The demarcation of electoral boundaries has not been updated since 1996. Therefore, proper analysis of the recent population growth and a review of electoral constituencies should be planned and implemented for the 2015 elections.

INEC should devise a more robust and swifter internal results verification mechanism to be put in place before the official proclamation of the winners.

Improved learning programmes should be put in place for timely training of all election staff. INEC should design and implement mock election exercise to practice procedures, such as exercise in filling out results sheets. Manuals and guidelines should be designed in such a way to be easily followed during election days, procedures should be explained in a broader manner as to include the rationale behind the different steps to be taken. Manuals should be widely available to staff and stakeholders. Additionally, INEC should be able to provide training assistance for party agents and security personnel.

INEC should ensure a much greater compliance with the elections procedures at all levels to minimise inconsistency in their implementation. Therefore, systems should be put in place to ensure institutional cohesion and sound intra-INEC communication to adequately and timely informed all employees.

INEC both at Federal and State level should continue with the positive trend of holding official periodical consultative meetings with stakeholders, particularly with political parties, candidates and CSO’s. However, more efforts should be undertake to involve representatives of domestic and international observers.

INEC should consider designing and implementing special voting mechanisms to allow election officials, security and other staff drafted for election responsibilities to register and vote in future elections.

INEC should envisage improving the quality of the voters’ register by eliminating double registration entries and making adjustments. Updating the register should be a continuous process. The Electoral Act provision of closing the update of the register 30 days before the election date should be adhered to. The voters’ register should be made readily available to political parties, other stakeholders as well as the public at large.

INEC should revise and strengthen its voter and civic education programmes. INEC should develop an overall strategy that takes into account the focus of the educational campaign and the target groups, including special designed programmes for first time voters and women. The strategy should also include the development of the messages, their testing and the identification of the appropriate delivery mechanism. In case INEC would not have adequate internal resources, it could partner with well-established CSO’s, which are experienced in conducting literacy and awareness programmes.

Additionally financial independence of the state-owned broadcasters from the State and Federal Governments should be sustained and capacity building for editors-in-chief would be needed prior to the election period, following the lines of best journalism practice and the international, and regional standards.

NBC should share information on paid advertisements with INEC in order for the latter to foster its control on the compliance of political parties’ expenditures with the legal provisions, since the paid advertisements in the mass media are among the most costly campaign elements.

The Freedom of Information Bill should be passed and duly implemented to provide a higher degree of transparency, and accountability of the public sector.

A Federal government-oriented programme for the promotion of print and e-media should be initiated, facilitating the distribution of newspapers and access to Internet in public places, such as libraries. Such programme should be in the major local languages alongside with English.

Internally Displaced Persons should be provided sufficient protection and assistance, and should be allowed to make a free choice on whether to return to their original locations, integrate locally or relocate.

The members of Counselling Board and Executive Secretary of the National Human Rights Commission should be appointed free from political interference.

Political parties should address the problem of violence and internal democracy within the parties, as this constitutes a hindrance to women’s participation in politics.

INEC should continue to ensure that women are well represented among election officials at all levels throughout the country.

The law should ensure that the complaints system is transparent and publicly accountable. Consolidated records of complaints, responses, decisions and outcomes should be made available by INEC or the Judiciary for public scrutiny.

The Electoral Act should be amended to allow voters, domestic observers or other national election stakeholders to file election complaints and petitions in all areas of the election process.

Political parties should be allowed to accredit only one agent per polling unit and this would help to reduce the widespread interference of party agents in the voting process.

Clear instructions regarding the closing time for the voting should be issued by INEC in order to make the election process more predictable for voters.

Authorities at all level should make clear their commitment to continue electoral reform through an inclusive and transparent process. They should make all efforts to communicate and involve all stakeholders including political parties, civil society and the media. An action plan should be agreed after assessing the 2011 electoral process in order to sustain the gains of these elections and prepare the 2012 Governorship elections and the 2015 General Elections. Seminars and international conferences should be considered in order to keep up the momentum.

La publication du Journal Officiel de la République devrait être périodique et mis en ligne, pour garantir l’accès des citoyens à l’information des textes officiels émanant de l’État. En outre, les textes constitutifs du cadre juridique, y compris ceux de la CENI (règlement d’ordre intérieur, arrêtés, communiqués et notes internes), devraient être mis à la disposition du public, sur le site web de la CENI et, en version papier, disponibles pour tous les citoyens. Par ailleurs, la CENI devrait aussi mettre en ligne tous ses instruments réglementaires et modes opératoires bien avant leur entrée en vigueur, pour information et suivi des citoyens.

Une consolidation du Code électoral permettrait de pérenniser les sauvegardes déjà introduites, en particulier l’obligation d’affichage des PV aux BV. Le droit d’obtenir une copie des PV pour les observateurs neutres et pour les délégués des candidats mérite d’être considéré.

Le Code électoral pourrait simplifier l’identification des électeurs lors du scrutin et définir par la loi le critère portant sur la validité du bulletin de vote : l’intention évidente de l’électeur est le seul critère de validité du bulletin de vote. La CENI devrait, dès lors, former son personnel en conséquence.

Le Code électoral devrait établir la représentation par délégués des candidats indépendants, à tous les niveaux, à l’instar des délégués des candidats des partis politiques.