Download or read book Kenya s 2013 General Election written by Njogu, Kimani and published by Twaweza Communications. This book was released on 2017-08-09 with total page 386 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When voters enthusiastically turn up to cast their vote during general elections, they expect that their action would meaningfully change their lives. But in most of Africa, even when elections are held on a regular basis, voters are quite often disappointed by the performance of their leaders who use the new positions as an opportunity to loot public resources and consolidate power. It is almost as if elections are of minimal value to the populace. Notwithstanding this trend, when they are free and fair, general elections can be transformative. They can bring into the political arena men and women of integrity committed to service and account-ability. Inspired by the determination to have inclusive governance and the advancement of democracy, Kenya’s 2013 General Election: Stakes, Practices and Outcomes asks important questions related to political participation, coalition building, politics of identity, the international criminal court, electoral systems and institutions, and the judiciary. The papers are written by mainly Kenyan academics and civil society actors who examine the drivers of the 2013 general elections and the sources of the mandate to lead.This book is part of publications by Twaweza Communications on democratic practice and accountable governance in Kenya.

Download or read book Kenyas Past as Prologue written by Marie-Aude Fouere and published by African Books Collective. This book was released on 2015-06-16 with total page 267 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: During the run-up to Kenyas 2013 general elections, crucial political and civic questions were raised. Could past mistakes, especially political and ethnic-related violence, be avoided this time round? Would the spectre of the 2007 post-electoral violence positively or negatively affect debates and voting? How would politicians, electoral bodies such as the IEBC, the Kenyan civil society, and the international community weigh in on the elections? More generally, would the 2013 elections bear witness to the building up of an electoral culture in Kenya, characterized by free and fair elections, or would it show that voting is still weakened by political malpractices, partisan opinions and emotional reactions? Would Kenyas past be inescapable or would it prepare the scene for a new political order? Kenyas Past as Prologue adopts a multidisciplinary perspective mainly built upon field-based ethnography and a selection of case studies to answer these questions. Under the leadership of the French Institute for Research in Africa (Institut francais de recherche en Afrique, IFRA), political scientists, historians and anthropologists explore various aspects of the electoral process to contribute in-depth analyses of the last elections. They highlight the structural factors underlying election and voting in Kenya including the political system, culture and political transition. They also interrogate the short-term trends and issues that influence the new political order. The book provides insight into specific case studies, situations and contexts, thus bringing nuances and diversity into focus to better assess Kenyas evolving electoral democracy.

Download or read book Code of Good Practice in Electoral Matters written by European Commission for Democracy through Law and published by Council of Europe. This book was released on 2003-01-01 with total page 56 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This publication contains a set of guidelines for good practice in the conduct of elections, based on Europe's electoral heritage, as well as an explanatory report which explains the key principles on which they are based. The guidelines and report were adopted in 2002 by the Council for Democratic Elections and by the European Commission for Democracy through Law (also known as the Venice Commission); and approved in 2003 by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council Europe and by the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities in Europe.

Download or read book Electoral Violence Corruption and Political Order written by Sarah Birch and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2020-07-21 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A comprehensive look at how violence has been used to manipulate competitive electoral processes around the world since World War II Throughout their history, political elections have been threatened by conflict, and the use of force has in the past several decades been an integral part of electoral processes in a significant number of contemporary states. However, the study of elections has yet to produce a comprehensive account of electoral violence. Drawing on cross-national data sets together with fourteen detailed case studies from around the world, Electoral Violence, Corruption, and Political Order offers a global comparative analysis of violent electoral practices since the Second World War. Sarah Birch shows that the way power is structured in society largely explains why elections are at risk of violence in some contexts but not in others. Countries with high levels of corruption and weak democratic institutions are especially vulnerable to disruptions of electoral peace. She examines how corrupt actors use violence to back up other forms of electoral manipulation, including vote buying and ballot stuffing. In addition to investigating why electoral violence takes place, Birch considers what can be done to prevent it in the future, arguing that electoral authority and the quality of electoral governance are more important than the formal design of electoral institutions. Delving into a deeply influential aspect of political malpractice, Electoral Violence, Corruption, and Political Order explores the circumstances in which individuals choose to employ violence as an electoral strategy.

