Dear Reader,

The March 2015 edition of the ACE Newsletter highlights:

• Feature: Deepening Social Justice in Egypt through Elections (Women’s Representation and Electoral Management Bodies)
• Focus On: Measuring Electoral Quality 

• The latest questions and discussions on the Practitioners' Network
• The latest case study additions to the ACE Encyclopedia  
• New publications by ACE Partner organizations and members of the ACE Practitioners' Network 

Best regards,

The ACE Electoral Knowledge Network

Feature: Deepening Social Justice in Egypt through Elections (Women’s Representation and Electoral Management Bodies)

Marwa Othman

Since the events of January 2011, which led to the ouster of President Mubarak, Egypt continues to undergo a political transition. One of the main demands and aspirations, which the Egyptian people hoped to achieve after the events of January 2011, was “social justice”. The definition of social justice is: "governments are compelled to represent and serve their populations and act in their best interest. A faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, and in the equal rights of men and women."

Egypt has seen remarkable transformation in recent years where changes are occurring more rapidly than any time in recent history. One of these changes is the Egyptian people having a voice in the elections process. UNDP played a major role in the change, by collaborating with the Egyptian government, in raising awareness to the Egyptians on the importance of their votes when electing their future leaders and at the same time highlighting the importance of establishing an independent, permanent body to overlook all electoral aspects taking place in the country. Gender inequalities faced in the elections process are prevalent on a global scale, more so in Egypt. Women's participation in bringing about change in the elections process was strong and impactful. However, this influence was not reflected in the number of elected officials. The reason for this disparity is not clear-cut, but it is multifactorial. The Egyptian culture has not been accustomed to women giving their voice in making decisions where the stakes include electing government officials. Furthermore, many women fail to see the value of their voice due to unfamiliarity with the voting process, which is more commonplace among rural dwellers, where illiteracy rates are high and poverty is rampant.  

Read the full article here ...

Focus On: Measuring Electoral Quality

The ACE Focus On series aims to explore in greater detail cross-cutting issues referenced in the ACE Electoral Knowledge Network. A subject matter specialist introduces each topic, highlights issues and sample materials in ACE and identifies additional online resources for users to research more information. 

The newest Focus On, Measuring Electoral Quality is authored by David S. Pottie, and introduces the methodologies currently being used to assess the conduct of elections. These range from public opinion polls and wider democracy assessments to more specialized election management assessments and technical assessments. Noting the diversity of measurements, Pottie arranges them into several typologies, based on the qualities they share, how they differ, and the findings they lead to. Moreover, the author analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of these approaches, and shares a set of conclusions and questions for further discussion. 

If you would like to see a particular topic addressed in an ACE Focus On, or in Spanish or French, please send your suggestions to [email protected].

Practitioners' Network Updates

Consolidated replies are published summaries of the discussions on the Practitioners' Network. Among the consolidated replies published during the past quarter were the following:  

Legislation governing political participation of former Electoral Commissioners and senior electoral staff

I am currently researching existing best practices and legislation relating to the participation of former Electoral Commissioners and senior electoral staff in the political process. Their participation may be in the form of running as political candidates, being campaign managers, caretakers, etc. 

I am aware that in some legislation there is a period of disqualification after which the above categories of persons can freely participate, however I would like more points of reference. 

Are there any examples of such legislation? I would particularly be interested in examples from within the Commonwealth.

 

Read replies ...

 

Best Practices with Conducting Election Audits  

What are the best practices associated with conducting audits of election results?

By audit, I am not referring solely to a recount of ballots, but an inspection of ballots, tally sheets, poll journals and other polling station documents. 

 

Read replies ...

 

Electoral Reform Best Practices 

This question deals with electoral reform process good practices.  

A new legislative committee has been tasked with examining electoral systems to consider recommending changes, up to and including adopting a new system altogether. 

The committee has been given 90 days to perform this task, with the possibility of extending if needed. A general election is planned approximately 12 months after the committee will issue its report.

We would like to therefore ask Practitioners' Network members to weigh in on the following questions:

• Are there any good examples of legislative committees (or other electoral system review processes) in other countries that have reformed electoral systems that can be referenced for inspiration (both good and bad lessons)?
• What types of stakeholders were consulted?  Did parties with no representation in parliament participate?
• How long did the review process take?  Is 90 days sufficient?
• Were any related to peace processes?  If so, what special representation of armed groups or parties to the conflict took place?
• Were there special provisions to encourage the participation of women and marginalized groups?
• Was there international technical assistance and experience-sharing?
• If a new electoral system was adopted, what was the timeframe for implementation?  Are there examples of countries where a new electoral system was adopted within one year of elections?
• Are there any reports that can be shared from such committees?

A couple more general questions are:

• What compelling questions should legislators be asking when it comes to considering changes to electoral systems?
• What general advice would you have for legislators about the importance of getting the process of electoral system reform right, before delving into the details about different electoral system types?  What is the importance of inclusiveness (political, ethnic, regional, etc) in consultation and how important is it for there to be a broad consensus of major political actors if major changes to the electoral system take place.  Is 50% +1 sufficient for electoral reform? 

 

Read replies ... 

 

ACE Encyclopaedia

Over the past quarter, Practitioners’ Network members made vital case study contributions. ACE Case Studies aim to depict electoral issues in one or more countries or regions, and target election administrators and those with a stake in the electoral process. ACE recently published the following case studies: 

• Fiji and the Solomon Islands: Political and Electoral Reforms
• Malawi 2014 Tripartite Elections: Should Media Outlets Announce Unofficial Results?
• A Bangladesh Case Study: Technical Electoral Assistance and Deeply Divided Politics
• Maldives: Women’s Representation in Political Processes 
• Iraq: Increasing Engagement of the Election Commission with Persons with Disabilities  
• Afghanistan: Media and Electoral Processes
• Electoral Reform: The Impact of a Shared Advocacy Voice Among Zimbabwean Civil Society

Recent Publications by ACE Partners and Members of the Practitioners' Network

Promoting Gender Equality in Electoral Assistance  (UNDP) 

This publication by the UNDP highlights practices that enhance women’s meaningful and equal participation in the electoral process. It also identifies key lessons from gender mainstreaming and women’s empowerment initiatives in international electoral assistance programming. Also included in this publication are five national case studies from Bolivia, Burundi, Kyrgyztan, Nepal, and Tunisia between 2011 and 2011.ety

Database on ICT in Elections (IDEA)

To help election practitioners and stakeholders better understand the use of ICTs in elections, International IDEA has conducted a global comparative study about how ICTs are being used in several stages of electoral processes. This has been used to develop an online database, which presents the comparative data in an interactive way.

Electoral Results Management Systems: Catalogue of Options (UNDP)

UNDP has also produced a publication and corresponding E-Learning course on Electoral Results Management Systems (RMS). The publication, titled ‘Electoral Results Management Systems: Catalogue of Options’ brings into focus the events that take place after polling is completed, when the votes are tabulated and winners are identified. This period is often the most politically tense—while its success can bolster the credibility of an election, its failures in tabulation can severely undermine the process. This publication is therefore a great tool for electoral administrators as they consider how to approach this task, and evaluate the RMS options available to them. 

The publication is also accompanied by an E-learning course, which provides an interactive means to review key items of the content, and a certificate for those who successfully pass the course. The most recent of a series of E-learning courses are available here. 

Both the publication and E-learning course are available in English and Arabic. To access the E-learning course please click on the following links: E-learning in English, E-learning in Arabic.  

To download the publication (English and Arabic), please click here.