On 13 October, ECES organised a Workshop to reflect on the lessons learned and recommendations of the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) on the electoral process, within the framework of the Support Project for the Development and Consolidation of Democracy and the Rule of Law in Madagascar (PADEM), implemented with the financial support of the International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF).
The workshop comes at a key moment in the electoral process, particularly on the eve of a new electoral cycle and the establishment of a new CENI, which is an opportune moment to recall the achievements to be consolidated and the challenges that remain. The workshop was attended by key personnel of the current CENI, including the chairperson, vice-chairpersons and commissioners, the executive secretary, deputy executive secretary, directors and heads of departments.
The objective of the workshop was to highlight the evaluation and observation work done along the electoral process both by CENI and by national and international bodies and to go beyond what has been done to leave strong recommendations for the next electoral cycle and therefore practical tools for the new team in order to consolidate the achievements and to continue with the work that has already been started but which deserves urgent continuity.
Among these key elements are, among others, the legal framework governing the elections and more specifically the need to ensure its coherence and to fill certain gaps. Other priority areas identified in this sense are the reliability of the electoral register, electoral civic education, and the management of the electoral budget by the electoral commission.
The opening of the workshop was marked by the speech of the Representative of the International Organisation of La Francophonie for the Indian Ocean, marking the commitment of the OIF in supporting the consolidation of democracy in Madagascar.
