European Centre for Electoral Support
The European Centre for Electoral Support (ECES) is a not for profit private foundation, headquartered in Brussels (Belgium) and created in 2010.
 | |
| Formation | 2010 |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | 209A Avenue Louise, Brussels Belgium |
| Monica Fassoni, José Manuel Pinto, Fabio Bargiacchi, Teixeira, Eva Palmans, Andebrhan Giorgis, Lino Francescon, Paulo Marques, José Lambiza | |
Key people | Monica Frassoni, President
José Manuel Pinto Teixeira, Vice President Fabio Bargiacchi, Executive Director |
| Website | www.eces.eu |
In order to promote sustainable democratic development, ECES provide advisory services and operational support to electoral stakeholders, such as electoral management bodies, civil society organizations (active in the field of civic and voter education and election observation), political parties, parliaments, media, security forces and electoral dispute resolutions bodies.
ECES’ President is Monica Frassoni, a former Member of the EU Parliament, presently the Co-Chair of the European Green Party and twice Chief Observer for the EU Election Observation Missions (Venezuela and Bolivia, both in 2006) appointed by the former EU Commissioner for External Relations, Ferrero-Waldner.
José Manuel Pinto-Teixeira is ECES’ Vice President. He is a former high-level EU Official who served as Ambassador of the EU/ Head of Delegation in several countries, including: Cabo Verde, Ukraine, Belarus, Mozambique and Macedonia.
ECES' Executive Director is Fabio Bargiacchi, one of the most prominent senior experts at global level in the field of electoral support funded by European Union. In addition to being one of the co-founders of ECES, he is also part of ECES Management Board. Prior to his involvement with ECES he was at the forefront of the establishment of the Partnership between the European Commission (EC) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on electoral assistance and the Coordinator of the dedicated Joint EC UNDP Task Force.
History
The European Centre for Electoral Support (ECES) was launched in December 2010 during the European Development Days forum at the Panel on Democracy and Human Rights organized by the European Commission. Since then, ECES has implemented electoral assistance activities in more than 35 countries, predominantly in Africa and the Middle East, mostly through the funds of the EU and EU member states.
Mission
ECES’ work focuses on:
- Electoral and democracy support
- Creation of synergies between election observation and electoral assistance programmes
- Support of knowledge development in electoral administration
- Developing leadership and conflict management skills for different electoral stakeholders through trainings and advisory services
- Capacity building, cooperation, peer reviews and exchange of experiences in a South-South perspective.
Collaborations
ECES is a member of the European Partnership for Democracy (EPD) and of its Board of Directors. EPD, a network of 14 European civil and political society organisations from 11 EU Member States, is the first Community of Practice on democracy assistance operating at the EU level and advocating for a stronger presence of democracy support on the EU agenda.
In collaboration with EPD, ECES conceived a joint strategy called “European Response to Electoral Cycle Support-EURECS”, an aid delivery mechanism devised to implement electoral and democracy assistance activities in line with European values and policies and consistent with the recommendations formulated by EU Electoral Observation Missions.
ECES works together with the International Electoral Accreditation Body (IEAB) and the Organisation of American States (OAS) in order to spread the knowledge and comprehension of electoral standards of the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) and to assist electoral management bodies worldwide.
ECES also established a collaboration with the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies, a world ranked university, to promote accessible, customized and innovative capacity building programmes for electoral stakeholders, including the Master on Electoral Policy and Administration - MEPA. The ECES-SSSA's partnership facilitates the enrollment of EMB representatives and election practitioners in MEPA or in one of its 19 modules, structured around the Electoral Cycle Approach.
