Sub-Regional Resource Facility for Arab States

Knowledge Map on Elections

A. General Resources

1.International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES)

Based in Washington DC, IFES provides expert technical assistance in all areas of election administration and election management. IFES works to encourage national and international democracy and supplies world governments with election observation and analysis and has developed into one of the world's leading centers of election information and resources. In addition to election monitoring, IFES seeks to bolster democracy by developing programs that strengthen rule of law, good governance and civil society. IFES has supported democracy's emergence and consolidation throughout sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa, and the Middle East since 1989. From initial assistance with the procurement of election materials and the conduct of a groundbreaking series of pre-election technical assessments, IFES' Africa and Near East program portfolio today features activities in elections, rule of law, civil society, and governance.
Buyer ’s guide of Election supplies
The IFES Buyer's Guide is a directory of known vendors of election products, such as ballot boxes, voting booths, and Internet voting software. IFES published the Guide to help government procurement officers and election administrators locate voting equipment and electoral services needed to run free and fair elections
Elections Activities
IFES provides services in creating or strengthening the following components of election administration: drafting and reviewing election laws, civil registry development, records and technology management, strategies for redistricting, election administration and training, campaign techniques and public information, election security, election observation, inclusion of historically disadvantaged groups, and the adjudication of election disputes
List of Publications
This is the publications web site of IFES's journal Elections Today, annual reports, white papers, project reports and other releases
Election Guide
The Election Guide defines few electoral and political terms, which frequently appear on IFES and its component pages as well as provides an election calendar, information on electoral structures, parties and candidates, and previous elections

2.International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA)

IDEA is an intergovernmental organization based in Stockholm-Sweden, with member states across all continents. It seeks to support sustainable democracy in both new and long-established democracies. IDEA draws on comparative experiences, analyzing democracy trends and assistance, and developing policy options, tools and guidelines relating to Political participation, electoral systems, political parties and post conflict democracy building.

Democracy in the Arab World
The following section is an overview of the presentations and discussions analyzing challenges facing democratic processes in Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan and Yemen. The overview presents the different opinions expressed during round tables and adopts the terminology used by the various contributors
Handbook of Electoral System Design
The IDEA's electoral system handbook is created for policy-makers, politicians and election administrators, it describes the world of electoral systems and outlines the factors to consider when modifying or designing an electoral system. The web site also provides access to IDEA's publications, country-specific reports, electoral issues, forums and conference reports, annual reports and newsletters. The handbook is also available in Arabic.

3.ACE Electoral Knowledge Network

The ACE Electoral Knowledge Network is an authoritative information resource on nearly every aspect of elections. It provides an electronic environment for professionals to generate, share and apply knowledge on managing elections.

3.Administration and Cost of Elections (the ACE project)

The ACE project is a joint initiative of the International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES), the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA), and the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN-DESA). The ACE project provides comprehensive information on all aspects of organizing elections. It represents the first-ever attempt to provide a globally accessible information resource on election administration. It provides user-friendly, operationally oriented information on options, detailed procedures, alternative solutions and the administrative and cost implications associated with organizing elections .
Legislative Framework Index
The index covers the legislative structure for democratic electoral processes where political power is reached by means of free and fair elections.
Vote Counting Index
The index covers issues dealing with 8 fundamental principles of vote counting, (transparency, security, professionalism, accuracy, secrecy, timeliness, accountability, and equity).
Voter Registration Index
The index explores issues relating to the compilation and maintenance of electoral registers, essential in any voting system.
Voter Education Index
The index covers seven steps that educators must use to develop relevant, cost-effective, and educationally appropriate voter education Programmes. The index is written for people responsible with designing, implementing, and evaluating voter education Programmes.

4.National Democratic Institute (NDI)

NDI is a non-profit NGO based in Washington DC, with a global network of experts and staff.  It has collaborated with UNDP in several areas including: parliamentary reform in Yemen, post election round-tables in Pakistan, coordination of international election observer efforts in Niger, and a civic education Programme in Mozambique. NDI's approach to election-related programming in transitional countries seeks to help catalyze democratic reforms and is tied integrally to (a) promoting the integrity of electoral and political processes and (b) promoting the right of citizens to participate in government. NDI is accepted as a leading organization in promoting democratic reform through election-related programming, in general and in each of these four areas of activity.
Voter Education
NDI’s voter education programs are intended to provide citizens with the information and know-how required to participate in election processes.
Election and political processes
The NDI's approach to election-related programs aims at promoting the integrity of electoral and political processes and the right of citizens to participate in government.
NDI Middle East and North Africa
The NDI governance program in Lebanon provides technical assistance to a domestic election monitoring organization. The NDI governance program in Yemen is intended to strengthen Yemen's democratic institutions- political parties, civil society organizations and parliament.

