Democracy, the pillar of Commonwealth
THE Commonwealth draws its glory from its commitment to democracy. It is upon this rationale that Fiji and Zimbabwe were dismissed for violation of democratic principles.
CHOGM 2007 - 37 weeks to go
By Moses Mulondo
THE Commonwealth draws its glory from its commitment to democracy. It is upon this rationale that Fiji and Zimbabwe were dismissed for violation of democratic principles.
In his new year message for 2007, the Commonwealth Secretary General Don McKinnon re-affirmed this belief when he said democracy and development would be the focus this year.
Democracy is a system of government in which the population is involved. This is what Abraham Lincoln, the former US president, calls the government of the people for the people by the people.
Under a sound democratic government, leaders are accountable to the people they lead, the elections are free and fair, there is respect for human rights and the rule of law, transparency, and freedom of speech and expression.
The Commonwealth is committed to fundamental values spelt out in the Harare Commonwealth Declaration of 1991, at the core of which is the adherence to democratic principles.
The Commonwealth ministerial Action Group
The group was established to deal with violations of the Commonwealth fundamental political values.
The Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group on the Harare Declaration was established by Commonwealth Heads of Government in November 1995 to deal with serious or persistent violations of the Harare Declaration.
The group is convened by the secretary general and currently includes the foreign ministers of Canada, Lesotho, Malaysia, Malta, Papua New Guinea, St Lucia, Sri Lanka, United Kingdom and Tanzania.
Their task is to asses the nature of the infringement and recommend measures to restore democracy and constitutional rule.
The group can take action against countries that are in “serious or persistent violation†of democratic principles.
Conflict prevention and mediation
The ‘Good Offices’ role of the secretary-general is the Commonwealth’s primary mechanism for addressing political problems and conflicts.
At their March 2002 meeting in Australia, the heads of government call for more pro-active use of the good offices role.
To this effect, a Good Offices Section was established in May 2003. The section provides an early warning mechanism, proposes measures for preventative action, and deals with conflict and political tensions in member states.
Election observation
This is also a way in which the secretariat works to strengthen democracy. Observer groups are asked to report on the credibility of the electoral process and if the election results reflect the wishes of the people.
Each group’s report also contains practical recommendations to help improve election arrangements for the future. Commonwealth observer groups must execute their duties without favour of any party and give an honest and impartial assessment of the elections.
The observers are only sent at the invitation of the government or the election management body; however, support from political parties and civil society is required as well and an assessment mission is sent beforehand to ensure that this is forthcoming.
The Commonwealth Observer Group effectively monitored Uganda’s historical 2006 multiparty elections. In their final report issued on the 2006 presidential and parliamentary elections, they noted that the elections had generally been well administered and had enabled the will of the people to be expressed.
However, the group highlighted some serious irregularities, including the use of public resources, harassment, the use of financial and material inducements, which meant that candidates were not competing on a level-playing field. Zimbabwe was suspended in March 2002, after elections which commonwealth observers said were marred by violence and intimidation. In 2003 the suspension was extended indefinitely.
Democracy experts
The provision of technical assistance and training by the secretariat promotes democracy and strengthens democratic institutions. This is done through organising workshops, seminars and conferences and circulation of publications.
At the request of member governments, the secretariat deploys experts through its “Democratic Advisory Services†programme. For instance, a media expert may visit a country to help ensure that in the pre-election period the contesting parties all get their fair share of impartial media coverage. A voter registration expert may advise an election body for a week on the use of voter identity cards.
By Moses Mulondo
THE Commonwealth draws its glory from its commitment to democracy. It is upon this rationale that Fiji and Zimbabwe were dismissed for violation of democratic principles.
In his new year message for 2007, the Commonwealth Secretary General Don McKinnon re-affirmed this belief when he said democracy and development would be the focus this year.
Democracy is a system of government in which the population is involved. This is what Abraham Lincoln, the former US president, calls the government of the people for the people by the people.
Under a sound democratic government, leaders are accountable to the people they lead, the elections are free and fair, there is respect for human rights and the rule of law, transparency, and freedom of speech and expression.
The Commonwealth is committed to fundamental values spelt out in the Harare Commonwealth Declaration of 1991, at the core of which is the adherence to democratic principles.
The Commonwealth ministerial Action Group
The group was established to deal with violations of the Commonwealth fundamental political values.
The Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group on the Harare Declaration was established by Commonwealth Heads of Government in November 1995 to deal with serious or persistent violations of the Harare Declaration.
The group is convened by the secretary general and currently includes the foreign ministers of Canada, Lesotho, Malaysia, Malta, Papua New Guinea, St Lucia, Sri Lanka, United Kingdom and Tanzania.
Their task is to asses the nature of the infringement and recommend measures to restore democracy and constitutional rule.
The group can take action against countries that are in “serious or persistent violation†of democratic principles.
Conflict prevention and mediation
The ‘Good Offices’ role of the secretary-general is the Commonwealth’s primary mechanism for addressing political problems and conflicts.
At their March 2002 meeting in Australia, the heads of government call for more pro-active use of the good offices role.
To this effect, a Good Offices Section was established in May 2003. The section provides an early warning mechanism, proposes measures for preventative action, and deals with conflict and political tensions in member states.
Election observation
This is also a way in which the secretariat works to strengthen democracy. Observer groups are asked to report on the credibility of the electoral process and if the election results reflect the wishes of the people.
Each group’s report also contains practical recommendations to help improve election arrangements for the future. Commonwealth observer groups must execute their duties without favour of any party and give an honest and impartial assessment of the elections.
The observers are only sent at the invitation of the government or the election management body; however, support from political parties and civil society is required as well and an assessment mission is sent beforehand to ensure that this is forthcoming.
The Commonwealth Observer Group effectively monitored Uganda’s historical 2006 multiparty elections. In their final report issued on the 2006 presidential and parliamentary elections, they noted that the elections had generally been well administered and had enabled the will of the people to be expressed.
However, the group highlighted some serious irregularities, including the use of public resources, harassment, the use of financial and material inducements, which meant that candidates were not competing on a level-playing field. Zimbabwe was suspended in March 2002, after elections which commonwealth observers said were marred by violence and intimidation. In 2003 the suspension was extended indefinitely.
Democracy experts
The provision of technical assistance and training by the secretariat promotes democracy and strengthens democratic institutions. This is done through organising workshops, seminars and conferences and circulation of publications.
At the request of member governments, the secretariat deploys experts through its “Democratic Advisory Services†programme. For instance, a media expert may visit a country to help ensure that in the pre-election period the contesting parties all get their fair share of impartial media coverage. A voter registration expert may advise an election body for a week on the use of voter identity cards.