Fostering local parliament’s public engagement for electoral violence prevention

Local level consultations, awareness raising and decision-making remain largely underutilized while local communities are often most affected by electoral violence. This programmatic option explores ways in which we may enhance systematized, organic and institutionalized platforms for consultations and monitoring, as local parliaments amongst other, may contribute to the prevention of electoral violence.

ACTIVITY

DESCRIPTION

The local level seems to be the most fragile when it comes to election violence with reports showing that the potential for electoral fraudulent behaviour, corruption and procedural misuse and even obstruction seems to take place at the local level. While all the institutional checks and balances are located in the capital city, local level government comprising local parliaments seems to leave plenty of room for unmonitored activities by political parties.

In local parliaments, the public is, depending on the countries’ local self-government and administration organisation, encouraged to participate in the following proceeding:

  • voting in the elections
  • observing parliamentary proceedings
  • making submissions on draft legislation
  • attending and participating in public hearings.
  • attending and participating in mobile committee sessions

 

Organizing public input for local parliaments should be systematic and structured to facilitate decision-making at the local level. This process should also include recommendations for further action and communication with national parliaments regarding the potential impact of laws, the need for amendments, and collaboration with independent oversight bodies to safeguard human rights. In many developing democracies, there is an established framework involving local self-government and local parliaments, as well as independent oversight bodies—such as local ombudsman offices in some countries—that operate effectively at the local level. However, there appears to be a lack of synergy, exchange, and systematic collection and analysis of input as well as regulatory impact assessments being shared among these entities.

When designing this activity, the following activities may be considered:

  1. Organize joint sessions, trainings, conferences and events between national and local parliaments.
  2. Organize electoral dialogues in local assemblies with the end goal of preventing electoral violence.
  3. Organize SDGs and just transition dialogues and public hearings in local assemblies.
  4. Depending on the context, consider support to local parliament women peacebuilders.
  5. Consider organizing national parliament and local parliament joint mobile committee sessions with independent oversight bodies (example UNDP parliamentary project in Serbia support to National Assembly’s Committee on Finance and the State Audit Institution with local parliament on reporting and auditing local self-government)
  6. Consider developing regulatory impact assessment mechanisms and tools.

 

Enabling public dialogue is critical for achieving SDGs and generating an understanding of the need for localization of SDGs.  Support to women parliamentary network engagement has also showed results in the past, working with peers and transferring knowledge to peers in local assemblies.  Working at the local level, whether this entails taking parliamentary committees to mobile sessions (as was the case in Georgia, Armenia and Serbia) or working with local/provincial assemblies (UNDP PDR Lao), helps local leaders feel less marginalized and provides a unique opportunity for dialogue. Local level events have often seen a higher number of participants sometimes for the sheer fact that many people cannot afford to travel to the capital, yet this has at times been neglected or at least underexplored. Such platforms provide potent entry point for ordinary people to take part in sustaining peace efforts (UNDP, 2007).  In Mexico, for example, we take note of online platforms facilitating live streaming of parliament sessions, thereby bringing it closer to the people, and developing parliamentary initiatives to establish dialogues with experts and CSOs. Mexico is also interesting for the local parliament dynamics with opportunities for civic space.

Women peacebuilders is another field that can benefit from support to continue ensuring their rights are guaranteed and their causes supported. Women peacebuilders are actively working at the grassroot level, on the prevention of violence and conflict and the prevention of sexual and gender-based violence against women and girls amongst other areas. Their role in prevention efforts including in the area of electoral violence, cannot be neglected as they amplify voices of those that seem to be the most affected by electoral violence. Their role is indispensable in local communities affected by violent conflicts and crisis and finally they may advocate with governments for the implementation of laws that promote and protect women, girls, men and boys, and gender-equality allies to support women and girls’ empowerment, leadership, and rights. (Global Network of Women Peacebuilders, 2024)

IMPLEMENTATION CONSIDERATIONS

1.

What are important considerations prior to initiating the activity?

  • Consider identifying and engaging with local presidents of municipalities and assemblies and other relevant actors to initiate piloting of activities, implementing a phased approach. This approach helps ensure that the insights and practices developed are relevant, context-specific and conflict sensitive and can be scaled to other areas if proven effective.
  • It is crucial to assess existing support structures within the country to avoid duplication of efforts and to build on any pre-existing initiatives.
  • Collaborating with the national parliament has shown to enhance the effectiveness of local initiatives. This dual approach fosters a cohesive strategy that strengthens the overall parliamentary system and creates a more unified response to electoral violence, ensuring that local efforts are backed by national-level engagement.
  • Actively involve national authorities ( it may be a ministry for local self-government for example), parliamentary leadership, party whips, MPs and other relevant stakeholders from the outset. Understanding their priorities and expectations is essential for aligning the initiative with national development strategies and objectives. This engagement promotes a sense of ownership and commitment to the initiative, increasing its chances for success.
  • Recognize the critical role of trust and established relationships within local communities and between stakeholders. Building and maintaining these connections should be a priority, as they facilitate open communication and collaboration, which are vital for the successful prevention of electoral violence. Often underestimated, these relationships can significantly influence the efficacy of the initiative and foster a supportive environment for dialogue and action.

2.

Who is best placed to implement the activity?

  • International assistance providers with experience in working with political actors and institutions in particular parliamentary digitalisation and participation may be well placed to support such efforts, providing advisory support based on best practices in various contexts.
  • Electoral and Parliamentary interventions that ideally comprise both parliamentary and electoral support are best suited to integrate activities that foster meaningful participation through digital platforms.

3.

