{"id":250886,"date":"2023-02-23T09:23:50","date_gmt":"2023-02-23T07:23:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/election-observers-are-important-for-democracy-but-few-voters-know-what-they-do\/"},"modified":"2023-02-23T09:23:50","modified_gmt":"2023-02-23T07:23:50","slug":"election-observers-are-important-for-democracy-but-few-voters-know-what-they-do","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/election-observers-are-important-for-democracy-but-few-voters-know-what-they-do\/","title":{"rendered":"Election observers are important for democracy \u2013 but few voters know what they do"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Election observers keep watch over polls throughout the world. Their job is to support efforts to improve electoral quality and to provide transparency. In African countries, both local citizen and international observers have been deployed regularly since the 1990s. <\/p>\n

During several recent elections across the continent, however, questions have arisen about the competence and impartiality of observation missions. This has led to concerns about the future of observation, both in Africa and elsewhere.<\/p>\n

In 2023, more than 20 African countries<\/a> are scheduled to go to the polls. It will be a busy year for observers who\u2019ll be present<\/a> at the majority of these elections. <\/p>\n

When done well, election observation detects<\/a> ballot-box stuffing, voter suppression and political violence. Observers\u2019 presence at polling stations deters election-day fraud<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Observers also provide public statements about election quality and offer recommendations on how electoral processes could be improved. <\/p>\n

Yet some observers have been criticised for a reluctance to point out flawed processes<\/a>, for holding biases<\/a> and for weaknesses in their methodologies. <\/p>\n

The perception that observation missions\u2019 verdicts were \u201cproved wrong\u201d by court judgements in Kenya (2017)<\/a> and Malawi (2019)<\/a> has been particularly damaging. In both cases, many commentators (mis)interpreted international observers\u2019 statements as endorsements of electoral processes that the courts later annulled.<\/p>\n

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Read more: How Kenya’s judiciary can break the cycle of electoral violence<\/a> <\/strong> <\/em>\n<\/p>\n

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It\u2019s not clear how widely held these critical views are. The perspectives of the broader public in countries holding elections are often missing from discussions on observation. So we set out to get a sense of what voters in three African countries thought.<\/p>\n

We found that people wanted to know more about election observers, but couldn\u2019t easily get the information. Both the media and observers need to do more to provide it. Knowledge of observers\u2019 goals and statements is essential if they are to play the role of public arbiters of election quality. <\/p>\n

What citizens think<\/h2>\n

Our research<\/a> into citizen perceptions and media representations of election observation took place in Zambia, The Gambia and Kenya. These three countries have had varying experiences of election observation. <\/p>\n

We interviewed 520 citizens about topics relating to their perceptions of election observation. In each country, we conducted in-depth interviews in both urban and rural areas, and in constituencies that supported the opposition and the incumbent. <\/p>\n

Ordinary citizens in our case study countries rarely offered criticisms of election observation. <\/p>\n

For example, we asked 120 Kenyans to evaluate the past performance of election observers during the run-up to the country\u2019s 2022 election. Only one person referred to the controversy<\/a> surrounding observation in 2017 and the supreme court\u2019s annulment of the presidential election.<\/p>\n

Instead, we found strong support<\/a> for election observation among citizens. This was the case in all three of our case study countries, which cover east, southern and west Africa. <\/p>\n

Our respondents tended to have concerns about the electoral process in their own country. They spoke favourably about the potential of observation to improve overall electoral quality and transparency. They also felt that observers contributed to reducing the potentially destabilising effects of elections, such as violence. <\/p>\n

In both Zambia and Kenya, support for the presence of international observers was higher than support for citizen observers. Respondents in The Gambia, however, tended to prefer citizen observers.<\/p>\n

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Read more: What the rest of Africa can learn from The Gambia’s transition to democracy<\/a> <\/strong> <\/em>\n<\/p>\n

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The explanations from those who chose international observers highlighted a perception that they were more impartial than citizen observers, who were often viewed as being biased or corruptible. <\/p>\n

Perceptions in Zambia and Kenya may be influenced<\/a> by:<\/p>\n