Key activities
ECES, following the EURECS approach, implements a range of activities for electoral stakeholders. Among these, it is possible to mention:
- Electoral Political Economy Analyses (EPEA)
- Prevent, Mitigate and Manage Electoral Related Conflicts
- Election Situation Room and Conflict Mapping
- Political Party Support
- Parliamentary Support
- Media Monitoring and Institutional Communication
- Civic and Voter Education
- Sensitization Campaigns
- Capacity building for local Authorities for Credible and Sustainable Electoral Processes
- Procurement of Electoral Material following EU Procedures
- Ballot paper Design and Transmission of Results
Trainings [1]
ECES's delivers courses and trainings in order to share lessons learned and disseminate knowledge among electoral stakeholders. Among these, it is possible to mention:
- The online Master in Electoral Policy and Administration (MEPA), in partnership with Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies
- The Leadership and Conflict Management Skills for Electoral Stakeholders - LEAD Training, in collaboration with the Centre for Creative Leadership and delivered in English, French, Portuguese, Spanish and Arabic [2]
- Building Resources in Democracy, Governance, and Elections - BRIDGE Training [3]
- The Effective Electoral Assistance - EEA Training
- The Integrity and Quality Management Systems in Electoral Process, in accordance with technical specifications for quality management systems for electoral organisations (ISO/TS 17582 :20114), in partnership with the OAS and the International Electoral Accreditation Body.
Participation in the European Development Days
In 2017, ECES’ presence at European Development Days focused on “The Potential of EU funded Electoral Assistance for the Prevention of Election Related Conflict and Violence: Lessons from the Southern African Region”. On this occasion, ECES pre-launched the handbook on election related violence within the Southern Africa region that is the result of the research component of the project PEV SADC (Preventing Electoral Conflict in the SADC region www.pevsadc.eu ) implemented by ECES since February 2013. In June 2018, during the European Development Days[ 2]., ECES and EPD presented the European Response to Electoral Cycle Support-EURECS and released the lessons learned from supporting democratic and electoral processes over the previous five years.
ECES also participated in the high-level panel “Implementing Sustainable Development Goal 16 for peaceful and inclusive societies - Opportunities and challenges in the security and development nexus[3]”, chaired by the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs & Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission (HRVP), Federica Mogherini. The panel was also composed of: the newly elected presidents of the Central African Republic (CAR), Faustin-Archange Touadéra, and Burkina Faso, Roch Marc Christian Kaboré and youth activist Marouane Bakin, founders of «Makers of Hope for Human Rights». ECES was represented by Thijs Berman, former member of the European Parliament and head of ECES’ EU funded project in the Central African Republic.
Main Recent Projects
Proses - Project in Support of Enhanced Sustainability and Electoral Integrity in Afghanistan
The European Centre for Electoral Support is implementing the 18 months Project in Support of Enhanced Sustainability and Electoral Integrity in Afghanistan on behalf of the EU from the Instrument contributing to Stability and Peace (IcSP).
Two focal points of the project will be the Parliamentary and District elections set for October 2018 and Presidential and Provincial elections scheduled for April 2019.
Administrative planning and actions will be aimed at proactively identify and reduce the electoral integrity vulnerabilities inherited from previous electoral cycles, while the broad participation of electoral stakeholders, especially women, will contribute to the accountability and inclusivity of the political and electoral processes. This way, the electoral stakeholders will have an increased capacity to apply evidence-based and effective leadership approaches to the conduct of elections and to the adjudication of election disputes.
ERMES - European Resources for Mediation Support
Since 2014, European Resources for Mediation Support (ERMES) has been an effective tool for the EU role in mediation and dialogue. Based on the success of the precedents "ERMES I” and "ERMES II”, ERMES III aims at further advancing EU objectives in the field of mediation and dialogue.
The main objective of ERMES III is to facilitate the EU’s support to third parties committed to dialogue and inclusive peace mediation processes at the international, regional or local levels. It also aims to provide technical assistance and training, and organising meetings and seminars.
The project will be implemented by a consortium of experts, led by the College of Europe, and under the supervision of the Service for Foreign Policy Instruments.
Prevent, Mitigate and Manage Election-Related Conflict and Potential Violence in South Africa (PEV-SA)
The PEV-SA project has the overall objective of preventing, mitigating and contributing to the management of electoral conflicts and tensions that might be unleashed on the occasion of the 2019 South African presidential elections.
The actions and activities of the project are aimed at strengthening the leadership skills of all the key actors involved in conflict prevention and at supporting existing peace networks and infrastructures. In order to consolidate best practices on conflict prevention and to promote the sharing of experiences, the project also provides for exchanges between the Independent Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) and its regional and international peers.
