COTE D’IVOIRE: NDI’s Contribution to Free and fair Elections from 1992 to Present: How little has changed / How much remains to be done

Since 1992, the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI) has undertaken many activities to guarantee free and fair and non violent elections in Côte d’Ivoire, but much remains to be done has little has changed.

Since its creation in 1983, the American based Non Governmental Organization NDI has contributed to the reinforcement and the development of democracy throughout the world and throughout Africa particularly. NDI has brought a significant and practical support to Ivorian political leaders and to the leaders of the organizations of civil society who works to establish democratic values in Côte d’Ivoire. Its activities in this country can be traced back to 1992.

In 1992, a team of NDI came to Côte d’Ivoire to analyze the Ivorian electoral code and see its conformity with the international electoral standards. Recommendations were made by this organization after the analysis of the aforementioned code; namely the creation of an impartial electoral organ in charge of organizing and managing the electoral process, the use of transparent ballot boxes and the use of unique ballot paper in order to reinforce the right of the voters to the secrecy of the poll.

From 1995 to 1999, NDI’s action targeted both the National Assembly and the Government. During the legislative election organized in November 1995, NDI staff supervised twenty (20) different sites in ten (10) regions of the country. In October 1997, NDI organized a seminar for the members of Parliament (of which 65 percent were new elected officials) in order to help them better know and master electoral processes and concentrate on the demands of voters. In December 1999, when the armed forces came into power after the coup, NDI officers realized that the chances of having free and fair elections in 2000 were reduced. So NDI sent a delegation to Côte d’Ivoire to compel the military authorities to respect the fundamental principles of democracy, the fair management of the electoral process and above all, the organization of free and fair elections.

Since 2000, NDI has focused its efforts on political parties, on the organizations of the civil society and on the electoral administration. In 2001, a NDI staff led a delegation of the main Ivorian political parties to Cape Town in South Africa (from August 27^th to September 3^rd) in order to help Ivorian leaders to learn how South African political leaders managed to reconcile and consolidate democracy in their country. From 2001 to 2006, NDI organized many training sessions on democracy and electoral processes for political leaders and the civil society.

In 2006, disagreements about the ‘Public Hearings’ have provoked clashes between political protagonists and have resulted in many deaths and casualties. For what must be learned, Public Hearings aimed at providing Nationals and non Nationals born in Côte d’Ivoire, age 13 or more, who have never been registered at the Civil Register Office, with a certificate of birth. Public Hearings appear as an important step of the constitution of the electoral list. The Public Hearings have been stopped and re-launched in September 2007. To prevent any violence related to this electoral process and guarantee its credibility, NDI has initiated a project to support political parties and the civil society. This project included training sessions on Public Hearings and targeted 606 participants. In November 2007, NDI drafted an electoral code of conduct that determines rules of engagement, establishes the standards of acceptable behavior, and seeks to promote a peaceful and legitimate electoral process. The signing of the Code of Conduct by the main registered political parties in Côte d’Ivoire shows promise for democratic development in this country.

Though NDI has made significant contribution to pave the way for free and fair election in Côte d’Ivoire, little has changed! Armed militias are still threatening population, disarmament is still a far-reaching goal and the National Electoral Commission is not through with the Public Hearing as well. Indeed, much remains to be done.

Journalists are really not associated with the pacification process in Côte d’Ivoire. No specific training targets journalists. Then, there is a hole to fill! Actually, the media, print media particularly, plays a significant role in the political field in Côte d’Ivoire and journalists are invisible political actors who very often fuel the political climax in this country. Journalists, through their subjective political analysis, exacerbate political differences and contribute thus to create an atmosphere in which it is almost impossible to separate fiction from reality. Readers, then, cannot have an objective opinion on events that are happening in the country. Thus, training journalists on their duties and responsibilities and on the ongoing pacification process in Côte d’Ivoire will certainly contribute to decrease the risk of disinformation and political violence. NDI could, from now on, organize specific training session for journalists on electoral coverage and establish an active network of journalists who only report on electoral events in Côte d’Ivoire. Indeed, there is a hole to fill!

Selay M.K.