The government and the National Election Committee must act aggressively to dispel the “climate of anxiety and fear” in the election process and build public confidence, the US-based National Democratic Institute said on Monday. The institute also recommended that the current voter registration period be extended slightly.
“The prosecution of those who engage in politically motivated violence and intimidation should be a top priority of the government,” the group said in a statement. “Such prosecutions would help deter future violence and help rebuild confidence in the nation’s political system.”
In the past year, the UN human rights office has recorded 10 alleged political killings, none of which have been prosecuted, the institute’s report notes.
Former US lawmaker Sam Gejdenson, co-leader of the institute’s pre-election assessment delegation, said this had a pervasive effect. “What’s clear is that almost every group operating in this system is operating under the fear of intimidation and physical violence, including…civil society organizations and the media,” he said.
The report also notes that voter registration, currently being conducted by commune clerks, is uneven throughout the country, with some communes operating smoothly and fairly and others guilty of incompetence or bias.
In order to ensure that the largest possible number of eligible people register, as well as improving the NEC’s credibility, the NEC should extend registration by 10 to 15 days, the institute recommended. “There is still time for the NEC, political parties and civil society to work together to [make sure that] everyone who wants to be registered can be registered,” NDI elections expert Andrew Ellis said.
