Strategies to be adopted to prevent electoral crises (pre-, during and post) in Africa

Transcription

1 African Training and Research Centre in Administration for Development المركز اإلفريقي للتدريب و البحث اإلداري لإلنماء Centre Africain de Formation et de Recherche Administratives pour le Développement Strategies to be adopted to prevent electoral crises (pre-, during and post) in Africa October 2014 Tangier, Kingdom of Morocco 1

2 TOPIC Adoption of Best Practices in the Registration of Voters as a Bold Step Toward Free, Fair and Crises-free Elections Best Practices Registration of Voters (Electronic/Biometric) Electronic/Biometric Verification of Voters by Sir Ifeanyi Emma Odogwu 2

3 PRESENTATION PLAN Why do we need a voters register? What method do we adopt? Who is a voter? What does the voter need to know? What does a voter need for identification? What does a voter leave the registration centre with? How are voters register verified? Manual & Biometric Registration methods. What are the challenges? Voting. Problems with manual Registration/Voting. Why E-Voting? Requirements for Biometric Electronic Technology. Challenges of E-Voting. Recommendations. Conclusion. 3

4 ELECTORAL TRIPOD Reliable Voter Register Orderly Voting Proper Counting 4

5 WHY DO WE NEED A VOTERS REGISTER? (A chick that will develop into a cock starts from the egg) To ensure that citizens who meet the legal requirements are able to take part in the electoral process To ensure strict adherence to the right to vote For better electoral activities To prevent multiple registration To prevent registration by proxy To prevent impersonation 5

6 WHAT METHOD DO WE ADOPT? Periodic list Civil registry Continuous voter registration (CVR) (Adopted by Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania & Nigeria. Nig recently conducted a CVR 4 those who 1)have just turned 18, 2) didn t register during the last exercise 3) have their names on the Addendum List) 6

7 Whichever method the State decides to adopt: a) Should all those qualified be compelled to register? a) What identification will the voter require to be registered? a) What determines where the voter registers? a) Why computerize registration of voters? a) Choice of the registration system: What determines it? 7

8 What determines choice of registration system The numerical strength of the voters to be registered Time within which registration must be completed Level of enlightenment: which method best suits the local population? Available resources/human & material resources Which method is the most realistic and cost effective? 8

9 WHO IS A VOTER? Nationality of the voter Residence (resident in the electoral area or permitted by law to register there) Age Criminal profile Mental capacity/health 9

10 WHAT DOES A VOTER NEED TO KNOW? What he stands to benefit by registering What he stands to benefit by registering The Commencement date of registration The Commencement date of registration The Closing date for registration The Closing date for registration Daily commencement & closing time Daily commencement & closing time What he needs to take to the regn centre What he needs to take to the registration centre Venue of the registration Venue of the registration 10

11 WHAT DOES A VOTER NEED FOR IDENTIFICATION? Personal identification (Physical presence at the registration centre) Proof of nationality Proof of age Proof of residence (Register at the nearest registration point to his residence) Proof that he is free from multiple registration 11

12 WHAT DOES A VOTER LEAVE THE REGN CENTRE WITH? (Where everything is in order and a voter is duly registered) Voter ID card which he must wait and collect Courtesy: EMBs Ghana 12

13 HOW IS VOTERS REGISTER VERIFIED? By random checking By contacting voters individually By display of Voters lists 13

14 MANUAL & BIOMETRIC REGISTRATION Manual registration Biometric registration 1. Biometric registration is the modern thing 2. Prevents multiple registration 3. Prevents impersonation 4. Prevents registration by proxy (as the electronic device will interpret 2, 3 & 4 as multiple registration). 5. Largely minimises incidents of missing names 6. Makes transfer of registration easier. 14

15 ADVANTAGES Courtesy: EMBs Ghana & Nigeria 15

16 WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES? Generally Preregistration challenges Registration challenges Postregistration challenges 16

17 CHALLENGES (cont d) Pre-registration challenges Inadequate training for the registration clerks (some of them cannot effectively operate the electronic biometric equipment) Inadequate information dissemination to voters Irregular distribution of registration materials 1. Poor road network 2. Intentional disenfranchisement Our people s apathy about elections (de-motivated by the attitude of the political class) Acceptability of the new registration sys by voters 17

18 CHALLENGES (cont d) Registration challenges Late or non delivery of Registration Materials Difficulty in personal identification (age, residence, etc.) Registration during farming seasons Distance between registration point and farm Time taken to register one voter Religion (Male/female issues in Shari a areas) Case of amputees Poor power supply Corruption 18

