![]() The relationship between national and international observers is addressed, focusing on the potential for increased collaboration between the two as well as the opportunities that a shift towards a more obligations-based approach presents. This paper defines citizen electoral observation, and provides a brief outline of its evolution, consolidation and recognition. Citizen groups are increasingly playing a front-line role in advocating for electoral reform, monitoring election violence and educating citizens about elections.” ![]() According to the September 2012 “Deepening Democracy” report of the Global Commission on Elections Democracy and Security, over the last thirty years non-partisan citizen observers have “ made critical contributions to improving the quality of elections. However, the work and contribution of citizen observers to the electoral process and to the broader democratic framework can go much deeper. ![]() The presence of observers in an election is generally seen as a means of promoting security and credibility, and a deterrent to fraud. Although numerous practitioners still refer to these citizen groups by the term of “domestic” observers, the Declaration of Global Principles opts for the more accurate and positive terms of “citizen” or “national” electoral observer groups terms which will be used interchangeably in this paper. Among the key developments are the growing understanding of the need to cooperate –or at least work with- national authorities and international stakeholders to contribute to democratic processes and the respect for a country’s own regional and international obligations for elections. The consensual nature of this Declaration and the inclusion of a number of forward-looking principles are shaping the future of citizen observation. In its Preamble, the Declaration establishes that citizen observers “ can be considered as specialised human rights defenders focused on civil and political rights, which are central to achieving genuine elections.” The commemoration at the United Nations (UN) of the Declaration of Global Principles for Non-Partisan Election Observation and Monitoring by Citizen Organisations (the Declaration of Global Principles, hereinafter), in 2012, was a milestone in this evolution. Furthermore, with the ongoing revolution in information and communications technologies the potential impact of citizen observation on democracy reform has expanded considerably. Evolving from a purely election day focused perspective it now aspires to work within the entire electoral cycle, with a broad, holistic and global outlook. Ĭitizen electoral observation has established itself as a systematic and consolidated methodology for national democracy support. Although integrity is clearly a concern in transitional elections, it is critical to any electoral process, including within more established democracies, as the work of Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe/Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights ( OSCE/ODIHR) missions has shown over the past decades. As expressed in the ACE Encyclopaedia, “ active oversight and supervision ensures that participants in an election process are held accountable, promotes transparency, establishes the credibility of the electoral process and helps ensure compliance with the legal framework”. Oversight of the electoral process is an important means to protect electoral integrity, the genuine nature of elections that guarantee the free expression of the will of voters. As stated in the September 2012 report of the Global Commission on Elections, Democracy and Security, headed by Kofi Annan, “ the most important force for elections with integrity is citizen pressure.” Since its origins in the 1980s, in more than 90 countries on five continents, millions of citizens have joined citizen observation initiatives to ensure integrity and promote accountability in government and among political contestants. The observation of electoral processes by national citizen groups has evolved significantly in the first years of the 21st century. By Leandro Nagore and Domenico Tuccinardi I.
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