Final Report: International Election Observation Mission to Côte D'ivoire, 2010 Presidential Elections and 2011 Legislative
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International Election Observation Mission to Côte d’Ivoire Final Report 2010 Presidential Elections and 2011 Legislative Elections Waging Peace. Fighting Disease. Building Hope. The Carter Center strives to relieve suffering by advancing peace and health worldwide; it seeks to prevent and resolve conflicts, enhance freedom and democracy, and protect and promote human rights worldwide. International Election Observation Mission to Côte d’Ivoire Final Report 2010 Presidential Elections and 2011 Legislative Elections One Copenhill 453 Freedom Parkway Atlanta, GA 30307 (404) 420-5188 Fax (404) 420-5196 www.cartercenter.org The Carter Center Contents Foreword ..................................1 The Appeals Process ......................63 Executive Summary and Recommendations......3 Election-Related Violence ..................65 The Carter Center in Côte d’Ivoire ............3 Certification of Results . .66 Observation Methodology ....................4 Conclusions and Recommendations Conclusions of the Election Observation Mission ..6 Regarding the 2010 Presidential Election.......67 The Carter Center in Côte d’Ivoire — The Carter Center in Côte d’Ivoire — Presidential Election 2010 ..................16 Legislative Elections 2011 . .72 Political Context...........................18 Political Context...........................74 Framework of the Presidential Election ........21 Hijacking of the Election and the Political- Military Crisis ...........................74 Legal Framework ........................21 Boycott of the Front Populaire Ivoirien .........76 Electoral System .........................24 Priority for Re-establishment of Electoral Administration ...................24 Functioning Institutions ....................78 Electoral Districts ........................28 Legal and Institutional Framework Pre-Election Developments ..................29 of the Legislative Elections ..................80 Voter Registration ........................29 Legal Framework ........................80 Voter Information and Education ............32 Voting System and Boundary Delimitation ......82 Candidates, Political Parties, and Electoral Administration ...................83 the Campaign ........................34 Pre-Election Developments ..................87 Campaign Funding .......................38 Voter Registration ........................87 Media .................................39 Voter Education .........................88 Civil Society ............................42 Candidates, Political Parties, The Appeals Process ......................44 and the Campaign ........................90 Election-Related Violence ..................47 Campaign Finance .......................94 Election Preparations ......................48 Media .................................95 Voting ...................................53 Civil Society ............................97 Opening ...............................54 Election-Related Violence ..................97 Voting Operations and Closure ..............54 Polling ...................................99 Security ................................55 Opening ...............................99 Access to Observers and to Candidates’ Voting Operations and Closure ..............99 Representatives ..........................56 Security ...............................101 Postelection Developments ..................57 Access for Candidates’ Representatives Counting, Transmission, and Tabulation and Observers ..........................101 of Results ..............................57 Results ................................60 The Carter Center International Election Observation Mission to Côte d’Ivoire Postelection Developments .................103 Appendix D: The Carter Center Observation Counting and Tabulation of Results . .103 Delegation and Staff .......................121 Results ...............................105 Appendix E: Observer Checklists............124 The Appeals Process .....................106 Appendix F: 2011 Administrative Boundaries Reruns of Elections: Feb. 26, 2012, of Cote d’Ivoire...........................157 Legislative By-Elections ....................109 Appendix G: Deployment Maps .............158 Certification of Results . 110 Appendix H: Presidential Election: Conclusions..............................111 Comparison of Final Results, First Round, and Second Round . 165 Appendix A: Acknowledgments . 114 Appendix I: Carter Center Statements Appendix B: Terms and Abbreviations .......116 and Reports ..............................168 Appendix C: Letters of Invitation ...........118 The Carter Center at a Glance ..............246 The Carter Center The Carter Center Foreword Dr. John Stremlau the United Nations was vital to allowing the prefer- Vice President, Peace Programs ence of a clear majority of voters to be expressed The Carter Center and ultimately respected. The United Nations fter failing to win re-election in 1980, U.S. peacekeeping force rendered vital operational support President Jimmy Carter told the American and security assistance throughout the electoral Apeople he looked forward to taking up once process; the Security Council, with the concurrence more the only title in a democracy superior to presi- of Ivoirian political actors, tasked the secretary- dent: that of citizen. And when The Carter Center general’s special representative to certify the election accepted an invitation from Côte d’Ivoire authorities results. Western donors contributed approximately to observe its 2010 presidential election, we did so $300 million to help ensure all registered voters who with the understanding, affirmed by all major candi- wished to vote could do so. dates, including incumbent The Carter Center Laurent Gbagbo, that they, has observed nearly 90 too, would respect the supe- national elections, often rior decision of a majority of Rarely has an observation mission been in countries emerging from the country’s citizens as to extended so long, revealed so many deadly conflict or decades of authoritarian rule. Rarely who would be their nation’s difficult administrative and political next president. has an observation mission We were well aware of challenges, or posed such physical been extended so long, the protracted political crisis dangers to staff and monitors revealed so many difficult that had bedeviled Côte as in Côte d’Ivoire. administrative and political d’Ivoire since the December challenges, or posed such 1993 death of its founding physical dangers to staff and president, Félix Houphouët- monitors as in Côte d’Ivoire. Boigny, and that nearly escalated to all-out civil Between December 2007 and the inauguration of duly war in 2002. By December 2007, an internationally elected President Alassane Ouattara in May 2011, the brokered peace accord was in place that mandated Center has contended with many unexpected, diffi- national elections. At that point, the Center estab- cult, and often highly controversial issues regarding lished a small field office to begin monitoring what the preparations, conduct, vote tabulation, and certi- became an unusually lengthy and problematic voter fication of results of two rounds of voting, on Oct. 27 identification and registration process. and Nov. 28, 2010. Throughout this monitoring mission, we have The following report details these dramatic events been gratified by the broad international consensus as well as the volatile six months known locally as the in support of allowing the citizens of Côte d’Ivoire “Battle of Abidjan,” which culminated in the arrest of to determine who would be their next president by the defeated incumbent president, Laurent Gbagbo, means of a credible national election. Concerted who had steadfastly refused to accept the results. diplomatic action by Côte d’Ivoire’s neighbors under Because of the exacerbation of factionalism in Côte the auspices of the Economic Community of West d’Ivoire resulting from the crisis over the presidential African States (ECOWAS), the African Union, and succession, the Center took the unusual step of 1 The Carter Center International Election Observation Mission to Côte d’Ivoire maintaining a presence in the country and observing Director of the Democracy Program David Pottie and the Dec. 11, 2011, legislative elections in the hope assistant project coordinators Jacqueline Segal and of ensuring these, too, would accurately reflect the Jennifer Russi. will of the people as an essential next step in national We were greatly assisted and encouraged to remain reconciliation and the consolidation of democratic by the U.N. special representative, Y.J. Choi, and governance. The report also includes a comprehensive his successor, Albert Koenders; U.S. Ambassador list of more than 30 recommendations for improving Philip Carter and his staff; and the U.S. Department government electoral policies, the operations of the of State, which generously funded our presence in electoral management bodies, electoral dispute resolu- Côte d’Ivoire, which lasted much longer and was tion, and the role of the police in providing essential more expensive than initially envisioned. We also security during future elections. are grateful for political support we received from Over the course of this mission, we had the Côte d’Ivoire’s neighbors and other international benefit of reporting from long-term observers partners. Through a diplomatic consensus, they deployed throughout the country at different periods, maintained that the legitimate winner of the Nov. 28 and during the peak election periods they were vote