5.The Election Process Information Collection project (EPIC)

In summary EPIC: offers the information necessary to compare and contrast electoral approaches, assists analysts in proposing reforms that meet their particular national requirements and reflect international norms for good election management practices, gives electoral designers and analysts insight on the structures within a given country which can be compared with other countries world-wide, allows election administrators and election assistance providers to research the options available in a reform process and determine common practice, allows academics to make analyses in order to evaluate electoral systems and administration, gives the media easy access to information to improve the quality of their reporting and serves as a building block for the development of election administration as an academic field of study (phD programs).

B. UN Resources

1.UN Electoral Assistance
The United Nations has been involved in the field of electoral assistance since its founding in 1945. Its Charter enshrines the principle of self-determination and places the promotion and protection of human rights as one of the Organization's central purposes. This website shows UN’s involvement in electoral processes all around the world.

2.UNDP – Governance
UNDP’s introduction to governance practice and service lines.

3.Democratic governance workspace
The Democratic Governance Practice Workspace is a living space where community members share experiences and resources including reports and papers, best practice examples, reference material and databases, information on upcoming events, links to related organizations, and information on relevant frameworks and indicators. It also links to archived discussions and consolidated replies posted on the DGPNet and the sub practice networks

4.Oslo Governance Center
UNDP Oslo Governance Centre is UNDP's global facility on democratic governance. The Centre has been established to enhance Programme activities and the advisory role of UNDP in the area of democratic governance. They assist UNDP country offices in their cooperation with governments and their partners, civil society organizations and people in developing countries. Their objective is to support countries in implementing democratic reforms necessary to fulfil the Millennium Declaration

5.Programme on Governance in the Arab Region
POGAR is the Governance Programme of UNDP's Regional Bureau for Arab States. It is dedicated to the promotion and development of good governance practices in the Arab states. The web site has a collection of information spanning eight areas under governance: Constitution, Women, Civil Society, Decentralization, Elections, Finances, Judiciary, and Legislature for each of the 20 countries covered in the Arab States region.

From the portal on electoral systems
A compilation of notes and documents related to electoral systems.

6."Hot Topic": Is a disputed Election an Imperfect Election?
The “Hot Topic” is a new service being provided through the network which aims to highlight a selection of timely and current readings on a “hot” issue of interest to the work of members of the Democratic Governance community. This edition is specific to Elections

7.Initial Findings of UNDP-IFES Cost of Registration and Elections “CORE” Study
UNDP and the International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES) initiated the Cost of Registration and Elections (CORE) Project to assist governments and independent organizations in their efforts to identify and examine all forms of election-related costs and funding sources. While other electoral studies have examined EMB structure, legal framework and operational considerations, there has been no global research project exclusively devoted to EMB budget and cost—and it is difficult to effectively analyze the total costs of elections without a comprehensive comparison of the costs of electoral events in different countries with different conditions. The CORE Project aims to fill that void. Furthermore, its observations have practical and profound implications because elections are recurring events, and both marginal cost increases and cost reductions have cumulative impacts over time. The Project’s primary objectives are to evaluate the methods by which election budgets are established, tracked and funded; to identify the cost-management practices that can be adopted by EMBs; and to establish a methodology for the comparative assessment of electoral costs. This study expands upon and complements research into election budgeting and financing issues that were discussed in Electoral Management Bodies as Institutions of Governance, published by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in 2000.

The initial findings of the study, presented to the GEO and ACEEEO General Assembly meeting in September, are now available. The full study is currently being printed for distribution by the end of the year. For more information, please contact Linda Maguire."

C. UNDP documents, studies and publications on elections

1.Electoral Systems and processes practice note
This practice note is intended to establish a framework for UNDP activities in the field of electoral assistance. The note focuses on the various components of electoral assistance, the primary areas in which UNDP and other actors have worked, recent trends in the field, and lessons learned. Click here for Arabic and click here for French

2.Essentials on Electoral Assistance published in December 2003
A publication on Democratic Governance Synthesis of Lessons Learned and best practices on Electoral Assistance.

3.Electoral Management Bodies and Democratic Governance, the Role of UNDP
It is a summary of the comments, questions and answers that formed the basis of the discussions of the internal UNDP meeting held on the role of UNDP in the Electoral management bodies and democratic governance.

4.UNDP and Electoral Assistance: 10 Years of Assistance
This document outlines the evolution of UNDP’s involvement, role and lessons learned in electoral assistance drawn from country experiences from Bangladesh, Brazil, Cambodia, Guyana, Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria and  Yemen. Based on the analysis, the report also makes practical suggestions for UNDP COs

5.Note of Guidance on Electoral Assistance between UNDPA and UNDP
This note is intended to clarify respective roles and standard procedures for the Department of Political Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in the provision of electoral assistance to Member States and replaces all previous guidelines.

