Women’s participation in political party structures should be enhanced and promoted, if necessary through the introduction of gender quotas for future legislative and local elections in order to create conditions for greater woman participation in presidential elections.

Educational programmes on human rights, citizenship and fundamental rights, targeting the young generations, should be introduced into school curricula.

The law on political parties should be enforced and the minimum requirement for political party registration should be carefully monitored.

Political decentralisation should be promoted through the organisation of local elections (never held so far in Guinea-Bissau) with the financial and technical support of the international community.

The government should proceed with efforts to fulfil its commitments to the Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) programme.

It is widely recognised in Lebanon that the system of political representation and the election framework need to be overhauled. The Taif Agreement and the Constitution foresee reforms which would reduce the role played by confessions.

The electoral law should be completely revised. Discussion on a new electoral law should start soon and must be inclusive, engage state institutions, political representatives, civil society and citizens. It should take into account the Constitution, national laws and international obligations for elections. There have been extensive discussion in Lebanon on this issue and the Ministry of the Interior has already received around 40 different propositions for a new electoral law, an indication for the broad interest the question of electoral reform enjoys.

Voters should be registered in their place of actual residence and changes of residence should be taken into consideration according to a transparent and
accessible procedure, without the right of a discretional veto from the Council of Ministers. This would establish a link between citizens and local politicians,
enhancing accountability.

Financial disclosure should be mandatory for all candidates, and should be audited by an independent body at the end of the elections. Campaign spending
limits should also be considered.

Limitations on the electoral rights for army and police officers should be abolished and other restrictions of suffrage regarding professions should be limited as much as possible.

A vast number of Lebanese citizens in the diaspora are still registered in Lebanon. This leads to uncertainties about the actual numbers of voters. This question should be carefully studied in order to find an adequate and balance solution taking into acount that some countries allow out-of-country voting for their citizens living abroad.

The right of domestic and international election observers to follow all relevant stages of the election process should be recognised in the law.

There should be a campaign silence during the last day of the campaign and on Election Day itself, especially in and around polling sites.

Should be considered to establish an independent electoral body being in charge of all electoral processes, including voter registration, preparing, organising and
supervising polling, counting, tabulation and publication procedures, providing sufficient training of all election officials, assuring an efficient and outreaching
voter education program, facilitating a speedy, transparent, comprehensive and accountable complaints and appeals procedure and possibly assisting Parliament
in drafting more sustainable electoral framework.

Introduction of a permanent and transparent procedure assuring a regular and speedy update of the civic records as the basis for voter lists, including a fully
computerized data management linking different registration offices.

A campaign silence period immediately before election day should be considered to give voters time to reflect on their choice. Also, campaigning should be
forbidden on election day around polling stations, and candidates should be responsible for any infringements.

All polling board members should be appointed by the election administration, and should be given effective training and instructions prior to each elections and be clearly identifiable as elections officials.

A system for efficiently dealing with election-related complaints should be put in place, allowing voters and candidates to obtain legal redress efficiently and
transparently. The highest level of an independent election administration could be ultimately responsible for the resolution of election-related complaints. Polling
station committees should be given the power to adjudicate issues related to voting procedures on Election Day. Alternatively, the judiciary might be involved in the resolution of complaints, in which case the delimitation of jurisdiction between the election administration and court system would have to be clearly defined.

Immediately following the inauguration of the new President and legislative assembly, a constitutional commission should be established with the task to engage with, and reach out to, the people of Liberia and all stakeholders. The outcome of this consultative process should be a widely communicated draft of a revised constitution. The new government of Liberia should hold a public referendum for the people of Liberia to decide on the new draft constitution.

In line with findings of the NTLA Standing Committee on Elections and Inauguration on 21 October 2004, the tenure of the offices of the President and Vice-President should be limited to four years with the option of re-election for one additional term only. The term of office for members of the House of Representatives should also be reduced to four years in line with international standards. In addition, Senators should only be elected for five years, and that the title and status of all Senators elected be equal.

In view of the historic manifestation of representation and seat distribution of counties in the Assembly as well as the compromise in the 2004 Electoral Reform Law, a constitutional revision should acknowledge the sole role of a 30 member Senate in representing the 15 Counties and the House of Representatives’ role of each MP representing an equal number of voters in 64 single seat constituencies.

The composition of the NEC and the structure and procedures of the election administration should be reviewed to ensure confidence among political contestants and the wider public that future elections will be administered in an efficient, impartial and transparent manner.

The NEC should improve its communication with political parties and the general public to enhance transparency and diffuse information to the electorate more
effectively. Crucial information such as the number of ballot papers printed and distributed should be communicated clearly and in time. The NEC should consider
allowing a limited number of relevant stakeholders, such as party representatives and observers to attend all formal meetings and sessions of the NEC thereby
increasing their accountability in the process

Feasible arrangements for party/candidate representatives and domestic observers should be made in time to ensure an effective presence in all polling places.

Tally procedures should be followed and precise arrangements for the hand over of sensitive material should be in place for the next elections. In particular, the conduct and reasons for recounts should be properly communicated to representatives/observers. Results should not only be checked automatically for possible irregularities, but double checked by trained experts.