PART I of this ACE topic area will introduce the key theoretical
perspectives. These will assist readers in understanding dynamics of electoral
conflicts and perpetrators’ motives and consequences of election-related
violence, including gender-based violence and violence against marginalized
groups.
PART II presents frameworks for assessing and analysing factors that
can trigger negative conflicts and election-related violence in specific
contexts. While several approaches are highlighted, International IDEA’s
concept - that distinguishes thirty-six (36) process (internal/endogenous) and
context-related (external/exogenous) factors - is presented in detail.
Finally, PART III presents the framework for taking prevention and
mitigation actions. Aligned with the Infrastructure for Peace (I4P) concept,
which acknowledges that sustainable peace needs a collaborative institutional
framework between state and non-state actors, it distinguishes between three
groups of organizations and their mandate or capacity to act in ensuring that
elections are peaceful and credible. These are: electoral management and
dispute resolution bodies, security sector agencies, and other state and
non-state actors.
