Practice Note on Electoral Systems and Processes

1

• Practice Note on Electoral Systems and Processes
• Global Practice Meeting
• Manila, Philippines
• 15-18 November 2004

2
To consider in this meeting 1. Does the PN do
what it is supposed to? 2. What changes need to
be made in the next version? 3. What other
guidance, tools are needed to supplement?
3
Practice Note content

• Lessons learned 10 years of UNDP assistance
  case studies recent experience
• Approaches techniques in key electoral entry
  points
• Practical guidance resources for UNDP
  practitioners
• Substantive reference tool for UNDP electoral
  partners
• What it isWhat it is not

4
Practice Note prep/update

• PN culmination of 4-step process
• Contributions from elections sub-practice group
• DGPN facilitated discussion
• Programme team review
• Input by UN/non-UN electoral partners
• Updating will be periodic based on
• New learning, policy advice from ongoing work
• Meetings like this

5
What UNDP adds

• Impartial and broad-based partnerships
• Coordination
• Long-term capacity development perspective
• HD, links to other Gov, Gender service lines
• New areas of support (political parties, civic
  education, local elections)
• Comparative experiences (glob, reg, country)
• Move from election to electoral

6
Election vs. Electoral

• Elections are a necessary, but not sufficient,
  condition for creating viable democracies. That
  requires the establishment or strengthening of
  democratic infrastructures such as electoral
  commissions, electoral laws and election
  administration structures and the promotion of a
  sense of citizenship and its attendant rights and
  responsibilities.
• Kofi Annan

7
Lessons/Action Principles

• UNDP electoral assistance should
• Focus on long-term capacity development and
  strengthen links to poverty reduction
• Use elections as entry point for broader
  governance assistance (and vice versa)
• Focus on local elections more
• Provide critical donor coordination and resource
  mobilization services
• Begin with enough lead time to be effective
• Address the unique challenges of post-conflict
  elections

8
Approaches Techniques

• Electoral systemsno best system ? consider
  desired goals (e.g., proportionality, strong
  local district reps, gender or ethnic balance,
  etc)
• Electoral administrationindependent and
  permanent EMBs ? can be costly short term but
  clear good practice where also stable, enjoy
  public trust
• Voter registrationpermanent/continuous register
  regularly updated ? can be more effective than
  periodic registers created anew for each election
  
• Civic and voter edvoter ed subset of civic ed ?
  potential to use voter ed as entry to ongoing
  civic ed

9
Approachescontinued

• Coordinationeffective coordination of assistance
  crucial ? UNDP well placed to play central
  coordination role given mandate, presence,
  leadership
• Electoral disputesright to remedy for voting
  rights violations ? voters, candidates, parties
  need right to lodge complaints receive prompt,
  fair decision appeal
• Political partiesunderemphasized in electoral
  support ? UNDPs advantage lies in multi-partisan
  approach (involving parties in electoral list
  validation civic ed media programmes electoral
  framework development)

10
Practical Guidance

• COs considering election-related support should
• Review UNDPA-UNDP Note of Guidance on Electoral
  Assistance, understand division of labor
• Invite EAD to conduct assessment mission/desk
  review to determine suitability for involvement
• Outline projected timeline, work process needs
  and compile in checklist (can input to prodoc)
• Determine substantive needs of electoral process
  and their financial implications (include in
  prodoc)
• Prepare realistic and flexible time-schedule of
  necessary steps before and after election day

11
Guidancecontinued

• Leverage funding for prodoc thru multiple
  sources, approaches
• Review execution options and put necessary
  systems in place to ensure efficient, accountable
  funds management
• Ensure appropriate security measures are in place
  for the elections, as necessary
• Maximize international, national partnerships
• Utilize the multi-faceted nature of electoral
  assistance and its potential as an entry point to
  other areas of support

12
Thank You
To consider in this meeting 1. Does the PN do
what it is supposed to? 2. What changes need to
be made in the next version? 3. What other
guidance, tools are needed to supplement?