Electoral Management Body Contribution
Security forces will themselves produce threat analyses, operational security guides and manuals, and deployment strategies as a framework for their election action plans. It is also highly advisable that the electoral management body also develop, or assist security forces in developing, a manual detailing security forces' overall responsibilities in assisting to ensure free and fair election processes. Such manuals should be distributed to all security force personnel engaged in election security activity.
Subject Matter
Contents of such a manual would include:
- human rights issues in relation to security forces' role in the election;
- security objectives and strategy in relation to the election;
- the standards of professional, impartial, neutral, and non-intimidating conduct to be upheld by security forces during the election period;
- contact mechanisms and liaison details between the electoral management body and security forces;
- an overview of election processes and methods, and security forces' roles in protecting these;
- details of offences against electoral laws.
(For an example of a manual for security forces, see
Guidelines for Security Forces, Peru, 1995.)
The format and content of such manuals will clearly need to be pitched at the literacy levels of security forces. Particular care in providing strict guidelines regarding the security forces' role in the election process may be needed in transitional environments or where security forces have recently incorporated previously irregular units into their ranks.
