In order to enhance CNE´s transparency it would be advisable to create an information centre where updated information on the process would be available to parties, media, public in general and observers.

Polling could be reduced to one and a half day to allow counting to take place during daylight and to reduce the workload of the polling station staff.

Composition of the MEC and structure of the election administration should be reviewed with a view to ensuring confidence among political contestants and efficient
administration of elections.

The MEC should: address complaints on issues within its competencies as outlined in electoral legislation in a timely and professional manner.

The MEC should: involve election stakeholders, including umbrella organisations for the handicapped and blind, prisoners etc., at an early stage in preparations to ensure
improved accessibility.

The MEC should: develop polling station forms that are easy to use, for example with carbon copies and serial numbers.

The MEC should: swiftly publish results broken down by polling station as they are announced, including on the internet.

Election officials should be better trained, particularly in counting and aggregation procedures.

National Elections Consultative Forum (NECOF) meetings should be held on a regular basis during the pre-election period and recommendations emerging from the meetings
properly implemented.

The current electoral calendar should be reorganised for logistical reasons and in the light of the anticipated elections for Heads of Provinces and Regency/Cities. Preferably,
consideration should be given to staggering the elections with a two-year interval. One possibility could be to schedule National Legislative and Presidential Elections in one year and all other lower level elections in a different year. Alternatively, the elections could be staggered by dividing them between Legislative ones and Presidential/Heads of Provinces and Regency/City Elections.

Adequate attention should be paid to the establishment within the KPU of a department for the training and professional development of election officials at all levels.
Supervisory mechanisms to monitor and review staff performance and alleged malpractice should be put in place, as well as to ensure the enforcement of the KPU’s
binding authority over its lower tiers

The NEC should ensure that political parties are provided with copies of protocols at all stages of the voting and counting process. Some of the problems witnessed in these
elections stem from the fact that voting and counting took place on different dates, which if the Election Law is not amended will not be the case in future elections. Nonetheless, providing stakeholders with documentation at each and every step is important for the transparency and the integrity of the process.

The criteria for the appointment of PECs and CECs should be reconsidered. Observers and opposition parties have questioned the independence of the members of the Election Administration. Appointing experienced persons is justified, but without jeopardizing the performance of the election administration, the employment of qualified candidates without prior election experience should be considered

Better and clearer channels of communication between CNE and STAE and between them and the other levels of administration of these institutions.

An administrative structure within CNE should be created to deal with complaints.

The preparation in advance of a comprehensive logistical plan for the elections and a contingency plan ready to face the possibility of extending the polling. Next elections
will cover the whole country to the most remote rural places.

The electoral administration should give clear and timely information to the public on all the steps of the electoral process; this should include openness when failures or errors occur.

The launching of a permanent Website by CNE where the electoral results, instructions and decisions could be published and accessible for the public would contribute to higher credibility in the electoral authorities and the electoral process as a whole

The existence of a dual structure of election administration bodies is costly and unpractical. It creates a duplication of efforts and represents a waste of human and
technical resources. Apart from the enormous financial burden to maintain the SIECs structure for elections that take place every four years, the SIECs also replicate (on a smaller scale) the appointment system of INEC. By merging the SIECs into the current INEC infrastructure large savings could be made and a widespread rationalisation of resources would be achievable. The other advantage is the reduction of possible undue influence from the States’ executive.

As of now, it is not possible to determine the number of registered voters per constituency. The revision of the boundaries of the federal, senatorial and State constituencies should be implemented through a constituency mapping exercise. In order to achieve this objective it will be necessary to undertake a process of localisation and delimitation of all polling stations. The creation of a geographical index of addresses allocated to each polling stations is also advisable.

INEC training capacity should be institutionalised and substantially strengthened. A proper Training Unit must be set up within INEC HQ, and a professional trainer must be permanently assigned to each REC office. Ideally, the Training Unit, must have a strong link with voter education programmes and not be confined to election related type of training, but be responsible for the professional development of all permanent election staff. In terms of specific election-related training programs, the experimental introduction of active learning-oriented programmes should be reinforced extensively and applied in a more timely fashion; further elements of practice, especially on counting and packing, should be added, and training kits must be provided. The procedures for the recruitment of the “ad hoc” staff must be revisited and improved, and more effective screening mechanisms must be introduced.

It is recommended to draft a long-term strategic plan with a clear identification of the strategic objectives, well in advance of the next election cycle. Within the strategic plan, the development and publication of an election timetable should be an essential feature. The definition of the strategic objectives and the election calendar would increase the public’s trust in the process. Such an approach should help the government in allocating the necessary funds, and then lead to the setting up of a proper and detailed operational plan (with in-depth, state to state specifications) for the next election year.

More stringent procedures should be devised for the accreditation of political party agents. A written accreditation form, stamped and signed by the relevant Election Officer should be submitted by the accredited party agent to each Presiding Officer and remain available for challenges and inspection at the polling station. Only a limited number of agents per party should be allowed to be present in a polling station. It would also be advisable to introduce standard and more neutral INEC badges (i.e. with no party logos represented on it).

Les instructions élaborées par la Commission électorale en application de la loi et relatives aux procédures mériteraient d'être plus claires, plus précises, plus détaillées et plus complètes sur un certain nombre d'aspects du processus (en ce qui concerne les modalités du vote des personnels en service, la consolidation des résultats, la transmission des procès-verbaux, le règlement des conflits, par exemple).

Les listes électorales devraient être présentées sous la forme d'un document relié facile à ouvrir et à manipuler et mentionnant le nombre total des électeurs inscrits pour le bureau de vote concerné. Un classement des enregistrements en fonction du numéro de la carte d'électeur (plutôt que le nom de l'électeur) faciliterait les recherches et accélérerait les opérations d'identification des électeurs.