Download or read book Training and Professional Development in Electoral Administration Policy Paper No 28 May 2023 written by Erik Asplund and published by International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA). This book was released on 2023-05-29 with total page 59 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Training is an investment in the ability of the electoral management body (EMB) ability to perform its primary task, administering an electoral contest. Building the EMB workforce’s capacities reinforces and inculcates electoral administration values and principles, those of integrity, impartiality, transparency, efficiency, sustainability and service-mindedness. By contrast, poor or inadequate training hampers service delivery and increases the risk of errors that negatively impact the reputation of the EMB or the election outcome itself. This Policy Paper addresses two different but interlinked issues: how to build and strengthen the capacities of EMB staff and workforce (both technical and lifelong learning); and how to build institutional capacities for delivering both types effectively. The paper is supplemented with findings from: a survey conducted in 2021; a 2021 case study series on the institutionalization of electoral training and education; and a 2020 workshop. This paper provides recommendations for practitioners seeking to strengthen their training and professional development programmes, as well as highlighting recommendations for the electoral assistance community.

Download or read book The Post Election Violence in Kenya written by Sosteness Francis Materu and published by Springer. This book was released on 2014-12-04 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Since the historic Nuremberg Trial of 1945 an international customary law principle has developed that commission of a core crime under international law – war crimes, genocide, crimes against humanity and aggression – should not go unpunished. History shows, that when in Africa such violations occurred, especially as a result of election disputes, national and regional actors, including the African Union, resorted to political rather than legal responses. However, when crimes against humanity were alleged to have been committed in Kenya during the 2007-2008 post-election violence, a promising road map for criminal accountability was agreed upon alongside a political solution. In the spirit of this road map, the author analyzes the post-election violence in Kenya from a legal point of view. He extensively examines legal options for domestic criminal accountability and discusses both retributive (prosecutions) and restorative justice (mainly truth commission) mechanisms, being the main legal responses to the gross violations of human rights. Furthermore, he thoroughly investigates the Kenya situation before the ICC and the legal-cum-political responses to the ICC intervention in Kenya. Practitioners and academics in the field of international criminal law and related disciplines, as well as political sciences and (legal) history will find in this book highly relevant information about alternative legal approaches of the fight against and punishment of crimes against humanity, as defined under the ICC Statute.

Download or read book Back from the Brink The 2008 Mediation Process and Reforms in Kenya written by The Office of the AU Panel of Eminent African Personalities and published by African Union. This book was released on 2014-01-01 with total page 332 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In December 2007, following a bitterly disputed presidential election, violence rippled out across Kenya, exposing entrenched ethnic divisions fuelled by social and economic exclusion, corruption, and winner-takes-all politics. This book describes the remarkable intervention of the Panel of Eminent African Personalities. Convened by the African Union while violence was still spreading, Kofi Annan, Graça Machel and Benjamin Mkapa were asked to mediate between the parties, create the conditions for peace, and negotiate a political settlement that would tackle the root causes of conflict, mend Kenya’s failing institutions and reduce its profound inequalities. With the advantage of an insiders’ account, Back from the Brink describes how the Panel deployed their diplomatic and peace-making skills to stop the bloodshed, and how, from 2008 to 2013, Annan, Machel and Mkapa remained deeply engaged in Kenya’s efforts to build a durable peace.

Download or read book Election Administration and the Politics of Voter Access written by Kevin Pallister and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2017-06-26 with total page 253 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is the first systematic study to investigate why it is easier to vote in some democracies than in others. It draws on in-depth case studies from Central America and data from Latin America more broadly to address how political parties and other actors interact in constructing election administration rules and procedures. Using a theoretical framework centred on electoral threat, party capacity, and electoral management body composition, the author identifies multiple pathways to inclusive and restrictive election administration.

