When a general election takes place, as a rule, the three ballot papers should be issued to the voter at the same time.

Tamper proof packets, with security seals, should be introduced for packing and delivery of election results at every level, and clear and detailed instructions issued by the ECK for each stage of the election process. The forms used on election day by polling officers should be simplified and tamper evident.

The ECK should develop a time-frame for the announcement of results in order to avoid increasing tension due to delays and uncertainties in announcing results.

There should be internal party rules developed for regulating the primaries for the selection of their candidates to ensure transparency and consistency in the selection process.

The composition of the Media Council should be broadened to include a more representative selection of groups in society through a transparent and public process of selection. The Council’s functions and mandate should be clarified and an adequately funded secretariat be established to undertake the management of this institution. A complaints commission should be established using transparent and independent appointment procedures.

An adequate regulatory structure should be established to ensure that the provisions in the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation Act are respected by KBC. Key provisions such as those pertaining to free access slots for party political broadcasts should be clarified and precisely defined as to the rights of the parties and candidates in law. Mechanisms should be set up to ensure the independence and public accountability of KBC and a clear monitoring mechanism established to guarantee this organisation’s impartiality and balance is maintained.

The Government should ensure greater access for the media to government records in order for journalists to report on policy making decisions and provide greater transparency and accountability in government by introducing a Public Information Act.

The deterioration of the humanitarian situation in parts of the country following the elections requires continued attention. Key events should be investigated in an impartial, transparent and effective manner. The root causes of the civil unrest should be addressed and responses by the authorities scrutinised.

Greater resources should be allocated to civic education programmes directed at the female population particularly in rural areas in order to increase their awareness of their political and civil rights. This project should include grassroots organisations and educational institutions to ensure the inclusion of all age groups.

The use of vetting procedures for certain parts of the population should, if maintained, be applied without unnecessary delays. Delays in issuing identity cards should be reduced, particularly prior to elections. The practice of bribery to speed up applications should cease, as it constitutes discrimination against the poor.

Il est nécessaire de procéder à la codification du droit applicable au processus électoral et d’en assurer une large diffusion en vue de garantir une interprétation et une application uniforme par les candidats et par les agents électoraux. Les sources du droit applicable sont multiples et dispersées. Des règles claires, détaillées, complètes et mises à jour doivent être rassemblées dans un document unique. L’accessibilité à l’information juridique et la transparence du processus s’en trouveraient améliorées. Il convient également de donner force de loi à certaines instructions administratives adoptées en dernière minute lors des scrutins antérieurs en les intégrant au cadre juridique existant.

Le découpage du territoire en circonscriptions électorales devrait être revu afin d’atténuer les inégalités constatées et d’assurer une représentation plus équitable de la population au Parlement. Une telle démarche faisait partie des engagements pris par les autorités de la transition à l’égard de l’Union européenne. Elle figure également parmi les recommandations formulées par la CENI au terme du processus électoral.

La MOE pense qu’il serait opportun à l’avenir d’envisager le regroupement éventuel du traitement du contentieux électoral au sein d’une seule instance spécialisée qui puisse gérer d’une manière uniforme cette phase délicate du processus électoral. Par ailleurs, il conviendrait de procéder à une harmonisation des degrés de juridiction (actuellement un seul pour les élections présidentielles et législatives et deux pour les élections municipales).

Des mesures incitatives devraient viser à atteindre une meilleure prise en compte du genre et à assurer une plus grande présence des femmes dans les instances chargées de l’organisation et de la supervision des élections (bureaux de vote, commissions électorales).

Le travail de sensibilisation des électeurs devrait être intensifié et mené sur toute l’étendue du territoire et durant une période plus longue. Il devrait attirer l’attention et insister par exemple sur la neutralité des autorités, sur les techniques de fraude à combattre, sur le phénomène de «l’achat» des cartes d’identité, sur l’utilisation du bulletin unique. Il faut innover dans les modalités pratiques d’une telle sensibilisation qui doit viser à toucher directement les électeurs.

Il convient de clarifier davantage dans les textes et dans la formation des agents électoraux la manière de comptabiliser les bulletins nuls, blancs et neutres pour éviter les controverses en cas de scores serrés. Il faudrait discuter de l’opportunité du maintien ou de la suppression de la case neutre sur le bulletin de vote.

