As a state-funded organization, the EMB will be expected to behave with integrity and to follow the country’s public sector standards, which may include measures of transparency and accountability. Such measures often include standard public sector accountability measures, such as annual reporting on activities to an external body such as the relevant minister (as in Botswana) or directly to the legislature (e.g. in Australia, Canada, Liberia and South Africa). Important responsibilities, such as accountability for performance and finances, relationships with stakeholders and developing sustainable electoral processes, are examined in detail later. Requirements to follow good financial and audit standards are covered in Chapter 7.
EMBs have overarching obligations to adopt good practices so that their levels of integrity promote free, fair and credible elections, their efficiency ensures that public funds are not wasted, and their service standards meet with public approval. If the best practice in electoral organization could be identified, it would be the goal that EMBs would strive to achieve. It is perhaps more realistic to aim to achieve targeted elements of good practice, which can be applied regardless of the differences between electoral systems, while still delivering free, fair and credible elections.
An EMB’s responsibilities may also include more normative elements of how it is expected to behave, which may be further elaborated in its code of conduct. Detailed codes of conduct for EMB members and more senior staff may also include transparent and accountable actions based on law, professional behaviour in all actions and accuracy in all work. It may be more appropriate to have a simpler code for lower-level or temporary staff with limited responsibilities. For example, for polling station officials, a simple statement committing them to obey all relevant laws, regulations and directions, and maintain impartiality and ballot secrecy, may be sufficient.
South Africa has a code of conduct for EMB members and another for election staff. Cambodia and Liberia also have a staff code of conduct. When the EMB staff and secretariat comes from the country’s civil service, then they will be responsible for the codes and standards of the civil service. Electoral legislation in Indonesia includes obligations for the EMB to provide good service to all election participants and treat them fairly, determine and implement quality standards for election materials, maintain comprehensive electoral archives, fully inform the public of its activities, be accountable for its funding and report regularly to the president on the conduct of each election.
A code of conduct embodying the above principles is essential for all EMBs, regardless of their model or composition. Members and staff of all EMBs are expected to uphold the integrity of electoral processes and to refrain from acting in a manner that conflicts with their role as impartial electoral referees.