The project is implemented by the European Centre for Electoral Support (ECES) and the Independent Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC).
Ensuring Efficient Investigations and Prevention of Election Fraud
In April 2018, ECES in partnership with the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies organised the USAID-funding training tour “Ensuring Efficient Investigations and Prevention of Election Fraud”, which involved the participation of 10 representatives of Ukrainian institutions, civil society organisations and media.
The aim of the training was to provide participants with useful information about the conduction of efficient investigations against electoral crimes and about the European approach to face them.
Prevention and Management of Conflicts and Potential Violence related to Elections in Madagascar (PEV-Madagascar)
The PEV-Madagascar is funded by the European Union through the Instrument contributing to Stability and Peace.
The projects aims to build on the lessons learned and the achievements of the previous projects that ECES implemented in the country: the “Project to Support Credible and Transparent Elections” (PACTE Madagascar), the “Citizen Initiative for Peacebuilding, Leadership and Stability” (INCIPALS) and the regional project “Preventing Electoral Violence in the countries of the SADC region” (PEV SADC).
The PEV-Madagascar project aims to promote collaboration and inclusive dialogue with all electoral stakeholders in order to prevent and resolve potential conflicts and violence related to elections.
Political participation of women in the Union of Comoros
The project aims to contribute to a more inclusive electoral process in the Union of Comoros, enhancing the level of women participation in the Comorian political arena, on the basis of the results obtained from previous projects implemented by ECES in the country (PACTE Comoros I, PACTE Comoros II and PACTE Comoros III).
The project also aims to support the collection of memories and experiences of 12 Comorian women who have taken an active part in the political life of the country, with the ultimate objective of inspiring and encouraging female students to do the same.
The project is implemented by the European Centre for Electoral Support (ECES) and funded by the Swiss Embassy for Madagascar, Comoros and Seychelles.
Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGN)
The EU-SDGN project was created with the aim of contributing to the consolidation of democracy in Nigeria, through the building of efficient, durable and robust democratic institutions.
The project is made up of 5 pillars:
- The Support to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC);
- The Support to the National Assembly;
- The Support to Political Parties;
- The Support to media;
- The Support to Civil Society Organisations.
The European Centre for Electoral Support (ECES) is in charge of the implementation of the first pillar mentioned above. The project, funded by the European Union, will be implemented between 2017 and 2021, in line with the priorities of the Nigerian government and the recommendations of the EU Election Observation Missions.
EU Support to Jordanian Democratic Institutions and Development (EU-JDID)
The main objectives of the EU-JDID programme are to support the consolidation of Jordanian democracy, by supporting the reform process in the country, and to strengthen inclusion by stimulating the participation of women and young people in the political life of the country.
The programme consists of 4 components:
- The Parliamentary Support;
- The Electoral Assistance;
- The Support to the Political Party System;
- The Support to the Civil Society Organisations.
The first three components are implemented by a ECES lead consortium of European not for profit organisations, in which are engaged the European Partnership for Democracy (EPD), the Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy (NIMD), the Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WfD) and the French Agency for Media Cooperation (CFI). The fourth component is instead implemented by the Spanish Cooperation Agency, (AECID).
Electoral Observation and Democracy Support (EODS PHASE II)
ECES is also a member of the consortium that implements the "Electoral Observation Democracy Support (EODS PHASE II)” project, composed by ECES, IBF International Consulting, The Bureau for Institutional Reform and Democracy (BIRD) GmbH, Cares scrl – Osservatorio di Pavia Media Research, Transtélé Canal France International (CFI) and OneWorld UK.
The main objective of EODS is to contribute to the strengthening of the methodology of the EU Election Observation Missions and of the EU observers’ capabilities. With this goal in mind, the project includes activities such as the development of methodological and training tools, researches on election topics and methodological issues, and the establishment of regular and close cooperation with other international or regional organisations and networks.
Project in Support to the Electoral Process in the Republic of Senegal (PAPE Senegal)
The overall objective of the PAPA Senegal project is to ensure the active and responsible participation of all electoral stakeholders in the organisation of an inclusive electoral process in Senegal, and to properly implement the 2016 constitutional reform provisions.
