Observers give poll thumbs-up
Richard Mantu
16 April 2004
African observers have praised South Africa's Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) for delivering efficient, free and fair elections in the country for the third time running.
The observers, speaking after some of the voting stations closed late on Wednesday, said the IEC had been well organised in all facets - logistically and technically.
Burundian observer Bamvuginyumvira Frederick said the IEC's systems were meticulous, which provided good lessons for Burundi as the country prepared to hold its own elections in November.
Frederick observed the polls in the Pretoria township of Mamelodi, and said he was impressed by the way South Africans had turned out to cast their ballots.
"The IEC has good systems", Frederick said. "We saw they were prepared and people were calm. We saw white and black people together as voters and organisers. South Africa is a lesson for a good democratic process."
Another observer, Senegalese
ambassador Samba Buri Mboup, said the presence of party agents, the abundance of electoral material, presiding officers and a deep civic culture of voting in a disciplined manner was a good example for other African states.
"For us as Africans, South Africa once again did us proud", Mboup said. "It is very refreshing to see Africa conduct its elections in this manner. The way the IEC organised the elections, and the way the voters responded in turning out in their numbers, showed political and civic maturity."
Namibian Electoral Commissioner Salmaan Jacobs, who observed the elections in Soweto and Johannesburg, said she was impressed by the way special voters - disabled peopled, pregnant women and those who were sick - were assisted.
"All indications are that the voting was well organised and whatever needed to be done was done properly", Jacobs said. "Definitely the process was transparent", she added, noting that party agents, observers and electoral officers were
all part of the process.
Jacobs, whose country also goes to the polls in November, said the lessons she would take home included the advantages of increased voting stations, helping to cut down on long queues as well as the distances people had to travel to vote.
Rose Ayuru, from the University of Venda observer team, also based around Pretoria, said the process had been very peaceful, with citizens coming out in large numbers to cast their votes.
This, she said, was due to the efficient electoral foundation laid by the IEC under the leadership of chairperson Brigalia Bam and Chief Electoral Officer Pansy Tlakula.
"Incidents were minor when people came to vote when they were not registered, or those who had forgotten their identity documents", Ayuru said. "But the IEC officials were able to deal with that. Apart from that technical issue, it was a very peaceful election."
Fewer observers 'a vote of confidence'
The IEC said
the absence of observers from the United Nations and the Commonwealth should be seen not as a "snub" but as an indication of the international community's confidence in South Africa's democracy.
IEC chairperson Brigalia Bam said last weekend that congratulatory comments about the country's democracy had already been received from the international community, and the feeling was that South Africa had already "graduated" in adopting international democratic norms and standards.
"If you don't see them, it's not a snub", Bam said. "They have written to us, they have phoned to say they feel comfortable. They feel confident with us, and so they don't think they will be hanging around to watch whether we can do what we are doing."
The IEC received 148 applications from international and regional bodies expressing an interest in observing the April 14 elections. According to the IEC, most of the applications came from within the African continent, with an eagerness to
learn about sound electoral processes.
Bam said the largest observer team, of about 52 members, was from the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
Others include a team from the African Union (AU), individual AU member countries, and electoral management bodies from Swaziland, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Namibia, Rwanda, and the Electoral Institute of Southern Africa (EISA).
Source: BuaNews
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