral commissions in six countries of West Africa Benin, Cape Verde, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal and Sierra Leone assessing their contribution in strengthening political participation in the region. As institutions that apply the rules governing elections, electoral management bodies (EMBs) have occupied, over the last two decades, the heart of discussion and practice on the critical question of effective citizen participation in the public affairs of their countries. The way in which they are established and the effectiveness of their operations have continued to preoccupy those who advocate for competitive elections, while reforms to the EMBs have taken centre stage in more general political reforms. Election Management Bodies in West Africa thus responds to the evident need for more knowledge about an institution that occupies a more and more important place in the political process in West Africa. Based on documentary research and detailed interviews in each country, the study provides a comparative analysis which highlights the similarities and differences in the structure and operations of each body, and attempts to establish the reasons for their comparative successes and failures.

Election Management Bodies in West Africa

Election Management Bodies in West Africa PDF

Author: Ismaïla Madior Fall

Publisher: African Minds

Published: 2012

Total Pages: 256

ISBN-13: 9781920489724

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This report is an in-depth study of electoral commissions in six countries of West Africa 'Benin, Cape Verde, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal and Sierra Leone - assessing their contribution in strengthening political participation in the region. As institutions that apply the rules governing elections, electoral management bodies (EMBs) have occupied, over the last two decades, the heart of discussion and practice on the critical question of effective citizen participation in the public affairs of their countries. The way in which they are established and the effectiveness of their operations have continued to preoccupy those who advocate for competitive elections, while reforms to the EMBs have taken centre stage in more general political reforms. Election Management Bodies in West Africa thus responds to the evident need for more knowledge about an institution that occupies a more and more important place in the political process in West Africa. Based on documentary research and detailed interviews in each country, the study provides a comparative analysis which highlights the similarities and differences in the structure and operations of each body, and attempts to establish the reasons for their comparative successes and failures.

Election Management Bodies in West Africa

Election Management Bodies in West Africa PDF

Author: Ismaïla Madior Fall

Publisher:

Published: 2012

Total Pages: 246

ISBN-13: 9781283637794

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This report is an in-depth study of electoral commissions in six countries of West Africa Benin, Cape Verde, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal and Sierra Leone assessing their contribution in strengthening political participation in the region."

Election Management Bodies in East Africa

Election Management Bodies in East Africa PDF

Author: B. Makulilo

Publisher: African Books Collective

Published: 2016-02-27

Total Pages: 314

ISBN-13: 1928331173

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The management of elections is increasingly generating impassioned debate in these East African nations Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda. The bodies that manage and conduct elections are, therefore, coming under intense citizen and stakeholder scrutiny for the manner in which they are composed, how they organise and perform their mandates, and the outcomes they achieve. The effectiveness of electoral management bodies (EMBs) has largely been influenced by the impact of political violence on election management reforms in East Africa. Even in countries where EMBs are the products of reforms initiated in the aftermath of violent disputes over elections, they still face enormous challenges in dealing with electoral disputes and anticipating election-related crises. Although changes to constitutions and the laws in these countries have sought to make EMBs independent and, therefore, more inclined to deliver free, fair and credible elections, there are many issues that determine their impartiality and their ability to allow for the aggregation and free expression of the will of the people. These shortcomings negatively impact on democracy. This volume assembles case studies on the capacity of EMBs in these five East African countries to deliver democratic and transparent elections.

Lessons from Electoral Management and Processes in West Africa

Lessons from Electoral Management and Processes in West Africa PDF

Author: Adele Jinadu

Publisher:

Published: 2014

Total Pages: 22

ISBN-13:

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This paper is based on case studies from six West African countries (Republic of Benin, Cape Verde, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal and Sierra Leone). It points out key historical and material forces that helped frame and shape the electoral management and processes of these countries. These are: the state as a site for zero-sum politics; the progressive violation of the principle of isolation of administration from politics; and the combination of political and legal influences that help foster a culture of impunity. In reviewing national debates over strengthening electoral management and processes against the background of political reforms aimed at the democratic management of diversity, the paper focuses on five main challenges. These are, respectively: the preferred model of electoral management bodies (EMBs); the cost of elections; electoral dispute adjudication; EMBs' partnerships with state and non-state stakeholders; and presidential term limits. The trend is towards adopting one of the following EMB models: the single independent (Republic of Benin, Ghana and Nigeria); two or more independent (Sierra Leone); and hybrid or mixed (Cape Verde and Senegal). These three models seek to strengthen EMBs by entrenching them in constitutions (Ghana, Nigeria and Sierra Leone); or creating them through ordinary processes of legislation such as electoral laws, as in much of francophone Africa. An apparent conflict of interest among incumbent public political elective officebearers remains a stumbling block in legislating reforms to make EMBs independent of party and political control. The paper also examines challenges confronting EMBs, including the increasing cost of elections, controversy over electoral dispute adjudication and institutionalising partnerships with stakeholders. Noting gains and reversals in electoral management since the 1990s, the paper concludes that the major challenges facing African EMBs revolve around contradictions between the political economy and mainstream ethical values.

Elections and Conflict Management in Africa

Elections and Conflict Management in Africa PDF

Author: Timothy D. Sisk

Publisher: US Institute of Peace Press

Published: 1998

Total Pages: 244

ISBN-13: 9781878379795

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Elections have emerged as one of the most important, and most contentious, features of political life on the African continent. In the first half of this decade, there were more than 20 national elections, serving largely as capstones of peace processes or transitions to democracies. The outcomes of these and more recent elections have been remarkably varied, and the relationship between elections and conflict management is widely debated throughout Africa and among international observers. Elections can either help reduce tensions by reconstituting legitimate government, or they can exacerbate them by further polarizing highly conflictual societies. This timely volume examines the relationship between elections, especially electoral systems, and conflict management in Africa, while also serving as an important reference for other regions. The book brings together for the first time the latest thinking on the many different roles elections can play in democratization and conflict management.