SADC electoral stakeholders urged to act with integrity

KEY electoral stakeholders in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region have been urged to act with integrity and professionalism to accelerate sustainable democracy in the region and beyond.

The National Electoral Commission (NEC) Chairman, Justice Jacobs Mwambegele made the call on Tuesday in Dar es Salaam while officiating a workshop for the Electoral Commissions Forum of SADC Countries (ECF-SADC) new Commissioners and senior staff of the bloc’s Election Management Bodies.

“I admit that our recent appointment to election management portfolios has transformed us from observers to actors, and our societies expect us to deliver credible elections. In this regard, we are expected to be people of integrity and to act with the utmost professionalism to ensure that our mandate is carried out,” he stated.

According to Justice Mwambegele, Election Management Bodies (EMBs) across the SADC region face several challenges, including insufficient funding, unclear mandates and limited independence.

Despite these challenges, he said, all key electoral stakeholders are continuing to learn and engage to develop innovative solutions.

“I sincerely believe that this is a priceless opportunity for us to learn from one another and improve our respective election systems,” Justice Mwambegele said.

The ECF-SADC is a self-governing regional organisation in which each SADC member state is represented by its own electoral management body. The government of Botswana hosts the Forum, which has been in place since July 1998.

More than 50 senior officers are attending the four-day workshop (22-25 November) this year from the nine-member states organised by ECF — SADC, International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) and NEC.

He said the capacity-building workshop was designed and planned to introduce newly appointed electoral commissioners and senior staff of Electoral Management Bodies to the concepts, guiding principles, good practices and emerging trends in the field of electoral management.

“This workshop provides a platform for participants to learn about election management and to understand the mechanics, principles and good practices in electoral-related administration. Of particular interest to me are topics on leadership, the performance of EMB, new technology and electoral justice,” he noted

Justice Mwambegele said EMBs have the responsibility of ensuring the legitimacy and credibility of the electoral processes.

To attain that, Electoral Management Bodies should adhere to fundamental guiding principles such as independence, impartiality, integrity, transparency, efficiency, professionalism, service-mindedness and sustainability.

Earlier, the Chairperson of the Executive Committee of the ECF-SADC, Ms Elsie Nghikembua said that such a workshop has been in place since 2012, enhancing capacities in electoral management in the region.

“This workshop’s participants come from nine member commissions: Botswana, Lesotho, Seychelles, Namibia, Malawi, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.” This is one of the most significant groups served by this program. “I must admit that we come from a variety of backgrounds in both private and public life, and for the majority of us, election management was something we only began to consider after our appointments,” she said.

Ms Nghikembua said objectives of the forum which amongst others include encouraging the establishment of independent and impartial Electoral Commissions in the region; encouraging the development of electoral laws that adhere to regionally and internationally accepted principles of election management and facilitating access to and sharing of experiences, research and technology between and among Member Commissions.