As the Explaining and Mitigating Electoral Violence comes to a close, we are publishing our data and our research findings. In the past month three project datasets were published: The Countries at Risk of Electoral Violence dataset, a global dataset of electoral violence broken down by type and by month (electoralviolenceproject.com). The dataset is described in a recently-published journal article: Sarah Birch and David Muchlinski, ‘The Dataset of Countries at Risk of Electoral Violence’, Terrorism and Political Violence, 2018, https://doi.org/10.1080/09546553.2017.1364636 The Electoral Violence Prevention Intervention Database (electoralviolenceproject.com), which includes data on electoral violence interventions undertaken by the United National Development Program between … [Read more...]
Electoral Violence Prevention Practice Database
A new Electoral Violence Prevention Practice Database (http://preventelectoralviolence.org/) has been launched. This tool, designed to help practitioners, electoral administrators and researchers learn about strategies that have been used throughout the world to combat electoral violence, is a joint initiative of the project on Explaining and Mitigating Electoral Violence and Creative Associates International. The database is searchable by country, election, intervention type and implementing organization. There is also a map where country-specific searches can be conducted. The databased will be updated on a regular basis. … [Read more...]
Banging Pots for Peace: Strategies to Prevent Electoral Violence
The recent election violence in Kenya and Honduras reveals a pattern that’s all too familiar: An incumbent campaigns on a platform of law and order and declares victory after a contested election. The opposition then cries foul, mobilizes its supporters, and nonviolent street protests turn deadly after clashes with police. Regional powers and local brokers might try to reduce tensions by bringing the main candidates together, but society is split between calls for peace and demands for justice. Election violence is costly--not just in lives, but in the damage it does to democracy by undermining the public’s trust in government. The most effective way to prevent an election from spiraling into violence is by supporting strong national institutions and the ability of local leaders and … [Read more...]
Electing Peace in Liberia
The day after Christmas Liberians went to the polling stations to elect George Weah, a former international soccer player, as the new President of Liberia. Weah beat the former vice president and chief opponent, Joseph Boakai, in a run-off election. The risk of election-related violence was substantial given the overwhelming development challenges in Liberia and its history of armed conflict. Before the international community claims success for effective violence prevention through diplomacy or electoral assistance, let us recognize Liberians and their primary role in keeping the peace, in particular the National Election Commission (NEC). After a brutal 14-year conflict that claimed an estimated 250,000 Liberian lives, the United Nations Mission to Liberia (UNMIL) stepped in to … [Read more...]
Kenya’s 2017 Elections—Electoral Peace and Electoral Justice, Two Sides of the Same Coin
On August 8th Kenya held what may be its most consequential elections to date. Although few were shocked when it was announced that incumbent Uhuru Kenyatta had won the presidential election, the country’s politics were upended on September 1st when the Supreme Court of Kenya nullified the results. Finding that there had been significant procedural irregularities, the Court ordered a new vote held within 60 days. At current writing, the Independent Elections and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has stated the re-run of the presidential election will take place on October 26th, but the situation remains fluid. The opposition insists they will not participate in a new poll until a number of reforms are implemented and those responsible for the problematic first election are … [Read more...]
Drones as Electoral Security Tools: A Preliminary Analysis
In a review of news articles on the topic of drones and electoral security, cases of elections in four countries have been reported – India, Haiti, Nigeria, and Ghana. The elections were held during 2014, 2015, and 2016 suggesting that the use of drones as electoral security tools is in a leading-edge phase. The purpose of this analysis is to put forward the findings thus far on these three cases, the applications where drones can be employed, and the limitations on their use. India In December 2014, Israeli-built Heron Unmanned Aerial Vehicles were deployed, under the control of the Indian Air Force and Army, for surveillance over “hot spot” locations in the Kashmir Valley. These Herons were deployed along with Indian-built mini-drones. Drones were deployed weeks before Election … [Read more...]
The 2018 Presidential and Parliamentary Elections In Zimbabwe
History of Electoral Violence Electoral violence was experienced in the first election in Zimbabwe in 1980 with an assassination attempt on candidate Robert Mugabe. The parliamentary election of 1995 was described as a “non-election” because in 40 per cent of the constituencies Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) was the only party contesting. Similarly, in the presidential election of 1996, Robert Mugabe was the only candidate. The 2000 Referendum and General Election Electoral violence as it is currently manifested had its defining moment in the post-election phase of the constitutional referendum of 2000. The government suffered a loss and began its campaign of violence in the run-up to the 2000 parliamentary election. In the pre-election period, … [Read more...]
Mali Presidential and Parliamentary Elections 2018
Elections in Mali have largely been violence-free and deemed credible by domestic and international stakeholders. At the same time, a short-lived military coup d’état and conflict in the northern half of the country between the Tuareg rebels and Islamist militias are factors that create vulnerabilities for electoral violence in 2018 when Malians are scheduled to cast ballots for president in July and parliament in November. The recent conflicts can be traced back to 2012. In March of that year, just weeks before the end of President Amadou Touman Touré’s term of office, a coup d’état was led by Captain Amadou Sanogo. In April, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) brokered a political agreement between the mutineers and the government and recognized a transitional … [Read more...]
