ROLE OF POLITICAL PARTIES, CIVIL SOCIETY AND YOUTH IN PEACEFUL ELECTIONS 5 TH EAC GOOD GOVERNANCE CONFERENCE 15 TH NOV 2014 Henry Maina, DIRECTOR ARTICLE 19 Eastern Africa

2 Introduction: The concepts  What is a political party ? Voluntary organization of people with similar political beliefs that fairly competes with others  What is Civil society? All non-state actors in between the state and private sector (the market )

3 Introduction: The concepts  Peaceful elections- An outcome of a free, credible and just election as opposed to an event held periodically.  All actors seek to ensure electoral integrity-preserving the ability of voters to participate in genuine elections  Transparency, accountability and accuracy in electoral administration as well as the ethical behaviour of key players

4 A.Political parties & Peaceful elections EAC (East African Comunnity) is a home to an estimated 150 political parties (Kenya- 59; Burundi-44; Tanzania-22; Uganda-14; Rwanda-10) Parties are central to representative and deliberative democracy that EAC states have voluntarily chosen Viable political parties & effective party systems are fundamental to having just and peaceful elections

5 A.Political parties …(ii) In ideal set ups political parties have 8 distinct roles: Aggregation & representation of different interests within the state; Recruitment, mentorship and discipline of political leaders; Develop, interpret and disseminate political information/voter education- electoral system

6 A.Political parties …(ii) Socialisation of their membership into democratic principles & politics-tolerance, debate, ballot as opposed to bullet; Connection of society (their membership) to state; Offer a platform for social & political integration; Manage conflict of interests through promotion of conflict mitigation

7 A.Political parties …(iii) Positive participation in the elections- fielding candidates, monitoring systems, acceptance of the decisions of the masses. However, there is a challenge in most of the EAC countries as the winner-takes-all electoral systems generate dynamics that reinforce fault lines of conflict Patterns of exclusion & patronage that they engender will continue to be latent forces of violence.

8 A.Political parties …(iv) Need to create an effective party system. A system where the number of genuine parties is neither too small (a highly polarised system) nor too large (highly fragmented). Such a system ensures peaceful elections as it offers meaningful choices to the electorate Forging closer party-to-party relations across the nation and even region

B. Civil society & Peaceful Elections There real number of civil society is not known It is estimated that Kenya has about 9000 civil society organisation while Tanzania has 8166, to sensitise communities about the importance of maintaining peace during & after lections  Continuous mapping & assessment of unfolding scenarios & generating action reports to different actors  Employ community participatory approaches to involve community to develop & implement solutions to issues that cause frictions in the polity 9

B. Civil society … (ii) Sensitise communities on he election process(voter education) Sensitise communities about the importance of maintaining peace during & after lections  Continuous mapping & assessment of unfolding scenarios & generating action reports to different actors  Employ community participatory approaches to involve the community to develop & implement solutions to issues that cause friction in the polity 10

C. Youth & Credible and just Elections The 5 EAC members have on average a population of youth (18-35 years) standing at about 65% Youths have tended to be used to Empower other youth to increase their role in political parties Empower youth candidates to contest elections & others to ensure they deliver on their civic responsibilities 11

C. Youth & Credible … (ii) Mobilisation & enhancement of youth participation in elections Empower other youth to increase their role in political parties Empower youth candidates to contest elections 12

D. Some Remarks in lieu of conclusion Participation of political parties, civil society and youths in peaceful elections need not be restricted to the few dates of voting but mobilised in between elections Laws and policies regulating registration and operations of political parties, CSOs and media need to be more objective and in line with regional and international good governance standards 13

14 Thank You Asante sana