SADC forum promotes electoral transparency - Malawi - Elections '99 - Sustainable Democracy

BLANTYRE, 16 June 1999
In a diplomatic drive to promote transparency in regional elections, the SADC Electoral Commission’s Forum (ECF) is exploring the possibility of sharing technology to ensure a more efficient, open delivery of results in the 14 member states of the Southern African Development Community (SADC).

Inspired by the high-tech display in the 2 June South African elections, where the Independent Electoral Commission’s Results Centre brought an hourly update of vote patterns across the country to hundreds of media, observor groups and the public via giant electronic screens, the ECF has discussed the issue of "technology transfer" from one country to the other,
according to a senior executive member.

Bishop Ralph Hatendi, executive member of the SADC Electoral Commission’s Forum said Wednesday, technology was the heart of a speedy and transparent
electoral process. The SADC forum is currently observing elections in Malawi, which by contrast, is limited in terms of technological capacity to deliver results promptly.

Results in the hotly contested Malawi elections have been virtually trickling in with a regional pattern of voting already emerging from the samples available.

The Ruling United Democratic Forum (UDF) is expected to sweep the Southern region whilst the opposition coalition of the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) and the Alliance for Democracy (AFORD) looks set to lead in their respective strongholds in the central and northern regions.

There is a fair chance of an opposition upset but analysts say it is too early to base judgement on the few results received by the Electoral Commission. Final results are not expected until the weekend.

"They are certain things that are transferable from country to country, and they can cut on costs. This has been discussed by the forum because we believe there must be transparency right through. If we share technology we can make the electoral process much more efficient and transparent", Hatendi told SARDC.

Bishop Hatendi, who is also Chairman of the Zimbabwe Electoral Supervisory Commission, said it was premature to comment on the conduct of the Malawi elections thus far. Forum members were spread out throughout the country’s three regions.

The SADC Electoral Commission’s Forum was launched in July 1998 in Cape Town and comprises 12 electoral commissions of the SADC region. The Forum aims to foster cooperation between members as a way of promoting a culture of democracy and free and fair elections.

Its membership includes research institutions, universities, non-governmental organisations and diplomatic structures serving in their individual capacities.

The Forum’s Observer Mission covers all the relevant aspects of the conduct of elections in line with a particular country’s laws and makes and assessment whether the people had freely expressed their will through the vote.

"The success of the Mission is highly dependent on the willingness of the people of the country to share with the Mission members their experiences, opinions, feelings and observations about the electoral process," a spokesperson said.

The Mission covered elections in Lesotho in 1998 and South Africa earlier this month and is, according to Hatendi, geared to travel to Botswana, Mozambique and Namibia which are still to hold polls later this year. (SARDC)