A two-day international electoral forum, “Building Resilience of Electoral Management Bodies to Safeguard Democracy in Africa”, has ended in Maputo, Mozambique with a call to leaders of electoral management bodies in Africa to chart innovative policy pathways and actionable measures for safeguarding the management of credible, peaceful and democratic electoral processes on the continent; and that EMBs can become resilient by addressing, amongst other things, an adaptive leadership in a changing context to respond to internal and external environment threats or safeguards in an electoral cycle.
A dispatch from Maputo said the forum brought together chairpersons and other senior officials of electoral management bodies from the AU member states, including the Chairperson of the National Elections Commission (NEC), Davidetta Browne Lansanah. The forum was the 7th Annual Continental Forum of Electoral Management Bodies, and was convened on November 14—15, 2022. It was organized by the Department of Political Affairs, Peace and Security (DPARS) of the African Union Commission (AUC), in collaboration with the Association of African Electoral Authorities (AAEA). As part of its mandate, it was to advance democratic and participatory governance in Africa.
The forum also offered an opportunity for the EMBs and key electoral stakeholders on the continent to share experiences and harness lessons for building institutional resilience of EMBs in the increasingly complex political socio-cultural, economic, technological and security context of the continent of Africa.
At the same time, a statement from the NEC says the 10th General Assembly of the Association of African Electoral Authorities (AAEA) ended on November 16, 2022, with the Chairperson of the Ghana Electoral Commission’s Jean Mensah, retaining her position as President of the Executive Committee, while the Chairperson of the Mozambique Electoral Commission was elected as the President of the General Assembly. The General Assembly resolved to strengthen institutional capacity of the Association of African Electoral Authorities (AAEA) and identify key potential areas for collaboration and supporting EMBs through Solidarity Mission during member countries’ elections.
