As Nigerians wait for the appointment of the next chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the Independent International Electoral Assessment Team has made seven key recommendations towards achieving credible elections in 2011.
In a 31-page report submitted to the Presidency, the team said six of the recommendations require only administrative and procedural measures to be actualised. The first recommendation is that: "Given the severe lack of confidence in the INEC leadership," the government "should reconstitute the INEC chair and board based on a broad and inclusive consultation process. While it is not required by law," the team said "it is not prohibited, and could significantly contribute to establishing confidence in INEC."
The team noted that INEC should ensure transparency by providing full information to election stakeholders in easily accessible formats. It said: "INEC should establish standing mechanisms for sharing information and consulting with political parties and civil society at federal and lower levels." In view of the problems always encountered with respect to the voters' register, the team asked INEC to take steps to improve the quality of its register to include providing opportunity for citizens to register and make corrections to their personal data.
On the verifiability of election results, the team recommended that counting of votes, and the transmission and tabulation of results must be transparent and conducted in strict compliance with the electoral law. "In particular, results of each polling station should be announced and preferably displayed at the polling station, as well as at all the other points of collation", it said. This aspect of the team's recommendation was observed by INEC during the last election in Anambra State. The result of the election was announced within 24 hours by the state returning officer while result of each polling station was announced immediately after the election.
The team urged the judiciary to commit itself to adjudication of election complaints with time-frames specified for such cases to be decided. The electoral assessment team recommended that the police should work with INEC to effectively prevent and respond to violence and intimidation issues arising during the electoral process.
The only recommendation that requires legal reform said the team, is that requiring financial autonomy for INEC. To make this possible, the team said INEC revenue should be made a first line charge on the consolidated revenue fund. The electoral assessment team was commissioned, at the request of the Federal Government by the United States International Development Agency (USAID) and the British Department for International Development (DFID) late last year. The mandate of the five-member team was to make recommendations for holding credible elections in 2011. It was led by Kwadwo Afar-Gyan, chairman of the Ghana Electoral Commission. Other members were Denis Kadima, executive director of the Electoral Institute of South Africa; Darren Kew, a professor at the University of Massachusetts; Hanna Roberts, an election consultant and Margarita Aswani, a democracy and governance consultant.
The team worked in Nigeria between January 9 and 29. In addition to meetings held in Abuja, the members undertook field trips to Lagos and Kaduna as well as Anambra State, where governorship election took place on February 6.
The team said it considered the preparedness of the INEC for the 2011 election and reviewed the recommendations of the Uwais Panel on Electoral Reform whose report is currently before the National Assembly. The tenure of the current chairman of INEC, Maurice Iwu, ends in June.
Election assessment group lists path to credible polls (http://www.businessdayonline.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=9588:election-assessment-group-lists-path-to-credible-polls&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=18)
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