In several respects the STAE regulations governing the conduct of parliamentary elections (Regulation/03/STAE/2011) do not have the backing of law. Thus, the STAE regulation on parliamentary elections prohibits the use of state property for campaigning purposes (Article 28), but there is no equivalent provision in the electoral law or the section of the Penal Code where electoral offences are defined. Similarly, the regulations uphold the principle of impartiality of public servants and require that they should not engage in any form of electoral propaganda (Article 27). Again, however, there are no legal penalties associated with this proscription. Public servants wishing to campaign during an election may seek leave to do so from the Public Service Commission, though it is unclear what the consequences are of failing to do so. It is therefore recommended that the Government undertake a review of existing electoral legislation with a view to assessing its compatibility with the Penal Code and STAE regulations and with the aim of closing any gaps that may exist between the provisions contained in these instruments governing the conduct of elections and specifically giving legal effect to prohibitions contained in the regulations.

The EU EOM recommends that the National Parliament amend existing legislation so as to extend the authority of STAE, which already maintains the most comprehensive inventory of the voting age population, to allow it to assume the additional responsibility of maintaining a permanent civil register. This measure would not only simplify the current practice of maintaining two parallel databases and two different types of identification document, but would also, after an initial quite costly registration drive, provide a more reliable and costeffective system for maintaining a register of Timorese citizens. To facilitate the cleaning of the register, suco and aldeia chiefs could be instructed to inform STAE district offices periodically about newborn and deceased persons as well as those who have changed their residence. Voter lists extracted from such a unified civil register would undoubtedly be more up-to-date, accurate and complete than the present electoral register.

The EU EOM recommends that STAE devote more attention during polling staff training to the importance of thoroughly checking for traces of ink on voters’ fingers, since this operation is the only safeguard against multiple voting, especially in larger sucos with several voting centres.

The distinctions made in the existing laws between legal and illegal sources of funding seem adequate. However, effective enforcement depends on the extent to which parties are prepared to cooperate with CNE in meeting the standards of transparency and accountability also required by the law, and the extent to which existing penalties act as a deterrent to illegal fund-raising. In fact, neither of these conditions is being met at present. A review of CNE’s auditing practice and the outside capacity that it relies on to examine political parties’ accounts would seem to be called for, as would a reassessment of the rather light fines that are currently the only penalties available for breaches of the rules on campaign financing. The adoption in law of spending ceilings during campaigns could also contribute to establishing something closer to balance between the parties competing in elections.

A regulatory and self-regulatory framework for the media, setting out their rights and duties, and provisions for the protection of journalists, as well as a Code of Ethics, has been under discussion for several years. An independent media regulatory body that would ensure compliance with the law and the Code of Ethics, as well as observance of the rights and duties of journalists is also envisaged in the National Policy on Mass Communication. The EU EOM endorses the joint efforts of journalists, media organizations and the government to reach a consensus on establishing appropriate regulatory and self-regulatory mechanisms aimed at improving the quality, professionalism, accountability and independence of the media.

Properly-qualified and independent organisations should be encouraged to conduct professional opinion polls. Reliable and unbiased analytical studies on voter intention could help to enhance public confidence in the electoral process and to dissipate eventual post-electoral tensions.

Établir un fichier électoral consolidé au niveau national et procéder à la publication systématique des listes définitives des électeurs, selon des délais légaux et des supports adéquats, afin de permettre aux partis politiques, à la société civile et aux citoyens d’exercer leur droit de contrôle et d’information.

Les représentants des partis politiques/candidats devraient avoir accès à toutes les étapes du processus électoral et aux structures de l’administration électorale, notamment les différentes commissions électorales mises en place lors de la compilation des résultats, en qualité d’observateurs. Cette mesure renforcerait la transparence et assurerait une plus grande confiance dans les travaux de l’administration électorale.

L’affichage des résultats au niveau de chaque bureau de vote, à la suite du dépouillement, devrait être garanti. Les résultats, bureau de vote par bureau de vote, devront être tenus à la disposition des représentants de partis politiques/candidats, des électeurs ainsi que des observateurs aussitôt que possible et sans restriction les jours suivants le scrutin.