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Posted by Chester Morton / Wednesday 12 September 2018 / No comments
Solutions to the problems of Electoral Commission
SOLUTIONS TO THE PROBLEMS OF AN
ELECTORAL COMMISSION
Introduction
Every now and then general
elections in some African countries have degenerated into chaos after results
are declared. At best, losing parties resort to constitutional means to have
their concerns addresses.
In Ghana, after the 2012 general
elections, the losing candidate at the time, Nana Addo-Dankwa Akuffo-Addo, took
the Electoral Commission to the Supreme Court. In the 2018 Zimbabwean first
general elections after long-serving Robert Mugabe was removed from office, the
losing candidate, Mr. Nelson Chamisa alleged fraud and took to the
constitutional court for redress.
There are several problems that
lead to allegations of fraud and refusal to accept election results declared by
Electoral Commissions in Africa, including but not limited to processes leading
to the elections and happenings during and after the elections. This article
discusses some solutions that can be applied so that Electoral Commissions can
nail their jobs right where they should.
A ballot box |
SOLUTIONS TO PROBLEMS OF
ELECTORAL COMMISSION
Adequate funding
One of the solutions to the
problems of Electoral Commission is to provide adequate funding for them to can
comfortably perform the duties prescribed for them under the constitution. Many
times, ruling governments delay unduly the funds that are supposed to be
released to the Electoral Commission to adequately prepare for work before, during
and after the election. Inadequate funding mostly distorts the calendar
prepared by the Commission for the election. This sometimes leads to
accusations from opposition parties that the ruling government is manipulating
the process.
Tenure of office
The tenure of especially the
Chairman and other members of the Commission must not be at the dictates of the
executive. The tenure of the Commission must always be held sacrosanct;
however, somehow, the executive still finds a way to intimidate some members of
the Commission into submission forcing them to do what would inure to their
benefit. If the tenure of the members of the Commission is protected till they
reach the age of retirement, it would solve some of their problems.
Appointment process
Another step that can resolve the
problems of the Electoral Commission is the mode of their appointment. Mostly,
the Chairman and members of the Electoral Commission are appointed by the
executive. A member who is appointed by the ruling government may be easily
influenced by the person appointing him or her. The Justice Uwais-led Electoral
Reforms Committee of Nigeria once recommended that the Electoral Commission
must not be appointed by the ruling government but rather by a different
appointing body. The question is who appoints members to the supposedly neutral
appointing body?
Election vote sheet |
Less government interference
Again, it would do the Electoral
Commission a lot of good if the government of the day does not interfere unduly
in the way they do their work. Too often, governments attempt and with varying
degrees of success in determining the work of the Commission. This in many ways
undermines the integrity of the electoral process and froths it with several
disputes. If ruling governments take their hands off the Electoral Commission,
it would do a world of good.
Good remuneration
Another solution to the problems
of the Electoral Commission is that they must be well-paid. Their salaries must
be made to be equivalent to those of the Supreme Court judges and it should not
be varied to their disadvantage. By extension, all workers of the Commission
from top to bottom must be well paid and given many other incentives. This is
not however a silver-bullet because the fact that they are well paid does not
mean they can still not be influenced by money to bring the electoral process
into disrepute.
Integrity of members
A final solution, probably, is
the integrity of the members of the Commission. Integrity is very crucial
because at the end of the day, if the members of the commission lack sincerity
it does not matter which brilliant mechanisms are put in place, the problems
will continue to persist. Commission members must act above board and realize
that they have been put in their position to perform a duty for the state. Therefore,
they must leave a lasting legacy for those after them to emulate.
Conclusion
It is believed that when these
suggested solutions are implemented, a lot of the problems of the Electoral
Commission would be solved if not all.
The functions of the Electoral Commission
The problems of the Electoral Commission
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