Travel Guide | December 24, 2004 VIEWPOINT Free and fair election By Dr. Aweke Getahun: December 24, 2004 In an effort to allow Ethiopians to decide what kind of political system they want to have and what type of government they want to form, elections must have to be free and fair. Free and fair election as a cornerstone of democracy, to be granted and effective, they have to be conducted free of violence, intimidation, manipulation and with a free flow of undistorted information that enables voters to make informed voting decisions. The press and the media should play important role in educating the general public about the state of the nation, issues that are facing our country and the solutions that are proposed by contesting parties. We have to call to the attention of all media institution to fulfil their social obligation by upholding the peoples right to a free and undistorted flow of information. In this case I expect a special duty from the state media which is paid for by public fund, to present, inform and report the truth, the current reality of Ethiopia and set an example of professional journalism which implies to respond with their moral, ethical, professional, social and legal obligations. For an election to be perceived as free and fair the following minimum conditions should be granted: A well organized, neutral and credible election administration who can build trust in the election and its institutions. Normally the election administration should be composed of : Electoral policy body and electoral management body (Those responsible for election policy and administration), Electoral officers assigned by the electoral management body Oversight agencies which provide official oversight over election administration. Independent observers of the process Enforcement agencies (independent and impartial body with full autonomy to oversee allegations of election fraud or other related illegal activities. All parties must be allowed equal access to publicly owned media. Both private and public media and their practitioners must enjoy full freedom to inform and report the truth, with out being harassed, intimidated, manipulated or ill-treated. Participants registration: There must be a proper enacted law, clearly stating the conditions which Ethiopians (by birth, naturalization or adoption) has to fulfil to be eligible to vote and be voted. Facility for voters: Genuine participation in election is essential to election integrity. In order to grant the genuine participation of voters voting centres must be sufficiently large in number, and well spaced in such a way that no citizens seeking to vote should be discouraged by reasons of distance or congestion. In concrete terms, a voting centre should be within reasonable walking distance from the home or working place of every citizen. The voting procedure should be easy and simple for every citizen , whatever his level of education or literacy, must be able to complete the process with out or with minimal assistance. Finally election results should be declared and announced to the public from the same voting centres, and the result should be signed by the electoral officers and copy of this should be distributed to the electoral policy and management body, the political party (and hence the party and candidates) and for oversight and enforcement agencies. ETHIOMEDIA.COM – ETHIOPIA’S PREMIER NEWS AND VIEWS WEBSITE © COPYRIGHT 20001-2003 ETHIOMEDIA.COM. EMAIL: [email protected] By Ethiopia’s Call for Unity and Awareness Amidst Crisis
