Election Management Bodies in Southern Africa

Over the past two decades, Southern African countries have
entrenched the use of elections as the only means and medium for
electing governments and representative institutions in governance.
Electoral Management Bodies (EMBs) are central to the delivery and
quality of elections. These institutions are mandated to manage most or
all aspects of the electoral process. Informed by diverse factors – the
design, mandate, extent of powers and even the number of institutions
responsible for electoral matters vary in each country. This study is a
collaborative effort between the Open Society Initiative for Southern
Africa (OSISA), the Open Society Foundation’s Africa Regional Office
(AfRO) and the Electoral Commissions Forum of the Southern African
Development Community (ECF-SADC). For each of the 12 countries, the
research covered: Comparative analysis of the legal frameworks the EMBs
operate under and of the historical and political contexts they function
within; Comparative study of the institutional nature of the
EMBs; Assessment of the powers vested in the EMBs in the conduct and
management of electoral processes and their role in the drafting of
electoral laws, managing electoral operations, certifying and
proclaiming electoral results, ensuring that electoral results are
credible, and in resolving electoral conflicts; and Comparative
assessment of the independence of the EMBs with particular reference to
funding and their relationships with the executive, political parties,
parliament and the judiciary (electoral justice mechanisms). Findings
and recommendations from this pan-African initiative are expected to
increase information and knowledge on the strengths, weaknesses and
workings of EMBs in sub-Saharan Africa to facilitate peer learning among
African election managers, as well as informing policy-makers,
legislators, governments and civil society on a progressive reform
agenda to strengthen inclusive electoral processes and democratic
practice.