In line with these goals, the activities of the project aim to promote and implement voter awareness and education campaigns, to strengthen the institutional communication of the Direction Générale des Elections (DGE), to reinforce leadership and conflict management skills of electoral stakeholders and to promote the creation of platforms of consultation and inclusive dialogue.
The PAPE Senegal project is implemented by ECES and is funded by the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Project in Support of the Credibility and the Transparency of Elections in Burkina Faso (PACTE-BF)
The BACTE-BF project was conceived to provide technical and operational support to the Independent National Electoral Commission of Burkina Faso in the organisation of credible, transparent and peaceful presidential and legislative elections, in 2015 and local elections, in 2016.
The project was funded by the European Union, Denmark, Germany, Austria, Luxembourg, France and the additional contribution of Canada through the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives (CFLI).
Project in Support of the Credibility and the Transparency of Elections in Guinea (PACTE-GUINEE)
ECES began its activities in Guinea in 2014 with a project aimed at strengthening the capacities of the National Assembly (PARCAN I). In addition to the extension of the parliamentary support project (PARCAN II) in 2015, ECES run two programmes in support of the Credibility and the Transparency of Elections in Guinea Conakry (PACTE GUINNE I and II) in 2015 and 2016.
These programmes, funded by the EU, aim to strengthen the capacities of all electoral stakeholders by supporting newly installed democratic institutions, media, civil society and to contribute to reduce potential conflicts by strengthening electoral disputes management.
Project in Support of the Credibility and the Transparency of Elections in Madagascar (PACTE-MADAGASCAR)
The overall objective of the project is to enhance the skills and capacities of all local electoral stakeholders, from civil society organisations to political parties, from media to electoral candidates, from lawyers to the Independent National Electoral Commission for the Transition (CENIT), in order to support a truly impartial and systemic management of the electoral process in Madagascar.
The EU funded project was implemented by a consortium led by ECES, in partnership with the Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa (EISA) and the Electoral Reform International Services (ERIS).
Project in Support of the Credibility and the Transparency of Elections in Comoros (PACTE-COMOROS)
Within the framework of EU support to democratic processes, ECES implemented its first EU-funded project in Comoros in 2014. The project aimed at contributing to the organisation of credible and transparent elections while strengthening the capacities of the electoral stakeholders[4] (PACTE Comoros I). PACTE Comores I thus contributed to the organisation of the 2015 legislative elections and elections for island counsellors. Based on this first successful collaboration in assistance to the Comorian electoral administration and other electoral stakeholders, a new project supporting the organization of the 2016 presidential and governors’ elections has been implemented. This project aims to follow-up on the endeavors of PACTE-Comoros I, while capitalizing on the recommendations of election observation missions (2015), as well as on the conclusions of the external evaluation of the previous project.
Preventing Electoral Violence in the SADC Region (PEV-SADC).
The overall objectives of the PEV-SADC project are to support stakeholders and civil society organisations across the Southern Africa Development Community-SADC in the action of preventing electoral related violence and conflict and to promote the creation of an Observatory of electoral violence.
PEV-SADC started in 2013 and has 3 components, a comprehensive capacity assessment, a development scheme for civil society, electoral management bodies and other stakeholders involved in the electoral process, and a research component that is meant to harvest first hand data on election related violence and conflict that in turn will be fed into an observatory.
Publications
Reflections on Election Conflict and Violence Prevention: Lessons from Southern Africa
On August 29, 2018, ECES’ Executive Director, Fabio Bargiacchi, and ECES’ Senior Election Conflict Management Advisor, Victoria Florinder, were invited at pre-workshop of the American Association of Political Science (APSA) titled “New Challenges in Electoral Management, Building Better Elections”. The workshop occurred in Boston at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and was organized by the Electoral Management Network, the Electoral Integrity Project and the MIT Election Data and Science Lab (MEDSL).
As part of the panel that focused on the topic “Mitigating Electoral Violence”, ECES launched the handbook “Preventing and mitigating electoral conflict and violence: lessons from the Southern Africa” and presented on the lessons learned and the experience gained during the implementation of the PEV SADC project (2013-2017), funded by the European Union.