6.How UNDP supports Parliaments?
"Fast Facts" brochure that provides a brief overview of UNDP initiatives in multiple countries

7.The UNDP-IFES study on Electoral Management Bodies as Institutions of Governance outlines how permanent and independent election commissions strengthen governance systems

8.Matrix of Elections for 2003-2005 (from around the world) prepared by Linda Maguire, Electoral Adviser for the Democratic Governance Group. 
This is a great resource for all interested in elections. It can be sorted by any of the categories listed at the top of the document. The document is being updated periodically.

Reports or Briefs on Elections



-Cambodia, 2003
-Bangladesh, 2001
-Indonesia, 1999
-Nigeria, 2002
-Rwanda, 2003
-Sierra Leone, 2002
-Yemen, 2003
-The Democratic Republic of Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is currently involved in a process of political transition based on the Global and Inclusive Agreement signed on December 17, 2002. The objective of the present project is to support the electoral process in the DRC. In this capacity, it will in the first place serve as a framework for mobilizing and managing financial resources. It will also support the Independent Electoral Commission (CEI), the responsible structure for organizing and carrying out free, transparent and democratic elections, by making available technical consultants for the census, the sensitizing of voters, and the electoral operations. The project document is prepared in order to reflect the entire electoral process. In this perceptive, it goes beyond the actions carried out by the UNDP project team. It also describes the institutional arrangement of the international community that supports the electoral process, and the responsibilities of the other actors involved.

-Elections and the Electoral Process: A Guide to Assistance
This Guide is designed to help UK's DFID and FCO staff to decide whether to offer assistance to a government running an election, and if so what type of assistance to offer and when. The main context is national elections, but the guidance is also applicable to regional and local elections.

D. Women and Elections

1.Resources (women’s votes) gender and elections May 2004
Civic Youth Organization’s Study on Voter Turnout by Gender in the United States indicates that although voter turnout for both men and women has declined in the US since 1972, it has declined more slowly for women leading to a small but growing gap between young men and young women.
Enhancing women’s participation in electoral processes in post-conflict countries
United Nations Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women (OSAGI)

2.Class, Caste and Gender: Women in Parliament in India (2002)
This case study examines the participation of Indian women parliamentarians during the Tenth Parliament and focuses in three main areas: the social profile of women parliamentarians; the routes they have taken to get to their political position; and the public policy areas in which they were involved. The study presents some interesting results such as that women's representation in the Parliament, while important on the grounds of social justice and legitimacy of the political system, does not easily translate into improved representation of women's various interests.

3.Obstacles to women's participation in Parliament (2002)
Women around the world at every socio-political level find themselves underrepresented in parliament and far removed from decision-making levels. What are the obstacles women face in entering parliament? How can women better cope with these hindrances? In this chapter we take the first step towards increasing women's parliamentary representation and effectiveness by identifying the common problems that women face. We categorize the problems into three areas: political, socio-economic and ideological and psychological (or socio- cultural).

4.Enhancing women’s political participation: Legislative recruitment and electoral Systems (2002)
Which electoral systems are best suited to elect women and why? How have electoral systems affected women's representation in different countries? What specific factors should women be concerned about in the actual design of electoral systems?  

5.Women in parliament: Making a difference (2002)
Although women remain significantly under-represented in today's parliaments, women are now looking beyond the numbers to focus on what they can actually do while in parliament – how they can make an impact, whatever their numbers may be. What strategies are most useful in increasing their effectiveness? What lessons can women MPs share with those aspiring to enter the field? In what ways have women impacted on political processes? This is our focus in this
chapter, as we move from the road to parliament to making inroads in parliament.

6.Citizens Campaign for Women's Representation in Local Government, UNDP Pakistan Project Report

7.“Voter Turnout by Gender”

Notes that many countries don’t break down voter turnout by gender.



8.The Network At Work: Elections in Ethiopia: Enhancing the Turnout of Women Voters
What happens after the CR is sent to the network? In Ethiopia the contributions of UNDP's Governance Practice Members influenced the National Election Board's (NEB) decision to change the election day from Sunday.

9. Women’s Participation in Electoral Processes in Post-Conflict Countries: The Case of Rwanda
This document shows hoe the women of Rwanda have suffered periods of traumatic episodes in the last century but are now on their feet celebrating the many achievements acquired only in the last 10 years.

10. Women and elections
A document that shows many examples of women’s participation in elections all around the world

E. Electronic Voting

Linda Maguire,electoral Adviser for the Democratic Governance Group, clarified that the term ”electronic voting” is generally used to convey that the ”front-end” voting process (where the voter expresses his or her choices) is electronic, rather than only the ”back-end” or tallying portion, which has typically made use of technology to tabulate

1.The Role of Information & Communications Technology in Strengthening Citizen Participation Shaping Democracy
An Analysis of Mexico’s Initial Experience & Pending Challenges vis a vis of Information and communications technology (ICT) that is considered to have a tremendous potential for facilitating increased levels of citizen participation in law and policy making and safeguarding processes.

