Timor-Leste has been a sovereign nation for five years and the United Nations has been working to enable the country’s electoral institutions to mount free and fair elections. In this way, the UN is working to build public confidence in the electoral process and thereby promote the peaceful continuation of the country’s political development.

Timor-Leste Develops Its Electoral Infrastructure

 

Since the 1999 referendum in which 78 percent of voters rejected greater autonomy within Indonesia—thus beginning the transition to independence—three elections have been held in Timor-Leste. In 2001, the United Nations (UNTAET) organized elections for a constituent assembly (which later became a legislative assembly), and in 2002, it organized presidential elections. Between December 2004 and September 2005, Timor-Leste held local elections. All three elections enjoyed high voter turnout (91 percent, 86 percent, and 84 percent, respectively).

 

The local elections were the first conducted in accordance with election law adopted by Timor-Leste’s legislature. In addition, by that time, the Timorese government had established the Technical Secretariat for Electoral Administration (STAE), which was given the responsibility to organise and carry out electoral processes as well as to consult and provide support in electoral matters for all elections and referenda. Because the constitution called for an independent organ to supervise voter registration and voting, the National Electoral Commission (CNE) was temporarily created specifically to supervise the electoral registration and regulations governing the 2004–2005 local elections. (On 15 January 2007, the CNE was re-created as a permanent body.)

 

Since 2005, and in line with its mandate as the country-level provider of democratic governance assistance to developing countries on behalf of the UN system, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) office in Dili has been working with the government and electoral authorities to provide longer-term support in voter registration, voter education, electoral administration and other processes. This work was in anticipation of the 2007 elections but also aimed to help national institutions acquire the skills needed to prepare and administer elections into the future. 

 

Violence Alters Electoral Assistance Plans

 

However, the UN’s assistance strategy shifted when, in April and May 2006, violence broke out in Dili. Rooted in citizens’ frustration with poverty and unemployment as well as in tensions dating back to the struggle for independence, the violence led to killings, looting and burning of private homes and public institutions. On 11 June 2006, the Timorese government requested that a “robust United Nations police, military and civilian mission” be established in their country.[1] In response, the UN Security Council established the United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT).

 

The United Nations also stated that it “further encourages Timor-Leste to enact a set of electoral legislation which provides for the 2007 elections to be supervised, organized, administered and conducted in a free, fair and transparent manner, with due respect to the need to establish an independent mechanism, and reflects general consensus within Timor-Leste regarding the appropriate modalities for the 2007 electoral process.”[2] Given the presence of both UNMIT and UNDP in Timor-Leste, the responsibility for various aspects of electoral support needed to be properly divided between the two. 

 

UNMIT Support for the 2007 Elections

 

The 2006 political crisis served to damage even further public confidence in the impartiality and capacity of state institutions, including the STAE and CNE. During the 2004–2005 local elections, the STAE, which is part of the Ministry of State Administration, had been regarded by minority parties and others as close to the ruling party and therefore not impartial. During the same elections, the newly created CNE did not have sufficient funding to ensure its effectiveness. In addition, it was only an ad hoc, temporary creation, which was not reborn as a permanent one until early 2007. Given these circumstances, most Timorese stakeholders agreed that international assistance would be required for the 2007 nationwide elections.

 

UNMIT was charged with providing technical/logistical support to the electoral process, but it also concentrated its efforts on promoting public confidence in Timor-Leste’s electoral institutions. It considered four different methods of achieving its goals: (1) providing technical electoral assistance; (2) observing the electoral process; (3) “certifying” the electoral process; and (4) administering the elections itself. The fourth option, a UN-administered electoral process, had the disadvantage of building little or no local capacity to hold fair and transparent elections in the future. The best way to promote capacity-building as well as the integrity of the electoral process was a mix of options one and three: technical electoral assistance combined with “certification” of the electoral process.

 

Certification Process

 

Thus, the UN deploys a team of three experts to Timor-Leste at the end of each phase of the electoral process to determine whether matters are proceeding in a satisfactory manner. The following elements were considered for certification: (1) legal framework; (2) electoral authorities; (3) voter registration; (4) political party and candidate registrations; (5) campaign period; (6) polling-day activities; (7) ballot-tabulation procedures; and (8) adjudication of election challenges.

 

Technical Assistance

 

Alongside the certification process, technical assistance has been provided in the areas of general election administration and policy advice; legal framework (including regulations and procedures); voter registration and information technology; gender issues, including promoting the equal participation of women; operational planning and logistics; training; and field operations. UNMIT is also providing STAE and CNE with a total of 285 international experts in those aforementioned areas, 250 of whom are UN volunteers.

