COMMONWEALTH ELECTORAL NETWORKS
of elections through peer support that the Commonwealth Electoral Network was established. The Network brings together professionals from our electoral management bodies to share experiences, provide mutual solidarity, and promote good practice through knowledge and action in the field of election management. When it was launched in 2010 in Ghana, the Network was welcomed by electoral management bodies as a forum for collaboration, practical support and knowledge-sharing and one which would collectively focus on key aspects of election management which would help them discharge their heavy national responsibility. It has indeed proved to be an effective means for strengthening their independence and promoting greater professionalisation. Its contribution can only grow with time.
My desire in launching it was that the Commonwealth Electoral Network should establish a ‘gold standard’ in elections management, ensuring that electoral management bodies in all our member countries are a source of national confidence and are seen to be upholding the highest electoral standards.
The quality of a country’s election rests largely on its electoral management body. An independent, capable and transparent institution plays a critical role in winning the confidence of the public. Election officials in Commonwealth countries increasingly turn to the Network to improve their understanding of successful voter education initiatives and to keep abreast of rapid advances in the use of technology in elections, for voter registration, monitoring campaign financing and many other technical issues. The Commonwealth
Electoral Network itself has been designed, delivered and managed using the advantages conferred by contemporary technologies. Contact is maintained and collaboration carried forward using our secure Commonwealth Connects web space, which also provides online facilities for storing and sharing knowledge. The Network’s flagship activity is a biennial conference and to date this has been held in Ghana, Canada and Kenya. These gatherings bring together the most senior officials in our election management bodies for a series of in-depth discussions on international best practice tied to an overarching theme. The 2014 conference provided a forum for members to discuss issues around Strengthening Institutional Capacity and Electoral Integrity. In addition, the
Commonwealth Electoral Network has convened a series of working group meetings on topics including voter education and electoral participation, voter registration and managing the power of incumbency. These working groups have already proved instrumental in helping countries to adopt good practices. Officials working in one electoral management body often find that they are dealing with scenarios and challenges that are strikingly similar to their counterparts in other countries. The Network encourages peer- to-peer learning, promotes the development of best practice guides and helps to identify areas where targeted technical assistance is necessary. Within the Network, a
Commonwealth Junior Election Professionals (JEP) Initiative is training nearly a hundred young electoral professionals from over 40 different countries. Regional workshops have already been held in Asia, the Pacific and the Caribbean, and there will
be one later this year in Africa. Over time this direct assistance will be of benefit not only to the junior officials themselves, but will spread to other permanent employees and temporary election officials brought in to work at polling stations. As the benefits and impact of Commonwealth collaboration extend ever more widely, each of our member countries are able to contribute and play an active part in upholding democracy, supporting development, and broadening respect for diversity. The broad range of Commonwealth membership enables it to serve as a template for the whole world, giving rich meaning to the theme adopted for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting taking place in Malta this November: ‘Adding Global Value’.
The success of an initiative such as the Commonwealth Electoral Network shows the enduring value of the Commonwealth’s convening power across our global membership and aims to uphold the rights of all to be included in
the decision-making processes that affect their livelihoods and welfare. In the words of our Charter, ‘We recognise the inalienable right of individuals to participate in democratic processes, in particular through free and fair elections in shaping the society in which they live’.
“In the words of our Charter, ‘We recognise the inalienable right of individuals to participate in democratic processes, in particular through free and fair elections in shaping the society in which they live.’”
The Parliamentarian | 2015: Issue Three | 151
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