KIRUKU: Election reports: No lullabies please, leaders deserve to be spanked

KIRUKU: Election reports: No lullabies please, leaders deserve to be spanked

The EAC observer mission reports for elections held in the Community’s partner states over the recent past leave a lot to be desired. Reports on the elections in Uganda and Burundi, for example, have tended to be sugarcoated, probably in a well-meaning manner to calm citizens and placate the ruling elite. This is not helping matters in the region.

The recent EAC observer mission report for the Uganda general election held in February and presented by Ali Hassan Mwinyi is, in fact, completely out of touch with the reality of events that were witnessed on the ground. It makes one wonder whether the spate of intimidations, irregularities and violence observed during the electioneering period was a fabrication of the media or one bad dream.

According to the report, Uganda conducted its elections with a lot of patience and orderliness. Yet, we all know that as the Election Commission chairperson was announcing the preliminary results of the presidential polls – and political parties were still following the tallying and collecting data from their agents in the field – police stormed the opposition FDC party headquarters using teargas and arrested its flag bearer, Kizza Besigye, and the party’s leadership. This act alone severely violated the electoral environment.

The process was further marred by a lot of irregularities: There were reports of ballot stuffing and vote buying, there was blocking of social media sites, and of course excessive use of force by the police. The elections were inconsistent with international standards and expectations of any democratic process.

Though the EAC observer mission for Burundi led by East African Legislative Assembly member Abubarkar Zein declared the election not free, credible or fair, the mission reported that on the voting day there was relative peace. Yet it is well known that Burundi has not known peace from the day President Pierre Nkurunziza declared his interest in vying for a third term.

It is time the EAC observer missions came clean and reported their observations without fear or favour. Sweeping unpleasant facts and incidents under the carpet will not solve the myriad challenges that face the electoral processes in the region.

The challenges facing the region must be tackled through openness and transparency from both the opposition and government sides. Hiding some cards under the table while playing less dangerous ones only serves to make a bad situation worse.

The EAC observer missions must realize that they have the mandate from the whole region to give accurate and balanced reports, offer guidance, and provide direction for implementation of recommendations to the particular country following elections.

Neutral, independent and conscientious observation of the electoral process can help ensure the credibility and impartiality of all elections.

In this regard, election observers must not concern themselves with any particular poll result. They should, rather, concern themselves with electoral outcomes only to the degree that they are reported honestly and accurately in a transparent and timely manner.

In addition, they must provide credible information on an electoral process. The presence of election observers builds voter confidence in the integrity of the process as well as integrity of the electoral management body.

If conducted in a professional, fair and transparent manner, election observation can helps to deter or expose violence or intimidation, as well as cheating or manipulation of the vote or election results.

For credibility purposes, every observer mission must observe the polling, sorting and counting of votes, so as to comment authoritatively on these procedures.

The EAC observer missions must ensure the impartiality of the persons in charge of the polling, sorting and counting of votes, and their commitment to the country’s Act and the regulations, rules and orders. They must also ensure that the tallying from various polling stations is truthful.

Prior to the election day and during voting as well, the mission must visit the constituencies and polling, sorting and counting centers without previous notice. They should witness the opening and closing of the ballot boxes at various centres at random, thus ascertaining the manner in which the elections are conducted.

As Kenya prepares for its next general election in 2017, the region expects nothing short of fair, transparent and credible elections under fair observance of the EAC mission that will be put in place, alongside other international observers. Anything short of that will be a great disservice to the region’s citizens.

The guidelines as contained in reports from observer missions must be implemented to the later, shelving them to gather dust beats the purpose for which the missions were sent in the first place.

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