2.Election Commission of India The FAQ Page provides a link to the electronic voting machines used, cost, power, manufacturer, etc..

3.Page 4 of Windows on the South (Number 1, 2001)
Describes the electronic voting process in Brazil

4.The Organization of American States Newsletter (May-June 2003)
Briefly summarizes the findings of an OAS technical mission to Paraguay to observe the electronic voting process and the Remote E-Voting in the Netherlands.

5.Building Trust and Confidence for critical e-government services - Case study of Mexico
Benefits of electronic voting systems include that they can be easier to use than paper or level-type voting; can be cheaper in the long term; produce tabulated results more quickly; and some have contested that ATM-type machines produce fewer spoilt ballots than other systems. However, a 2001 Massachusetts Institute of Technology study of the American experience with voting technology found that the incidence of residual (spoilt) votes was highest for voters in countries using punch cards and electronic machines and lowest for those using lever machines, optically scanned paper ballots and hand-counted paper ballots…

6. E-Voting as a Tool Enhancing Good Governance of the Election Process
This paper sheds light on the different arguments around e-voting, presenting recommendations on best practices in operation and technology as well as providing Egypt-specific suggestions for program formulation. The paper draws attention to the human factor, the electoral process and the macro political context in order to warn against a technology-centered approach.

F. Elections in the Arab Region

1.Elections in the Arab Region
Virtually all of the Arab countries hold regular elections, institutionalized in their constitutions or other official documents of the government. The country articles describe the electoral system, the rules and laws governing elections, the settlement of disputes arising from electoral contests, the laws governing parties and political associations, and a brief summary of the results of the most recent presidential and legislative elections.

2-Elections Lebanon
Website that contains all information on the Lebanon project on elections with many sources and links.

3.Yemen
Brief on Elections: Yemen, 2003
Parliamentary poll makes Yemen model for the region

Support to the Voter Registration Process
In less than a decade, Yemen has held direct multi-party elections for parliament (in 1993 and 1997), president (1999), and local councils (2001), established a new and technically more proficient electoral administration, permitted a multiparty system, and relaxed some restrictions on the press.  These achievements, while still leaving considerable room for improvement, have placed Yemen at the forefront of democratization efforts in the Arab world

Strengthening the electoral process
This project constituted the first phase of a five-year electoral support initiative for the Supreme Commission and Referenda (SCER).
The main short-term objectives of the Electoral Support Project were: - Develop and strengthen the capacity of the SCER to organize and deliver free, fair and participatory elections in 2003. -Enhance the administration and management of the electoral process. - Increase citizen information, participation and confidence in the 2003 elections

Yemen Election prodoc Phase II

The Netherlands contributes US$1.7 million to strengthen electoral process
The Netherlands is contributing the amount of US$ 1,745,000 to the second phase of the Electoral Support Project for the Supreme Commission for Elections and Referenda (SCER). Read more...

4.Saudi Arabia
The first good governance Programme in Saudi Arabia: “Support to Municipal Elections and Post Elections” was signed in September 2004.  This is a breakthrough, which reflects the level of confidence and trust UNDP has succeeded in building with government in a short time. The UNDP/EAD assisted Programme has a total budget of US$1.465.000 and aims at providing technical support to the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs (MOMRA) in organizing municipal elections within the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In addition, UNDP will provide post election assistance in the form of a capacity development for the municipal councils and administrations. EAD will be the key partner in this UN support to the municipal electoral process. This GOV/UN/UNDP partnership opens a whole new and strategic area for our work in Saudi Arabia in support of the reform process in the country. Our entry points in this respect include: (i) local governance; (ii) rural and urban poverty; (iii) human rights; and, (ii) regional and urban management.
"Technical Support to Municipal Elections and Post Elections in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (04-06)"
The UNDP/EAD assisted programme aims at providing technical support to the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs MOMRA in organizing municipal elections within the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In addition UNDP will provide post election assistance in the form of a capacity development programme for the municipal councils and the municipal administrations as part of the MOMRA.

5.Palestine Elections
You can find on this website various articles on the preparations, interventions, reflections on the Palestinian elections (in Arabic)

6.Syria
"Support to Local Elections in Syria - 2005"
Within the overall context of UNDP's governance programme, this project aims at supporting the reform agenda of the Syrian Government through supporting electoral bodies and systems to ensure and modernize local elections thereby securing political legitimacy. The project also aims at developing the capacity for municipalities to enhance the local community's involvement and participation in planning for local elections, which will entail training and advocacy activities.

G.TORs Elections: