Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy

The dialogue platform brings together the Mozambican National Electoral Commission (CNE), registered political parties and civil society representatives such as the Electoral Observatory and the Civil Society Support Mechanism (CSSM/MASC). The aim is to share information, foster good working relations, consult each another on legislative change and resolve administrative matters that may affect parties and other stakeholders.

It is envisaged that in the coming weeks political parties, the CNE and other electoral stakeholders will meet regularly, brainstorm, and reach consensus on issues of common concern in the interest of ensuring a democratically credible electoral process. The dialogue platform is being facilitated by NIMD with the support of the British High Commission in Mozambique.

Workshop

The commitment of Mozambican stakeholders to setup this dialogue was the outcome of a two day regional exchange workshop ‘Enhancing Dialogue among Electoral Stakeholders’ that NIMD organised in Maputo on 2-3 September 2009. NIMD has facilitated this kind of initiatives in the region before. Similar dialogue platforms have, for instance, proved very instrumental in the elections in Kenya and, most recently, in Malawi. Because NIMD encourages African partners to learn from each other and learn together, the Mozambican dialogue platform was kick-started with an exchange between Malawi election stakeholders and their Mozambican counterparts at the workshop. Participants from Malawi included representatives of the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC), Malawi Electoral Support Network (MESN), an umbrella body of civil society organisations active in the field of elections, and the Centre for Multiparty Democracy-Malawi (CMD-M).

Speaking at the workshop, the President of Mozambican Electoral Commission (CNE) Prof. João Leopoldo da Costa, commended the initiative taken by NIMD and underlined the commitment of the CNE in ensuring its success. At the closing session of the workshop, he noted emphatically that “it is time for a platform of this nature” and in fact that with the exchange of views during the workshop “the dialogue process has started”.

Underscoring the necessity of such a platform, the Mozambican stakeholders already took advantage of the presence of the CNE president in seeking clarification on urgent issues related to the electoral process. The sentiments expressed by the CNE President in applauding this dialogue platform were echoed by almost every other speaker at this regional exchange workshop.

The Malawian experience

The input from the Malawi participants was equally crucial as it provided the basis for appreciating the need for such a structured way of interaction among electoral stakeholders in the run up to the polls. Commissioner Georgina Chikoko of Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) recalled her own experiences in working with the other stakeholders in Malawi’s May 2009 general elections. She noted “how important it was for the MEC to ensure that at every stage in the electoral process, we consulted with key stakeholders, especially political parties and civil society organisations. It was not easy at the beginning, the meetings were at times very tense and confrontational and some political parties wished they could hijack the responsibilities of MEC”, recalled Commissioner Chikoko. “By being transparent and open to dialogue, we quickly regained the confidence of the stakeholders and we were able to run the Malawi elections in an atmosphere characterised by trust and mutual respect”, she further noted.

On his part, Honourable Khwauli Msiska, MP., Chairman of CMD-M appealed to his Mozambican counterparts to seize the opportunity and use the dialogue platform as a forum where political parties, as the main stakeholders of any elections, could ensure that they are heard at every important stage. He also commended the role played by his own organisation, the CMD in facilitating consultations and interactions between and among political parties in Malawi, noting that it was only in this way that they were able to develop a common position which could then later be presented to MEC and other stakeholders.

Africa Regional Programme (ARP)

This regional exchange was facilitated by the NIMD Africa Regional Programme (ARP) and the NIMD Field Office in Maputo. Such exchange programmes are meant to consolidate inter-party dialogue within the country and also further promote cooperation of political parties across countries by way of exchange of experiences. By sharing best practices and lessons learned on various themes of interest to political parties, or by addressing difficulties together, the political parties in Africa learn from each other, and learn together.