Download or read book The Defeat of Barisan Nasional written by Francis E Hutchinson and published by ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute. This book was released on 2019-12-16 with total page 540 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The results of Malaysia’s 14th General Elections of May 2018 were unexpected and transformative. Against conventional wisdom, the newly reconfigured opposition grouping Pakatan Harapan (PH) decisively defeated the incumbent Barisan Nasional (BN), ending six decades of uninterrupted dominant one-party rule. Despite a long-running financial scandal dogging the ruling coalition, pollsters and commentators predicted a solid BN victory or, at least, a narrow parliamentary majority. Yet, on the day, deeply rooted political dynamics and influential actors came together, sweeping aside many prevailing assumptions and reconfiguring the country’s political reality in the process. In order to understand the elections and their implications, this edited volume brings together contributions from ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute researchers and a group of selected collaborators to examine the elections from three angles: campaign dynamics; important trends among major interest groups; and local-level dynamics and developments in key states. This analytical work is complemented by personal narratives from a selection of GE-14 participants.

Download or read book Zambia General Elections 20 September 2011 written by Commonwealth Observer Group and published by Commonwealth Secretariat. This book was released on 2011 with total page 53 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Report of the Commonwealth Observer Group for the Zambia General Elections. The Group was led by former Nigeria Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, and comprised 12 eminent persons in total.

Download or read book Elections in Latin America written by Kevin Pallister and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2024 with total page 251 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "This book provides an overview of elections throughout Latin America, including formal electoral institutions, informal practices, and the behavior of voters and candidates. Drawing on a wide range of scholarly and primary sources, the book provides readers with a highly accessible look at how elections in Latin America work"--

Download or read book Election Management Bodies in East Africa written by Makulilo, Alexander B. and published by African Minds. This book was released on 2016-02-27 with total page 314 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The management of elections is increasingly generating impassioned debate in these East African nations - Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda. The bodies that manage and conduct elections are, therefore, coming under intense citizen and stakeholder scrutiny for the manner in which they are composed, how they organise and perform their mandates, and the outcomes they achieve. The effectiveness of electoral management bodies (EMBs) has largely been influenced by the impact of political violence on election management reforms in East Africa. Even in countries where EMBs are the products of reforms initiated in the aftermath of violent disputes over elections, they still face enormous challenges in dealing with electoral disputes and anticipating election-related crises. Although changes to constitutions and the laws in these countries have sought to make EMBs independent and, therefore, more inclined to deliver free, fair and credible elections, there are many issues that determine their impartiality and their ability to allow for the aggregation and free expression of the will of the people. These shortcomings negatively impact on democracy. This volume assembles case studies on the capacity of EMBs in these five East African countries to deliver democratic and transparent elections.

Download or read book Civil Society and Political Reform in Lebanon and Libya written by Carmen Geha and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2016-02-12 with total page 215 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Lebanon and Libya have undergone critical political events in recent years. However, demands for reform from civic institutions during these transitions have not led to concrete political decisions. Civil Society and Political Reform in Lebanon and Libya reveals the deeply-entrenched historical patterns and elements of continuity that have led to path dependent outcomes in the political transitions of both countries. Motivated by personal experiences as an activist in Lebanon, the author draws together a wide range of data from participant observations, nation-wide surveys, interviews and focus groups in a careful analysis of these two civil society-led reform campaigns. The study demonstrates how the combination of weak states and power-sharing agreements marginalizes civic organisations and poses institutional constraints on the likelihood of reform. Written by an active participant in the political events discussed, this book offers new insight into two countries which present comparable and informative case studies. As such, it is a valuable resource for students, scholars and policymakers interested in civil society, politics and reform in the Middle East and North Africa.

