CONSULTATION BETWEEN THE NATIONAL ELECTORAL BOARD OF ETHIOPIA AND CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS
1 March 2019, Sapphire Hotel Addis Ababa
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Introduction
In response to the request made by the National Electoral Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) for support in engaging Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in Ethiopia regarding their role in democratic elections, the European Union through the Technical Assistance Unit for the Civil Society Fund III (TAU - CSF III) supported the convening of a consultative workshop between NEBE and CSOs which was held on 1 March 2019. This is a reflection of NEBE’s determination to conduct a peaceful, fair, credible and free election in the country in 2020 and its recognition of the role that CSOs can play in achieving this goal.
Despite the significant role expected of civil society in the socio-economic sphere, regulatory and capacity challenges to date have limited the space the sector can take up - hence the need to provide the necessary support and enabling environment for CSOs to play their rightful role. Since April 2018, the country has been undergoing a comprehensive political and economic reform process, and various stakeholders are aligning themselves to take up the space emerging from the various reforms. One priority given by the government in the reform process is to revise the law regulating the operation of the civil society. As a result, new legislation to replace the previous restrictive civil society law has been approved by the House of People’s Representatives. The new proclamation will give a significant boost to the operation of civil society, and with support to address their financial and operational capacities, the sector is expected to become vibrant again, and take up its rightful role in the country’s political, social and economic spheres including the conduct of peaceful, fair and free elections.
Accordingly, a consultation forum was organized to forge a trustful and effective partnership between NEBE and civil society. The following paragraphs describe these proceedings and their outcomes.
Workshop Objectives
The consultation workshop had the overall objective of forging a partnership between NEBE and Civil Society Organisations in Ethiopia in order to ensure that CSOs play a meaningful role in the process of conducting a free and fair and peaceful election in 2020. The workshop was planned as a forum of discussion on possible areas of partnership, the necessary conditions that need to be in place and mutual understanding of the specific roles that each party should play in the run-up to, during and after the election.
Participants
The workshop was attended by 68 delegates representing civil society, 17 representatives of NEBE and governmental organisations from different regions. The event enjoyed extensive coverage with 20 media personnel in attendance.
Proceedings
The consultation workshop started with presentations from experts in the field of CSOs and elections on local and international experiences regarding the role of CSOs in elections. Using these presentations as a starting point, participants made contributions towards achieving the workshop objectives leading to concrete actions by the CSOs, NEBE and other stakeholders.
Moderated by Bilen Sahilu, three presentations were made:
- The new CSOs Law and the Opportunities It Presents for CSOs’ Role in Elections: Bizuwork Ketete
- The Role of CSOs in Elections in Ethiopia: Retrospective and Prospective Assessment: Daniel Bekele
- The Role of CSOs in Elections, Elections Observation, and Monitoring Standards: Experience from Other Countries: Rakeb Abate
In her opening speech, Ms. Birtukan Midekssa, Board chairperson of NEBE, noted that the Board understands how CSOs were victims of the previous repressive environment but is now preparing to work with CSOs in the new context and also help address their capacity needs. She stressed the need for CSO engagement, especially on civic and voter education and on increasing the integrity of the election. H.E. Ambassador Johan Borgstam, Head of the European Union Delegation to Ethiopia, made an opening speech in which he confirmed the EU’s commitment to continue supporting CSOs and their engagement on elections to facilitate better elections-related engagements.
Bezuwork Ketete, a well-known CS advocate with many years’ experience in working with different developmental organizations, presented the changes in the legal framework for CSOs and explained how these will enable CSOs to participate in the electoral process, including governance, civic and voter education and elections observation. She also highlighted what these legal changes mean to the relationship between NEBE and CSOs.
Daniel Bekele, an experienced professional with years of influential activism on human rights both within and outside Ethiopia, presented the lessons from the 2005 elections and what these means for the coming elections and the role of CSOs. He presented in detail how the CSO coalition for elections operated in the run-up to the 2005 election and the lessons learned, especially in relation to post-election conflicts. He underlined the importance of CSO remaining nonpartisan, professional and consistent with the law. He recalled that some engagements in the 2005 election were not as independent as they should have been. He also added that the introduction of social media to the political platform is going to impact on the election and there is a need for CSOs to prepare on how best to respond to any crisis that might arise through the active use of digital media.
Rakeb Ayele, with vast local and international experience in coordinating election-related activities, outlined some international experiences regarding CSO engagement and elections. She mentioned the work of CSOs in different countries that have had a significant impact on elections, including civic and voter education and media monitoring. She also shared important websites that participants can find useful information about elections and creative ways of working on elections from a CSO point of view.
Audience Participation
The Moderator opened the floor for questions and suggestions from participants. Different CS organizations working on women’s rights, the creative artists association and disability associations actively participated. Some suggested that there are no capable organizations who will be able to take part in such an engagement due to lack of capacity and preparedness. However, others suggested that building some form of a coalition would help to improve the role and capability of CSOs to play the required roles.
Based on the suggestion of participants, it was finally agreed to establish a CSOs’ Consortium for Elections in order to take forward a constructive and supportive engagement of the sector in election-related activities and forge a strong working relationship with NEBE. Finally, the moderator expressed full satisfaction with the results of the discussion, as well as the workshop in general.