How to ensure context specificity and sensitivity?

  • It is preferable for a strong relationship to exist between parliaments and the implementing partner. If such a relationship can be established through this initiative, it would be beneficial to work on a demand driven basis and identify relevant entry points that allow for trust to be built.
  • Consider lessons learnt form previous flagship local level projects.

4.

How to involve youth?

  • Mainstream Parliamentary Indicators (IPU & UNDP): Integrate youth engagement metrics into parliamentary performance indicators to assess how effectively parliaments are involving young people in decision-making processes. This can help ensure that youth perspectives are prioritized and evaluated systematically.
  • Engage young MPs and young local councillors in both the design and roll-out of activities while maintaining the inter-generational oversight principle whereby it is both the responsibility of the younger and older MPs to engage the youth and speak to issues that are important to the youth.
  • Tailored Outreach and Communication: Recognize that youth engagement often necessitates diverse communication strategies. Utilize various platforms—such as social media, podcasts, and interactive online forums—to reach young people where they are. Additionally, experiment with different formats, such as workshops, creative campaigns, and gamified content, to engage them more effectively.

5.

How to ensure gender sensitivity/inclusive programming?

  • Mainstream parliamentary indicators (IPU/UNDP): Include gender-sensitive indicators in the evaluation frameworks for project results and resources framework, ensuring that the contributions and needs of women and gender minorities are systematically considered.
  • Work through the women parliamentary network including at the local level where such exists. These networks can also provide mentorship and support to local level female leaders.
  • Engaging women’s and – where possible – LGBTQI+ movements: Actively involve women’s rights groups and LGBTQI+ movements in the planning and implementation of initiatives.

6.

How to communicate about these activities?

  • Social media advertising: boost the activity through paid advertisement via social media boosting.
  • Leverage social media: Use social media platforms to promote activities and share updates in real time. Consider targeted campaigns that engage specific demographics and utilize engaging visuals and stories to capture attention.
  • Parliamentary Education/Outreach/Communication: Implement educational initiatives that inform the public about parliamentary processes and the importance of citizen engagement. Consider adapting in line with local context and language requirements. This could include workshops, informational sessions, and collaborative projects with schools and universities (see also programmatic option on parliamentary education centres).
  • Support organizing parliamentary events: a) assistance providers or civil society organizations may hold events that bring together diverse stakeholders, including youth, women, and civil society and b) pilot public hearings, mobile committee session with local parliament as such events secure the widest citizen representation and if there is a quorum it may provide direct results. Overall, gatherings may serve as platforms for discussion, networking, and sharing best practices related to electoral violence prevention.

7.

How to coordinate with other actors/Which other stakeholders to involve?

  • Trainings and presentations: Conduct joint trainings with other stakeholders, educational institutions, and community groups, to build capacity and share knowledge on best practices for preventing electoral violence as well as particular civil society organizations depending on the context and in agreement with the national and local parliament.
  • Collaborative events and conferences: Partner with various organizations to co-host events that promote dialogue and collaboration among different actors. This can enhance visibility and foster a collective approach to addressing electoral violence.

HOW TO ENSURE SUSTAINABILITY?

  • Developing long and short-term strategies: Create comprehensive strategies that outline both immediate actions and long-term goals for engagement and violence prevention. This dual approach can help maintain momentum and adapt to changing circumstances.

COST CENTRES

  • Training of the parliamentary staff
  • Information campaign and social media boosting
  • Events and travel to local level as not all can afford to travel to capital (venue, travel, catering, renting of equipment if needed for presentations)
  • Support to meetings, conferences and events.
  • Developing tools for analysis, reporting, regulatory impact assessment
  • Other activities specified under entry points need to be programmed

LIMITATIONS AND CHALLENGES

  • Given the unpredictable nature of how parliament functions, build agile management and regularly update risks and indicators.
  • Working with local parliaments requires presence at the local level and/or frequent visits. This should be planned for in the PRODOC and budget.

EXAMPLES

The 2024 elections seem to have been the most violent elections in Mexico so far if we look at the perpetuation of violence during the entire electoral process. Political disagreements even within one party option or opposition, economic grounds, territorial control by criminal groups and similar causes seem to have attributed to this type of violence. Interestingly as Mexican think-tanks report the incidence of violence primarily taking place at the local level in particular areas of the country. Moreover, all political parties reported victims of some type of electoral violence. At the same time, political parties seem to have shown little or no interest in addressing the electoral violence that directly impacted their party members running for elections. Seemingly no complaints were made to relevant authorities. Mexican think-thank Laboratorio Electoral, recorded 17 municipalities with the highest incidence of violence and as much as 38% decrease in participation. Electoral authorities reported that the electoral violence had no effect on elections despite 11 candidates were killed during the electoral process. In addition, many attacks and threats were recoded against candidates and their families. There is a clear plea from think thanks monitoring election towards all segments of society to hold consultations to address this unprecedented level of electoral violence. It was observed that the electoral violence affected stability in the country affecting authorities and electoral bodies amongst other. It seems to have been perpetrated by both state and non-state actors and that electoral violence, at least in case of Mexico did not have any partisan bias. Violence occurred before, during and after the electoral process. Finally, there is an evident need to conduct more investigation and research on electoral violence and its impact on the resources used for campaign amongst other issues. (Labooratorio Electoral, 2024)

The example of Kenyan constitutional reform showed that national and presidential elections were impossible to be divide leading to propensity of electoral violence. In order to resolve this, they had to decentralize and empower local government that acted preventively against electoral violence.

 

IMPLEMENTATION PROCESS

COUNTRY DEPLOYMENTS

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