Preventing and Mitigating Electoral Conflict and Violence - Handbook
This handbook was conceived by ECES and the Election Support Network of Southern Africa (ESN-SA), with the support of many of its 16 members in the 14 countries comprised by the PEV SADC project. It is the result of an extensive research exercise carried out by ECES and ESN-SA, in the framework of the regional EU-funded project for the prevention of election related violence in the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
A particular role in the coordination and editing of the handbook was played by ECES Executive Director Fabio Bargiacchi and ECES Senior Election Conflict Management Advisor, Victoria Florinder.
The potential of EU Funded electoral assistance to support the prevention of election related conflict and violence: Lessons from the Southern African Region (2017)
The paper is the result of some of the most significant experiences and lessons learned from the implementation of the project “Preventing Electoral Conflict in the SADC region” (PEV-SADC), implemented by ECES, and funded at 75% by the EU and 25% by ECES. The information and material contained in the paper are the product of collaboration and researches carried out by ECES in partnership with the Election Support Network of Southern Africa (ESN-SA).
A European Response to Electoral Cycle Approach - EURECS (2016)
The paper was presented by ECES President, Monica Frassoni, during the International Day of Democracy celebrated at the European Parliament.
The European Response to Electoral Cycle Support was conceived by ECES and the European Partnership for Democracy (EPD), in order to provide the EU, EU member states, donors and beneficiary countries with a delivery mechanism devised to implement electoral and democracy assistance activities, in line with European values and policies and consistent with the recommendations formulated by EU Electoral Observation Missions.
This publication contains the most important and significant lessons learned accumulated over the previous five years from ECES and EPD members in support to the electoral and democratisation processes.
Perspectiva ciudadana sobre la elección concurrente en el Distrito Federal 2015/ Informes de observadores electorales y visitantes extranjeros (2015)
This publication is configured as a collection of 30 report, 18 of which are written by electoral observers and 12 are written by foreign visitors invited by the Instituto Electoral del Distrito Federal (IEDF).
The main goal of this publication is to develop and disseminate opinions, reflections and proposals of the organisations involved in electoral observation and foreign visitors within the context of the Ordinary Local Electoral Process 2014-2015 in the Federal District.
Using International Standards in elections: Council of Europe Handbook for Domestic Election Observers (2014)
Fabio Bargiacchi, the Executive Director of ECES, Eva Palmans, ECES Head of Programme, and the former Senior Electoral Researcher at ECES, Mathieu Merino, have contributed to the recently published Handbook of the Council of Europe: "Using International Standards in elections: Council of Europe Handbook for Domestic Election Observers".
The overall objective of this handbook is to provide all relevant electoral stakeholders and domestic observers with a useful tool for the implementation of electoral activities and for the use of international standards in their daily work.
Guide for Voters, Madagascar (2013)
The overall objective of the guide is to provide electors in Madagascar with useful information concerning national institutions, the general principles of civil rights and the rules of the voter registration process, in view of the elections taking place in the country in 2013.
Manual for the SADC-ESN election observation mission in Madagascar (2013)
ECES/PACTE staff; ECES/PACTE
In the framework of the PACTE Project, ECES staff based in Antananarivo, Madagascar, has released this document on the election observation mission developed by SADC-ESN during the first turn of the 2013 presidential elections.
The report describes the political, social and juridical context and dynamics in which election took place, together with a description of the sensitisation activities developed by ECES staff in the framework of the PACTE project.
Technics for Group Facilitations - A Guide for electoral sensitivisation officers (2013)
ECES/PACTE staff; ECES/PACTE
The main objective of this document, created in the framework of the PACTE project, is to support facilitators in the preparation of their work by providing the correct tools and tips in the organisation and delivering of group work and training.
Biometry in elections: Issues and Perspectives (2013)
ECES, OIF (Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie) and CENAP (Commission Electoral National Autonome et Permanente)
This report focuses on the challenges and the advantages of the introduction of biometry and technologies in the electoral processes, especially on voter and civil registration.
The report contains the main conclusions of the seminar organised in Libreville, Gabon, in December 2012 by the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF) in partnership with ECES, the Réseau des compétences électorales francophones (RECEF) and the Commission électorale nationale autonome et permanente du Gabon (CENAP). Among the participants of the seminars, it is possible to mention: the representatives of Electoral Management Bodies of Burundi, Cameroun, Côte d'Ivoire, France, Guinée, Mali, Niger, Québec, Central African Republic, Demcoratic Republic of Congo and Gabon.
Missing a Trick? Building Bridges between EU Mediation and EU Electoral Support in Conflict-affected Countries (2012)
Authors: Antje Herrberg, Raphaël Pouyé and Fabio Bargiacchi. Publisher: MediatEur and ECES
This report summarize the main conclusions of the expert seminar organised in September 2012 by MediatEur and ECES, in order to analyse how the EU can strengthen its capacity to respond to electoral conflicts and violence.
During the meeting, recommendations to the EU have been issued with the aim of enhancing its capacity to better respond to electoral violence through mediation and conflict resolution measures. For example, it was discussed how the EU can act proactively in order to identify the best “timing” for post-conflict elections and promote a window of “political opportunity”, rather than one of "military opportunity", for local stakeholders.
Burundi’s 2010 Elections: Democracy and Peace at Risk? (2012)
Author: Eva Palmans. Publisher: ECES and the African Research and Resource Forum
The article focuses on 2010 elections in Burundi and on the difficult process of consolidation of democracy and peace in the country. The electoral outcome of 2010 elections showed the electoral process itself is not a guarantee of democracy and stability. In fact, the electoral results marginalised the oppositions and gave an overwhelming majority to one party, the CNDD-FDD, that now dominates all institutions, jeopardising the country's democratic resilience.
Effectiveness and Sustainability of Electoral Assistance: The Electoral Cycle Approach (2011)
Authors: Fabio Bargiacchi, Ricardo Godinho Gomes and Mette Bakken. Contributors: Paul Guerin and Raphaël Pouyé. Publisher: ISPI
Since the end of the Cold War, major donor countries and organisations, such as the United States, the United Nations and the European Union (including its Member States), have contributed to the improvement of electoral processes by providing support to many countries that were experiencing their transition to democracy.
The overall objective of this paper is to outline the experiences, the lessons learned and the best practices of the actors of the international electoral assistance arena, in order to provide examples of innovative, efficient and programmatic approaches and operational responses.
Funding
The EU and its Member States are the largest donors of ECES by far. However, ECES has been funded and collaborated with more than 20 donors.
Notes
- "Where to get trained as an Electoral Observer". Election observation. 2015-01-15. Retrieved 2016-11-10.
- "CCL Collaborates with the European Center for Electoral Support | Leadership Explorer Tools". www.leadingeffectively.com. Retrieved 2016-11-10.
- Pública, Consell de Diplomàcia. "DIPLOCAT - Election Observation Training". www.diplocat.cat. Archived from the original on 2016-11-10. Retrieved 2016-11-10.
- Comores, Aimons les. "Crédibilité et Transparence des élections de 2016 en Union des Comores – l'Union européenne a octroyé un montant de 4.100.000 euros - Le blog Aimons les Comores de SAID IBRAHIM". Le blog Aimons les Comores de SAID IBRAHIM (in French). Retrieved 2016-11-10.
References
http://www.aceeeo.org/hu/node/191
https://sites.google.com/site/electoralintegrityproject4/links2
http://democracy-support.eu/afghanistan/
http://www.eces.eu/posts/ermes-european-resources-for-mediation-support
http://www.eces.eu/posts/pevsa
http://www.eces.eu/posts/eces-sssa-training
http://www.eces.eu/posts/pape-senegal
http://democracy-support.eu/nigeria/
http://www.eces.eu/posts/-esdg-jordan
http://www.ispionline.it/it/ispi-school/course-typologies/advanced-diploma/ad-electoral-assistance
https://www.electoralnetwork.org/index.php/user/members
http://phys.org/news/2014-06-satellites-rural-africa.html
http://www.collateralcreations.com/Video-soutien-a-la-democratisation?lang=en
http://cesko.ge/eng/static/408/mexute-yovelwliuri-shexvedra-2015