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Vanuatu General Elections

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Vanuatu General Elections Report of the Commonwealth Observer Group Vanuatu General Elections 22 January 2016 Map of Vanuatu Source: CartoGIS, College of Asia and the Pacific, Australian National University Commonwealth Observer Group Vanuatu General Election 22 January 2016 Table of Contents ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ........................................................................................... iii LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL .................................................................................... iv CHAPTER 1 ............................................................................................................... 1 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 1 Terms of Reference ............................................................................................ 1 Activities .............................................................................................................. 1 CHAPTER 2 ............................................................................................................... 3 Political Background ............................................................................................... 3 Historical Background ......................................................................................... 3 Transition to Independence ................................................................................. 3 Post-Independence ............................................................................................. 4 Context of the 2016 General Election ................................................................. 4 CHAPTER 3 ............................................................................................................... 6 Legal Framework and Election Administration ........................................................ 6 Constitution ......................................................................................................... 6 Representation of the People Act ....................................................................... 7 Electoral Administration ...................................................................................... 9 Recommendations ............................................................................................ 10 CHAPTER 4 ............................................................................................................. 12 Election Campaign and Media .............................................................................. 12 Campaign .......................................................................................................... 12 Women’s Political Participation ......................................................................... 12 Youth Participation ............................................................................................ 13 Media ................................................................................................................ 13 Election Coverage ............................................................................................. 13 Recommendations ............................................................................................ 14 CHAPTER 5 ............................................................................................................. 15 Voting, Counting and Results ............................................................................... 15 Key Procedures for Opening and Voting ........................................................... 15 Assessment of the Opening and Voting Process .............................................. 17 Key Procedures for Closing, Counting and the Results Process ...................... 18 Assessment of the Closing, Counting and Transmission .................................. 19 District-specific observations ............................................................................. 20 Recommendations ............................................................................................ 22 CHAPTER 6 ............................................................................................................. 23 Conclusions and Summary of Recommendations ................................................ 23 A Legal Framework and Election Administration ........................................... 24 B Election Campaign and Media ................................................................... 25 C Voting, Counting and Results ..................................................................... 26 ANNEX I: Biographies of Chairman and Observers ........................................... 27 ANNEX II: Arrival Statement ................................................................................. 29 ANNEX III: Deployment Plan ................................................................................ 31 ANNEX IV: Interim Statement ............................................................................... 32 ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We convey our sincere appreciation and gratitude to the President, His Excellency Womtelo Reverend Baldwin Lonsdale, and to the people of Vanuatu for the generous hospitality extended to us during our visit. The support and advice provided to the Group by the Vanuatu Electoral Commission and all citizens involved with the 2016 General Election informed the Group’s work and was greatly appreciated. We recognise the considerable pressure that the Vanuatu Electoral Commission and Vanuatu Electoral Office were put under in preparing for this “snap” election under difficult circumstances, given the early dissolution of Parliament and the sudden illness of the Principal Elections Officer. We acknowledge the assistance extended to the Group by the Heads of the Commonwealth diplomatic missions and commend the support they provided to the Electoral Office to assist with the logistics required for the General Election. The Group welcomed the support provided by local members of the team recruited to support our work. Our sincerest appreciation to the support and advice provided by the Commonwealth Secretariat Staff Team: Albert Mariner, Sarah Linton, Natricia Duncan and Tiffany Chan. Without their commitment and professionalism, we would have not have been able to complete our task. We convey our sincere gratitude to the Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma for giving us the opportunity and the privilege to serve the Commonwealth through this mission, in support of democracy in the Republic of Vanuatu. iii 12 February 2016 Dear Secretary-General, I am pleased to submit our report on the General Election of Vanuatu held on 22 January 2016. Overall, the election was conducted in a peaceful and orderly manner and many of the benchmarks for democratic elections were met. The Vanuatu Electoral Commission and the Electoral Office are to be commended for preparing and administering this election under difficult circumstances, given the early dissolution of Parliament and the sudden illness of the Principal Electoral Officer. The conduct of the parties and independent candidates during the election campaign period was also commendable. On election day, the Group was pleased to observe the commitment of the Vanuatu people to the democratic process. However, the process had its shortcomings. The electoral roll is inaccurate and in need of urgent revision. There was a large number of young people who were qualified to register in advance of the 2016 General Election, but had not done so by the end of the registration period in July 2015. The Electoral Commission has acknowledged these issues and expressed a commitment to address them before the next election. The media, too, has the potential to play a greater role in voter education and could partner with the Electoral Commission for future elections. The Group noted the official results, released by the Vanuatu Electoral Commission on 1 February 2016, declaring that 17 political parties and eight independent MPs will form the next Parliament of Vanuatu. Eight of the 17 successful political parties are one-member parties. The Group expressed regret that only 10 women had contested the election, and none were elected. The Group further noted that Parliament elected Hon Charlot Salwai as Prime Minister of Vanuatu on 11 February 2016. The Group was advised by political leaders that there was an urgent need for political reform to address instability in Vanuatu. The incoming Government has placed political reform as one of the national priorities to be pursued as a matter of urgency. We would like to encourage the Commonwealth Secretariat to continue providing support to implement these proposed political reforms in the country. We have offered a number of recommendations to improve the election process in Vanuatu. We sincerely hope that the recommendations will be accepted and implemented, as we do note that the recommendations of the report in 2004, whilst considered and in many cases supported, were ultimately not implemented. iv Thank you for the opportunity to participate in this important assignment in support of Vanuatu and its democratic processes. The Group hopes the new Government and the newly elected Members of Parliament will promote trust and confidence amongst the people of Vanuatu in the country’s parliamentary democracy and pursue the necessary reforms that are required to address political instability and deepen democracy in the country. v CHAPTER 1 Introduction At the invitation of the Government
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