“ Ensuring the integrity of Elections”: A common effort !

1. “Ensuring the integrity of Elections”:A common effort ! Some thesis for deliberations to the OSCE Chairmanship Expert Seminar on Electoral Management Bodies by Andreas Gross (Switzerland) Political Scientist & Swiss MP & Leader of the Social-Democrats in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) & Member of the Council for Elections of the Venice Commission Vienna, 17th of July 2009 www.andigross.ch info@andigross.ch

2. I. None of us is able to ensure the integrity of elections alone Elections are a multidimensional process over 4/5 years: The integrity of the process depends of the quality of the work by different key actors and institutions (Government, Parliament, Parties, Candidates, Citizen registration offices, EMB, Media private and public , Voters ) Their responsibilities are different and unequal; but the shortcomings of one of them undermines the integrity of the whole process !

3. II. PACE-MP-Observers do have specific evaluation capacities for the whole election process !Especially if the cooperation with LTO’s from ODHIR is functioning well ! The PACE-Monitoring-Committee’s work enable us to evaluate the quality of the other actors contribution to the electoral process years and months before the Election day. Independent PACE-MP’s have a specific sensibility, empathy and are able to read and listen between the lines and discourses to contribute to the evaluation of the quality of a election process. The quality of the international Observation Missions depend from their cooperative capacities and of their mutual recognition of each specific strengths.

4. III. Especially PACE-MP-Observers evaluate a process for which the EAB’s are only very partially responsible The EAB’s do not have to identify with and defend shortcomings of those elements of the process, for which they are not responsible ! It might be in a common interest (EAB’s and Observers) and especially in the interest of further improvements in the forthcoming election processes if our discussions would be more open, critical and frank !

5. IV. No democracy and no Election is perfect, but each Election Process might be improved ! It’s our common duty to propose those reforms which reduce the imperfectness of the process most - knowing that it will never be perfect ! There are different ways to get the highest products of free and fair Elections - Legitimacy of political power, Trust in the process by the Citizens, peaceful integration of Diversity and conflicting interests - and none should impose any way to any other - but the criteria's to evaluate the quality of these products are everywhere the same !

6. V. How to “ensure” the honest vote counting and reporting of the results ? Stick to the decentralised approach Let citizens to and do the job (“Ownership” of the E-Process), supervised by Professionals, observed by national and international Obs.: All sign the protocols. Let independent Profs. - observed by citizens and Observers - report the results and do the counting on the , district, regional and national level. Participation is a contribution to transparency, social learning,trust building and mutual controle !

7. VI. How to “ensure” the financial fair-ness and enforce finance regulation ? The biggest shortcoming of Swiss direct and indirect Democracy: The lack of any financial fairness rules ! Lessons from all the others: - Don’t try too much, don’t me too bureaucratic - Stimulate citizen’s engagement in and for the parties: Double small and middle contributions if all contributions are made public on the Net. - Equal chances are not possible in unequal societies, but the un-equalness have to be limited - Wrongdoings are criminal acts; Wrongdoers will be brought to the Courts and undermine their election opportunities