Download or read book The Long Honduran Night written by Dana Frank and published by Haymarket Books. This book was released on 2018-11-27 with total page 269 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This powerful narrative recounts the tumultuous time in Honduras that witnessed then-President Manuel Zelaya deposed by a coup in June 2009, told through first-person experiences and layered with deeper political analysis. It weaves together two perspectives; first, the broad picture of Honduras since the coup, including the coup itself, its continuation in two repressive regimes, and secondly, the evolving Honduran resistance movement, and a new, broad solidarity movement in the United States. Although it is full of terrible things, this not a horror story: this narrative directly counters mainstream media coverage that portrays Honduras as a pit of unrelenting awfulness, in which powerless sobbing mothers cry over bodies in the morgue. Rather, it’s about sobering challenges and the inspiring collective strength with which people face them. Dana Frank is a professor of history at the University of California, Santa Cruz. She is the author of Baneras: Women Transforming the Banana Unions of Latin America from Haymarket Books. Since the 2009 military coup her articles about human rights and U.S. policy in Honduras have appeared in The Nation, New York Times, Politico Magazine, Foreign Affairs.com, The Baffler, Los Angeles Times, Miami Herald, and many other publications, and she has testified in both the US Congress and Canadian Parliament.

Download or read book Media Controversy Breakthroughs in Research and Practice written by Management Association, Information Resources and published by IGI Global. This book was released on 2019-09-06 with total page 839 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Media is rapidly evolving. From social media to news channels, individuals are being bombarded with headlines, new technologies, and varying opinions. Consequently, it has become pivotal to develop new approaches for information processing, understanding, and redistributing. Media Controversy: Breakthroughs in Research and Practice examines the effect of conflicting opinions and views of news outlets and other mass media outlets on cultures, individuals, and groups. It also examines the role of the internet, mobile phones, and other digital platforms in creating an environment for discussing and sharing the latest controversial news. Highlighting a range of topics such as censorship, media ethics, and media transparency, this publication is an ideal reference source for government officials, leaders, activists, professionals, policymakers, media specialists, academicians, and researchers interested in the various facets of media controversy.

Download or read book International Election Observation in the Commonwealth Caribbean written by Lisa Ann Vasciannie and published by Springer. This book was released on 2017-09-15 with total page 230 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book examines the practice of international election observation in a Caribbean context. It presents a survey of the Commonwealth Caribbean perspective and a concise case study of Guyana between 1964 and 2015. This research traces the roots of election observation and how this practice became integrated into the landscape of Caribbean electoral politics. More specifically, the study examines the process by which election observers have become key actors in elections in the Commonwealth Caribbean. One of the issues the book contemplates is why Caribbean countries accept the imposition of observation within the context of sovereignty. The case of Guyana and other Anglophone Caribbean states shows the costs of not having observers have been multidimensional and have eclipsed concerns of respecting state sovereignty.

Download or read book Reimagining the Gendered Nation written by Christina Kenny and published by Boydell & Brewer. This book was released on 2022-11-15 with total page 250 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For all the effort and attention women across the Global South receive from the international human rights community and from their own governments, human rights frameworks frequently fail to significantly improve the lives of these women or their communities. Taking Kenya as a case study, this book explores the reasons for this, emphasising the need to understand the effects of the legacy of local colonial and postcolonial histories on the production of gendered identities and power in modern Kenyan cultural and political life. Drawing on interviews with women in Nairobi and rural areas around Lake Victoria in Kenya, the author examinestheir access to, and experiences of, civil and political rights and citizenship, beginning with the colonial encounter, following these legacies into modern times, and the promulgation of the 2010 Constitution. In four thematic chapters, Kenny discusses women as victims and objects of cultural violence, the myths of the sorority of African women, women as victims of political and state violence, and women as actors in national political processes. In revealing that international human rights interventions have in fact reproduced the very patterns, structures, and hierarchies which are at the core of women's disenfranchisement and marginalization, the book provides new insights into the difficulties women face in accessing their rights and will be invaluable for scholars and NGOs working in developing states. Published in association with the British Institute in Eastern Africa.