BLACK #INSPIRES:::: Legitimate elections are the cornerstone of a true democracy…Kofi Annan.

 

A strong democracy needs a vibrant and engaged civil society, capable of expressing popular concerns in a responsible and constructive manner.

I am very pleased to see that civil society in Nigeria is taking a constructive role in helping the country prepare for the forthcoming national elections.

Politics is too important to be left only to politicians alone. And elections are the key moments in political life, since they are the foremost mechanisms for peaceful and democratic rotation of leadership. As some of you may know, I have long been an advocate of civil society. As Secretary-General of the United Nations, I undertook a number of reforms to involve civil society in the organization’s work because the UN Charter itself begins with the words “We the peoples”.

Elections with integrity: definition and challenges

• So what does this concept of electoral integrity mean in practice?  “Elections with integrity” is shorthand for elections that respect a range of global standards and norms enshrined in international treaties and good practice. Above all, they are elections that grant each citizen the equal right to participate in the selection of his or her leaders and hold them accountable. Elections with integrity also have to guarantee fundamental freedoms, like the freedoms of opinion and expression, peaceful assembly and association.

• Finally, elections with integrity have to afford citizens a mechanism to challenge contested results through credible legal channels whose decisions are regarded as fair and impartial. Only if elections meet all these criteria can they fulfil their key role, which is to confer legitimacy on the winners and security on the losers and peaceful change for all.

The Global Commission identified 5 obstacles to elections with integrity:

• Weak rule of law and weak protection of voters’ rights;
• Inadequate electoral management bodies, either because they are insufficiently resourced, incompetent or not independent enough to enjoy public confidence;
• Denial of future political opportunity to those who lose, leading to a win-at-all cost mind-set;
• Barriers to universal and equal political participation; and
• Uncontrolled, undisclosed, and opaque political financing.

These challenges are evident in many countries. Even countries with long established democracies are vulnerable.  In the United States, for example, voters question the role of money in politics, which leaves many citizens feeling that elections are captured or at least heavily influenced by well-endowed special interests.

 Speech by Kofi Annan.