Themes & Issues by Country
Burkina Faso
The administration of elections in Burkina Faso is the primary task assigned to the National Independent Electoral Commission (CENI). The CENI is a permanent institution in charge of organizing the entire electoral process from the production of electoral lists to the announcement of the provisional results. It was created because political parties did not trust the organization of elections by the Ministry of the Interior which they accused of not being neutral or impartial. For this reason, the CENI was created on a consensual basis following the request of the political actors and civil society. The CENI in its present form was created in 2001 following the proposal of reforms by the Collège des Sages…
Chad
The analysis of institutions in charge of elections in Chad reveals two aspects that are closely related. The first aspect is the impartiality of institutions in charge of organizing elections. For many this is the cornerstone of the system. This impartiality is often equated with the nature and extent of the powers allocated to the institution, its administrative and financial autonomy, its membership and the procedures for appointing members. The second aspect that is often stressed is the professionalism of the institutions in charge of elections. They must be able to conduct electoral operations in a meticulous manner…
Mali
Elections in Mali are jointly administered by the Ministry of Territorial Affairs, the National Independent Electoral Commission (CENI) and the General Office of Elections (DGE). Each of these entities has a specified role in the overall administration of elections. The CENI was established in Malian Law by the Electoral Law 97-008/AN – RM of January 14, 1997. It was passed in a context characterized by high tension between the ruling party and the opposition parties. When the CENI was established by the 1997 law, it was the sole entity in charge of organizing elections, putting together electoral lists, announcing provisional results, managing all technical and material operations, as well as supervising the electoral process…
Mauritania
In the wake of the “National Dialogue” in 2012, it was decided to create a permanent Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) which responsible for organizing elections. This move put an end to the role of the Ministry of Interior as the sole organizer of elections, as it had been in the previous system. Before analyzing the new system that will be enforced in upcoming elections, we will first examine how elections were previously administered…
Niger
In 1993, a National Committee for the Supervision of Elections was created that included members of civil society. Its main mission was to ensure that no electoral fraud was taking place. Before the early legislative elections of 1995, political parties from the opposition demanded the creation of a National Independent Electoral Commission (CENI) with jurisdiction over the organization, operations and supervision of elections. Today, the CENI is responsible for the administration of elections, although it is a temporary institution. For each election cycle, the mandate of the members of the governing board and the regular members of the CENI expires, at the latest, two months following the announcement of the final results of the election…
Senegal
Government institutions directly involved in the organization of electoral activities include the Ministry of the Interior, and the Autonomous National Electoral Committee (CENA). Other institutions such as the Constitutional Court, the Court of Appeals of Dakar, and the National Audiovisual Regulatory Council (CNRA) also play a role in the electoral process, at a later stage…
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