19 CHALLENGES (cont d) Post-registration challenges Voters inability to keep registration/voting document i.e. Voter ID Card Sale of Voters ID Cards [Poverty, No importance attached to VRC, Political Opponents] Lack of the capacity to maintain registration equipment after an election cycle 19

20 VOTING Who is qualified to vote? A person registered to vote in the election A person registered to vote in the election Physically present at the polling centre Physically present at the polling centre Has not voted earlier in the same election Has not voted earlier in the same election Has a personal Voter Id Card Has a personal Voter Id Card 20

21 PROBLEMS WITH MANUAL REGN/VOTING Multiple registration Registration by Proxy Ballot box stuffing Omission of names from the VR Do we actually vote? Where we do, do our votes count? Etc. 21

22 WHY ELECTRONIC VOTING? (Voter Verification Technology [VVT]) This has been very strongly advocated especially for those countries that registered biometrically. Why electronic voting? 1. Ensures that those voting are those who should vote 2. Prevents multiple voting 3. Prevents impersonation 4. Prevents voting by proxy or ghost voting 5. Prevents balloting box stuffing Can biometric registration solve the problem of loss of voters cards? (majority of our voters can t keep docs) 22

23 REQUIREMTNTS FOR BIOMETRIC ELECTION TECHNOLOGY Careful planning/planning ahead Acceptance of the stakeholders: Needs assessment, acceptability & feasibility studies before introducing it Heavy budget outlay (Tanz-$177m/Nig.-$600m) Proper voter education (Min of Info/Civil Societies) High level Competent/IT skill Political will Legal framework to support its use 23

24 CHALLENGES OF E-VOTING Poor Voter education/awareness Incompetence of Electoral Clerks/Officials Cannot detect minors/under-aged Cannot detect non-indigenes Case of amputees Political will {Politicians unwilling 2 welcome Voter Verification Tech (VVT)} Financial implication (heavy budget outlay) Corruption. 24

25 RECOMMENDATIONS Considering the huge financial outlay involved in acquiring the biometric registration technology and the voter verification technology, it may not be economically possible to introduce both technologies in the same electoral cycle. Ghana was advised to limit the target for 2012 to limited pilot trials with strong fall-back and contingency plans. Adequate training for EMB Staff, registration clerks and all officers involved including election ad hoc workers. Ad hoc staff to be drawn from the respective communities where registration is to be done. 25

26 Ministry of Information to ensure adequate information flow to educate the people on why they must register as exercise of their civic and democratic right to participate in the choice of their leaders Provision of transport to convey voters to and fro registration points RECOMMENDATIONS (Cont d) Min. of Information to ensure adequate information flow to educate the people that they must register and also vote as exercise of their civic & democratic right to participate in the choice of their leaders not by force. Provision of transport to convey voters to & fro registration points/even for verification Provision of adequate security Provision of adequate security Enforcement of penalty for electoral offences Enforcement of penalty for electoral offences Regular/Proper maintenance of Equipment 26

27 CONCLUSION All over Africa people yearn for free, fair, violence-free, reliable elections for the enthronement of sustainable democracy. A good, proper and reliable voters register is the first positive step toward free and fair elections. Unfortunately, electoral malpractices in rigging and eventual declaration false elections results start from registration of voters. In my view, electoral malpractices are avoidable evils. 27

28 CONCLUSION (cont d) It is a question of having the proper reason as to why one wants to win election as elections should not be won at all costs. It must not be a do-or-die affair. It must not be a fight to finish. We have not only lost properties worth billions of Dollars, we have lost hundreds of thousands of our men and women to crises arising from improper attitude to election. With a positive change of attitude we imbibe sustainable DEMOCRACY. We shall be there. 28

29 APPRECIATIONS Danke Thank you Deeje Šukram Merci Gratias 29

30 REFERENCES 1. Alimeka, E. E. O.: Electoral Reform and Democratic Consolidation in Nigeria. Nigeria s 50 Years of Nation-Building: Stock-Taking and Looking Ahead, NIPSS, Kuru, Ace, B: Biometric voter registration: What you should know, Ghana Magazine; 3. Alves, M. H.: Voters Registration; African Administrative Studies, No. 61, Idowu, K. R.: 2014: Electoral Tasks Ahead; visited 19 th Sept, Laanela, T.: Elections and Technology; African Administrative Studies, No. 61, Ace Facilitators: Biometric Voter Verification in Ghana. 7. The Election Act, 2011 of Kenya. 8. Interim Independent Electoral Commission (IIEC) Kenya 9. The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended). 10. The Constitution of Kenya (Chapter 6). 11. The Electoral Act, 2011 of Nigeria. 12. African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance,