Democracy Support and Election Coordination Group - Annual Report 2016 - (8th Legislature) Democracy Support and Election Coordination Group - Annual Report 2016 - CONTENTS I. Introduction and way forward II. Election observation activities III. Parliamentary capacity building in third countries IV. Pre-accession activities V. Sakharov Prize Network and human rights actions VI. Conflict prevention and mediation/dialogue facilitation VII. International events and conferences on democracy Annexes 1. Members of the Democracy Support and Election Coordination Group 2. Organigramme of the Directorate for Democracy Support in 2016 3. Implementation of the 2016 work programme as endorsed by DEG - 2 - I. Introduction and way forward At the beginning of the legislature, the Democracy Support and Election Coordination Group (DEG) adopted the Comprehensive Democracy Support Approach (CDSA) as a guiding principle of our work. The objective was for the DEG to be more effective in the area of democracy support by consolidating the different activities in a third country - i.e. election observation, parliamentary capacity support, human rights actions, as well as mediation, facilitation and dialogue activities. 2015 and 2016 have been the first years of implementation of CDSA activities where six priority countries were selected: Morocco, Tunisia, Ukraine, Moldova, Tanzania and Myanmar, and the pre-accession countries as a priority region - each under the political guidance of a Lead Member. In December 2016, a mid-term review of DEG’s activities was (carried out. The Group concluded that the general perception on CDSA has been very positive. This assessment came from inside the EP with more and more Chief Observers interested in including their EOM countries on the CDSA list of priorities list. This view has been shared also by the other EU institutions (with increasing support from EU Delegations, including by developing complementary parliamentary support programmes in the framework of relevant EU instruments), other international organisations and civil society. The democratic path of each of the priority countries has been different. Hence, progress in building their capacities has not been even. DEG has taken this into account during the mid- term review, and on the basis of the activities conducted so far, their impact and the commitment of the EP partners, it updated the list of CDSA priority countries (see part III of the report). Most importantly, however, not only has the CDSA put the European Parliament on an equal footing with other international players in the area of democracy support and mediation, but it has also pioneered new initiatives (see part VII). DEG has also delivered substantial results in improving the coordination, coherence and complementarity of EP and overall EU democracy support activities around the electoral cycle of a country. Notable examples include Ukraine (where the Parliament used its full array of democracy actions - from election observation, through parliamentary capacity-building, to mediation activities in the framework of the newly established “Jean Monnet Dialogues”), the case of Leyla and Arif Yunus in Azerbaijan (where the European Parliament, European Commission and EEAS successfully coordinated the release and asylum of these human rights activists) and the successful mediation by Commissioner Hahn and three Members of the European Parliament (in getting the political leaders in Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to sign the Przino Agreement which included early parliamentary elections). At the same time the Sakharov Prize continues to give visibility to human rights for the whole of the European Union. New human rights actions have been developed to strengthen the human right policies of third countries, and to support human rights defenders. In the midst of the disenchantment among citizens and raise of populism they highlight the EP engagement within the EU and beyond. Political support to the laureates, including through silent diplomacy, involved numerous Members of the European Parliament. - 3 - A concluding remark. Of course, in democracy support - and democracy in general - there is no “one-size-fits-all” model. It is an evolving process, combining careful planning as well as “learning-by-doing” by all players involved. In view of the current challenges facing EU, the EP democracy support activities in the coming years will be evolving hand in hand with the democratic developments within the EU itself. Inevitably, one of the tracks will be quicker – and DEG will have to adapt its work accordingly. But in the development of democracy “speed” is not the measure of progress - the important thing is to be on the “right track”. Taking into account DEG’s success since the beginning of this mandate, the Group is fully committed to further developing the CDSA "track" in the second half of the legislature. The Group trusts that this report will contribute to a better understanding and furthering of our activities in democracy support. Elmar Brok Linda McAvan - 4 - II. Election observation activities The EP observes elections in accordance with the Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation, including its Code of Conduct for International Election Observers. In 2016 the EP sent nine delegations to observe elections: two in the framework of OSCE/ODIHR missions in Moldova and Georgia and seven in the framework of European Election Observation Missions (EU EOMs) in Uganda, Peru, Mongolia, Zambia, Gabon, Jordan and Ghana. The delegations worked successfully alongside other international election monitoring organisations and, as usual, were fully integrated into the long-term EU Election Observation Missions (EU EOM) or, in the OSCE area, in joint International Election Observation Missions (IEOM). Uganda - Presidential and Parliamentary Elections - 16 February 2016 A seven member EP delegation chaired by Jo Leinen (S&D, Germany) observed the general elections in Uganda on 16 February 2016. Prior to Election Day they met incumbent President Museveni and his two main presidential contenders: Dr Kizza Besigye from the Forum for Democratic Change and Mr Amama Mbabazi from the Democratic Alliance/Go Forward. Meetings also took place with members of the Electoral Commission and with representatives of political parties, civil society and other international election observation missions. On Election Day the EP Delegation split into three groups to observe the voting process in and around Kampala, in Jinja and in Masaka, covering both urban and rural areas. All three teams observed significant delays in opening the polling stations as voting material had not been delivered on time and some officials did not arrive, resulting in large queues. This situation was particularly pronounced in Kampala, where organisation of polling stations was often inadequate and long queues extended well past the official closing time. In most polling stations that were observed, voting took place in a peaceful atmosphere. MEPs also noted several procedural shortcomings during the day, such as inadequate layout of polling stations or the inconsistent use of the biometric voter verification device. Counting procedures were not always strictly followed in the polling stations visited and the reconciliation of results was not carried out. The EP delegation endorsed the findings of the EU EOM mission and regretted the limited implementation of its recommendations from the 2011 elections, which could have contributed to increase confidence in the 2016 elections. MEPs further questioned the independence of the Electoral Commission and raised concerns over campaign finances; the misuse of state financial resources in favour of the ruling party; the government's overwhelmingly dominant position in the media; and the atmosphere of intimidation that characterised much of the political campaign. Incumbent President Museveni was declared the winner of the Presidential elections with 60.8% of the votes. This was challenged by opposition candidates but the results were upheld by the Supreme Court and in May Mr Museveni was sworn in as President for his fifth elective term, thereby extending his 30 year rule. - 5 - Peru - General Elections - 10 April 2016 Following the invitation from the Peruvian authorities, the European Parliament deployed election observation delegations to observe the general elections and the second round of the presidential elections. The seven member EP delegations were chaired by Luis de Grandes (EPP, Spain) for the general elections and by Agustin Diaz de Mera (EPP, Spain) for the second round of the presidential elections. The EP delegations had meetings in Lima with the Heads of Mission of the EU and EU Member States, with the chief observer and the core team of the EU EOM, with high level representatives of the main political parties as well as with representatives of civil society. On election day for the general elections the EP delegation split into teams that observed in Lima and in Arequipa and for the second round of the presidential elections in Lima and in Cuzco. The EP delegations assessed the elections overall as calm and transparent and praised the efficient manner in which the Peruvian election administration administered the process. The implementation of the electronic voting was commended by the EP delegations as well as the participation of civil society organisations assisting voters in the polling stations. The outcome of the legislative elections gave the