UK launches election ‘how to’ guide to support democracy

13 December 2010

The Department for International Development and Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ministers Stephen O’Brien and Jeremy Browne will today set out the government approach to supporting democracy and free and fair elections overseas.

At an event at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, sponsored by Electoral Reform International Services and attended by MPs, NGOs and academics, both Ministers will give speeches arguing that elections are integral to democracy.
However, they will say that elections are just one part of supporting democracy, which also requires the rule of law, freedom from discrimination, freedom of expression, civil society and strong democratic institutions.

The How to Note on Electoral Assistance will also be published today that will be used by FCO and DFID staff to help elections meet international standards
Stephen O’Brien, Minister for International Development, said:

"The right to vote is a fundamental human right regardless of where you live. Many of the world’s poorest people have no power – no power to shape their own life, no power to make sure government policy meets their needs and no power to hold their leaders to account.

"Democracy can help pull countries out of poverty and this guide is a practical tool for aid workers and diplomats to provide assistance based on where countries have succeeded and failed when running elections.

"Simple schemes, such as anti-violence car bumper stickers in Malawi’s 2009 election, can help create a calm environment and allow people to exercise their right to vote in safety.

"DFID aid workers will be able to add to the guide with their experiences so we can support democracy in the most effective way possible."

Jeremy Browne, Minister of State in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, said:

“Elections are important for two fundamental reasons: firstly, so that individuals can make choices about how their lives are governed; and secondly, so that individuals can hold the state to account. Credible elections enable this; they reflect the views of the population and ensure that those views are respected by those chosen to represent them.

Democracy is integral to our wider foreign policy and we will take a practical approach focusing on where we can have impact while upholding democratic principles in all contexts.”

Notes to editors

The How to Note on Electoral Assistance is a result of joint working between the FCO and DFID. It sets out how both departments can work together to support elections based on practical examples and lessons learnt from posts and DFID offices, as well as international standards, academic research and best practice.

The guide promotes the electoral cycle approach and marks a move from short-term assistance to long-term support to all actors whose effective participation in elections is essential for a democratic outcome, including electoral management bodies, parliaments, the judiciary, political parties, the media and civil society. It recognises that support to strengthen an electoral process should be owned not only by the relevant partner government but by the broader political society in question.

The guide draws on evidence from a series of recent elections across the developing world, including the 2005 Iraqi elections and the violent Kenyan elections of 2007, and calls for lessons to be learnt.

The guide stresses the need to ground elections support in careful analysis of the power dynamics and political constraints that shape the electoral environment and to give greater attention to the risk of violence in the planning and implementation of assistance.