Transcript Election Working Group: Planning for Election Day

ELECTION WORKING
GROUP (EWG)
Update: April 2006
Background
• Electoral assistance part of a broader, longer-term
strategy to strengthen democratization and good
governance in Bangladesh.
• The Asia Foundation partners primarily with existing local
civil society organizations whose work does not focus
strictly on elections. Strengthen the capacity of
organizations that continue to work on democratization
and governance reform initiatives between elections.
• Prior experience with domestic monitoring coalitions:
– 1996 parliamentary election: FEMA, Coordinating Council for
Human Rights in Bangladesh (now BMSP)
– 2001 parliamentary election: Election Monitoring Working Group
(EMWG)—29 members
CIDA Fair Elections and Institutional Reforms
Project (FEIRP)
• 5-year project spans the lead-up to next parliamentary
election and beyond.
• Ability to work with local partners well in advance of the
election:
– institutional capacity development
– Financial management and compliance standards
– Coordination
– Development of common materials and standard
protocols for monitoring and reporting.
Election Working Group (EWG)
• Reconvened Election Working Group (EWG) is The Asia
Foundation’s principal program delivery mechanism for
the 2007 election program strategy
• Membership expanded to 35 organizations—most
member organizations in turn work through networks of
local partner organizations
• Selection of members based on a variety of capacity,
geographic outreach considerations
• Code of Conduct
Election Working Group Membership
Action on Disability and Development (ADD)
Association for Community Development (ACD)
Banchte Shekha
Bangladesh Center for Development Journalism and Communication (BCDJC)
Bangladesh Development Society (BDS)
Bangladesh Manobadhikar Shommonoy Parishad (BMSP/CCHRB)
Center for Development Society (CDS)
Coast Trust
Dak Diye Jai (DDJ)
Democracywatch
Fair Election Monitoring Alliance (FEMA)
Friends In Village Development Bangladesh (FIVDB)
Gano Unnyan Kendra (GUK)
Gono Kalyan Sangstha (GKS)
Green Hill
Institute for Environment and Development (IED)
Jagoroni Chakra Foundation (JCF)
Election Working Group Membership
Jatio Nirbachon Parjabekkhon Parishad (JANIPOP)
Khan Foundation
Light House
Mass-line Media Center (MMC)
Manobik Shahajya Sangtha (MSS)
National Development Program (NDP)
Noakhali Rural Development Society (NRDS)
Nobolok
Odhikar
Palishipara Samaj Kallyan Sangtha (PSKS)
Rangpur Dinajpur Rural Services (RDRS)
Rights Jessore
Rupantar
Sariatpur Development Society (SDS)
Solidarity
Srizoni Bangladesh
Uttaran
WAVE Foundation
EWG Work to Date
• Take advantage of pre-election lead time
• Full EWG membership meets in the third week of every
month
• Excellent coalition dynamics and member collaboration
• Committees established for specific functions:
– Secretariat—to be established by May 2006
– Budgeting (reported as next agenda item)
– Constituency mapping (to be completed by April 17)
• Additional committees to be convened:
– Training, Election Commission liaison, media and public
relations, reporting protocols
Constituency Mapping
Voter and Civic Education
• EWG will serve as a delivery mechanism for voter and
civic education—take advantage of core capacities of
members, avoid duplication
• Materials, training modules, program activities to be
rolled-out through the EWG
• Thematic areas of focus identified in collaboration with
the Election Working Group:
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Election Violence
Accountability
Youth/First-time Voters
Women
Disabled Persons
Hinterlands—Chars, Hill Tracts, minority populations
Election Monitoring
• Pre-election monitoring
• Election Day—165,000 stationary and mobile monitors
• Post-election environment
• Coordinate with IRI and NDI—standard monitoring
protocols, training materials
• Coordinate with international observer missions
(including ANFREL) and local embassy observer teams
Linking EWG Coordination to Electoral Structure
Central government
Divisions (6)
Districts (64)
Constituencies (300)
Polling Stations
(30,000)
Polling Booths
(150.000)
Hierarchy
Central Coordination
National
of Coordination
Divisions
District Coordinators
(4-5 constituencies)
Districts
Constituency Coordinators
(~15 union coordinators)
Constituencies
Upazila
Union Coordinators
(40-60 observers)
Union
Polling Station
Observers
Polling Booths
Roll-out
of Training
Central: All districts
Central training for District Coordinators (2 trainings)
Regional: 1 training per 5 districts
Constituency Coordinators (300)
District Coordinators train groups
of 25-30 Constituency
Coordinators (2 days)
Constituency Coordinators train
Groups of approximately 15 Union
Coordinators (2 days)
Union Coordinators (4,600)
Union Coordinators train groups
of 40-60 observers (1 day session
per 25 observers)
Observers (165,000)