 

UNDP Support for the 2007 Elections

 

To respond appropriately to the Timorese government’s request for electoral assistance and at the same time complement UNMIT’s activities, UNDP has focused on (1) developing the institutional capacity of Timor-Leste’s electoral management bodies and (2) meeting the long-term needs of Timorese civil society groups involved in the electoral process. Its goals are to improve Timor-Leste’s ability to meet international standards with respect to legal and institutional components of the election process, strengthen the capacities of its electoral management bodies, and promote more effective donor coordination.

 

The 2007 electoral cycle began with the first round of the presidential election on April 9, 2007. Should none of the eight candidates earn more than 50 percent of the vote, a second round will be held within 30 days of the first. The more significant parliamentary elections—more significant because they will determine the identity of the more powerful prime minister—are scheduled for mid-year. The UNDP has been working in close coordination with national authorities to guarantee timely support to all phases of the electoral process.

 

Assistance to STAE and CNE

 

In activities that complement those of UNMIT, UNDP has provided the STAE and CNE with international advisors knowledgeable about voter education, graphic design, political parties, international/domestic observers, and media and has supplied funding for local staff in Dili and the districts. In addition, UNDP has and will continue to (1) help procure equipment and print voter registration forms, (2) enable effective communications for CNE and STAE headquarters by supplying landlines and mobile phone cards, and (3) print voter lists.

 

Voter Education

 

UNDP’s voter education advisor has counselled STAE on strategies to increase citizens’ awareness of voter registration. For example, the advisor discussed the most effective types of voter education messages and mechanisms for disseminating them. With this assistance, STAE designed and produced posters and TV/radio advertisements that educate voters about the registration process. Arrangements were also made with the national TV/radio agency (RTTL) and community radio stations to broadcast STAE’s information about voter registration.  In addition to these national channels, the UNDP advisor worked with UNMIT to ensure that voter education materials were distributed through the network of UNMIT volunteers in the districts. To develop local capacity to mount future voter education programs, 13 district voter education officers were recruited to work with STAE during these voter education activities.

 

Media

 

UNDP staff have worked closely with STAE and CNE to increase public awareness of the electoral process through widely publicized events. They have also endeavoured to increase journalists’ capacity to communicate this information effectively and impartially to the public, even working with the electoral authorities to establish a media code of conduct. To further assist the media, UNDP staff have helped establish sustainable mechanisms to distribute information about STAE and the CNE to local media in Dili and the districts, including creating a Web site that provides content to both journalists and voters.

 

Coordination of International and National Election Observers

 

UNDP’s program has also supported and coordinated the activities of both international and national election observers. Past experience in Timor-Leste suggests that between 150 and 200 international observers may come to observe parts of the 2007 election cycle. The International Observer Coordination Centre will provide them with briefings, access to logistical and demographic information about Timor-Leste’s 13 districts (geography, climate, population centres, accommodation, transport, communications, etc.), and information about the electoral process (laws, regulations, procedures, timetable, candidates, etc.). The Centre will be a place where observers can seek accreditation from STAE and security updates from the UN Police. In addition, it will provide a location where observers can coordinate their deployments to enable maximum coverage on election day.

 

As for national observers, contacts have been made with the principal coalition of national observers in order to plan and coordinate with reference to registration, training, accreditation, and the socialization of these processes.

 

Candidate and Political Party Resource Centres

 

As part of the UNDP effort to support candidates, parties and party coalitions competing in the 2007 presidential and parliamentary elections, resource centres will be established in Dili and three additional districts (Baucau, Oecusse, and Maliana).  These centres are designed to enable candidates and parties to participate more effectively in the political process. In them, candidates/parties can find material support and training in message development, preparing campaign staff, voter outreach, and other skills and campaign issues. The resource centres provide equal access to office supplies, computers, printers, photocopy machines, land/fax/Internet lines (where possible), and professional support in the design and reproduction of campaign materials (through the Dili centre). Training is also being given to parties in each of the country’s 13 districts.

 

Relevant Legislation

 

                                           

Created the STAE:	Ministerial Order No. 3/2004, 5 May 2004
Made the STAE part of the MSA:	Decree Law 2/2003, 23 July 2003
Created a temporary CNE:	Law 2/2004 on the Local Authorities
Created UNMIT:	UN Resolution 1704 (2006)
Created a permanent CNE:	Law 5/2006 on the Organs of Electoral Administration

                     

                               

                                                                               

Carlos Dinis works with UNDP’s Office in Timor Leste as a Programme Officer in Democratic Governance Unit. Linda Maguire works with the UNDP’s Democratic Governance Group (part of the Bureau for Development Policy) as an Electoral Advisor.