This question was posted by ACE on behalf of Abdul Alim. 

Original Question:

I am looking for examples of countries where observer accreditation is issued by a separate body, not by the EMB. I would appreciate specific examples along with relevant legal provisions. 

Summary of responses:

Observer accreditation is now mandatory in many parts of the world, and opening elections to independent observers is often necessary to guarantee legitimacy. Practitioners considered accreditation outside the EMB a rare practice.

In Colombia, however, the Election Observation Mission (Misión de Observación Electoral en Colombia), an independent organization, invites national and international observers for elections. The Colombian Electoral Organization (Organización Electoral Colombiana) and the Ministry of the Interior also invite observers. Among the 191 international observers invited through the Colombian Electoral Organization are the Organization of American States (OEA), the EU Experts Mission, the EU Parliament, and the Carter Center. The Ministry of the Interior can invite foreign political parties and other foreign groups. Colombian political parties and organizations also send their own observers, and they are accredited through the Colombian Electoral Organization. These domestic observers verify the voting and counting processes.

In Sierra Leone and Guyana, the law gives only the election commission the power to accredit observers. In Guyana, the EMB cannot invite international observers to monitor elections by law – only the government can do so. Local observer groups can apply directly to the EMB for accreditation without needing government invitation or approval.

Contributing Members:

• Aiah Stephen Mattia
• Vishnu Persaud
• Francisco Barrera

Observer accreditation has grown from the status of goodwill international best practice to a mandatory status in many parts of the world. To the extent that elections are open to observation by independent observers, there is the perception that they may not be open, free and fair, and therefore not credible.

Alim's question as to whether there are examples of countries where observer accreditation can be issued by a separate body than the EMB is obviously an interesting one. In my country, Sierra Leone, part of the legal framework for elections (The Public Elections Act, 2012) gives the power to accredit observers only to the Electoral Commission (Section 157 (1)).

Personally, I do not know of examples where bodies/organizations other than the EMB have the power to accredit observers. But of course in countries where elections functions and processes are shared or diffused in several EMBs, it is possible for this function to reside outside a particular EMB, or the EMB that handles the core election function.

In Guyana, it is only the EMB that can, statutorily, give accreditation to Observers be they international or local.  However, it is essential to note that the EMB cannot invite International Observers to monitor elections.  This authority is vested solely in the incumbent Government.  By contrast, local observer groups can apply directly to the EMB for observer accreditation outside of any government involvement.

Hola como estas, esta es información de Colombia en SA.

La MOE (Misión de Observación Electoral en Colombia), hace una conformación de observadores nacionales e internacionales para los procesos electorales, adjunto Link : https://moe.org.co/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Internacionales-en-Colombia-4.pdf.

 La Organización Electoral Colombiana (conformada por Consejo Nacional Electoral y La Registraduría Nacional), también hace invitaciones para conformar los siguientes grupos de observadores electorales:

En la Misión Electoral participarán 191 observadores internacionales acreditados y suministrados por  la Organización de Estados Americanos (OEA), la Misión de Expertos de la Unión Europea, el Parlamento de la Unión Europea, la Unión Interamericana de Organismos Electorales (Uniore), el Parlamento del Mercado Común del Sur (Mercosur), Transparencia Electoral y Centro Cárter, entre otros observadores Invitados.

El ministerio del Interior también hace invitaciones, a lagunas organizaciones y partidos políticos de diferentes países, no se los criterios para la selección de estos observadores.

Los partidos y grupos políticos Colombianos también aportan sus testigos electorales (veedores), en dos temas y los acredita el Organismo Electoral: Para verificar el proceso en las mesas de votación y el primer conteo o escrutinio en la mesa de votación y para observar los trabajos y resultado de los escrutinios  por zonas, municipios y departamentos. Ademas de lo anterior nombran auditores de sistemas para la observación de lo técnico, tampoco sé del conocimiento y la capacitación de estos recursos que facilitan los partidos.