Coming soon: An EA electoral commission...

East Africa could have a regional electoral commission if proposals being pushed by the Secretariat are adopted.

The move would see the East African Community participation at general elections move from the conventional observer to the more involving election monitoring, in conjunction with national election commissions.

The revelation comes at a time when the five partner states are gearing up for elections with three — Burundi, Rwanda and Tanzania — set to go to the ballot in 2010 and 2011. Kenya follows in 2012.

Burundi, the most fragile state politically and economically in the EAC, is set for elections in June and all eyes are trained on the country, as it will form the test case for a combined monitoring process intended to ensure that it holds free and fair elections.

According to the EAC Deputy Secretary General in charge of Political Federation Beatrice Kiraso, the region has a long way to go before the regional electoral commission is fully functional, because many issues pertaining to the electoral process at national levels need to be harmonised.

“This may have to wait until after 2015 when the partner states are expected to fall under the EAC Constitution after we get into a Political Federation,” she said.

The EAC is working overtime to ensure that it co-ordinates a smooth election in Burundi, for two reasons: One, the tiny EA member state will be the first to hold the first in a series of general elections giving it an opportunity to prove what it can do; two, the country is still shaky politically, and the EAC is hoping to help it to stabilise after the polls to solidify a case for the formation of the regional elections body.

According to Ms Kiraso, long-term issues must be looked into because electioneering is more than mere casting of ballots on the voting day.

“It involves voter registration and civic education, besides ensuring the right material is in the right places at the right times. The process needs to be monitored during counting, tallying, announcing of results and even up to swearing-in of successful candidates,” she added.

Long term observers

If the proposals are adopted, the EAC, will put together a team of long-term observers, not just for the Burundi elections, but also for the other partner states to ensure harmonisation and standardisation of electoral processes.

Another sensitive matter that the bloc wants sorted out is the need for EAC partner states to harmonise the electoral period.

“Right now, the elections in different countries take place at different times and almost bring the work of the Community to a standstill because the quorum of EAC meetings is the presence of all partner states,” she noted.

Ms Kiraso noted that the election period can only be harmonised if partner states allow a “give and take” that may see one or two countries take longer to catch up with the others.

“We may have to accommodate this nightmare until the time when the Political Federation is established, because then there will be one East African Constitution,” she said.