Patrick W.. peculiaridade (Washington, CC)
Creative’s Conflict Management and Electoral Security Team Gleans Insights from Across the Globe Relevant to Upcoming Polls
Over the last year in what has been termed the “Arab Spring,” o colapso de regimes de longa data em países como a Tunísia, Egypt and Libya has created space for political contestation that citizens in these countries had never before experienced.
Tendo demonstrado sua força através de ações nas ruas, citizens shifted to establishing institutions of government that reflect the popular will and cultural contours of their polities. Through concerted action and collaboration within and across state- and non-state sectors, muito foi alcançado.
The people of Egypt and Libya determined that elections were to be their chosen instrument for determining governance and, for the first time in decades, participated in largely open and fair elections. Individuals and political parties alike campaigned for votes.
The citizens of the Arab Spring look to electoral processes as crucial to legitimizing government, promover a responsabilização e a boa governação, além de contribuir para a estabilidade nacional. Embora as eleições possam servir estas necessidades se forem administradas de forma imparcial e num ambiente pacífico, eles também podem desestabilizar nações e deslegitimar governos se estiverem atolados em conflitos e violência.
O que é mais, o potencial de violência pode manter os cidadãos afastados das urnas e dissuadir os candidatos de fazerem campanha abertamente. Os acontecimentos recentes na Líbia e noutros países evidenciam que, apesar do progresso e dos ganhos notáveis em todo o mundo árabe, estes processos e transições em curso permanecem frágeis. This has particular implications for other countries in the MENA region slated to hold elections in the coming months—should upcoming polls experience conflict and violence, transitions risk being de-railed and the legitimacy of governments questioned.
Reconhecendo a ameaça que a violência representa para a integridade das eleições, durante o ano passado, a Creative tem trabalhado com o estado- e partes interessadas não estatais em todo o mundo para desenvolver estratégias para prevenir, gerenciar, e mediar conflitos e violência relacionados com eleições. Through a program funded by USAID, Creative’s Jeff Fischer and Patrick Quirk performed electoral security assessments in Afghanistan, Burundi, Guatemala, and the Philippines to help state- and non-state actors in these locations manage potential conflict surrounding upcoming polls PFDs of the assessment reports can be found here: Criativo – Electoral Security Assessment PHILIPPINES Criativo – Electoral Security Assessment GUATEMALA Criativo – Electoral Security Assessment AFGHANISTAN e Criativo – Electoral Security Assessment BURUNDI.
Com base nas conclusões destas avaliações e em extensas entrevistas com especialistas de todo o mundo, Creative is writing a Best Practices Guide in Conflict Management and Electoral Security. Insights from this Guide [to be published by USAID in November] will prove useful to state- and non-state actors in Arab spring countries as they plan for upcoming elections. Though organizing elections is vital to forward progress in these nations, actors must also ensure that these processes are secure so that citizens have the opportunity to make their opinion heard.
Patrick W.. peculiaridade, Associado de Gestão, Conflict Management and Electoral Security, Criativos associados internacionais