Interwoven Democratic Actors

Civil society organisations are pertinent actors in the electoral process of any country. They play a central role in the conduct of the entire elections, starting from registration through voting to the proclamation of results. That said, civil societies promote political participation by strengthening electoral democracy through constant reminders of the civic rights and duties of citizens as well as competent bodies implicated in the general organisation of elections.

In the case of the October 7 presidential poll, civil societies coordinated citizens, encouraging them to have themselves enlisted on the electoral lists, withdraw their cards, listen to election campaigns and vote as a means of contributing to good governance, democracy and collective administration. They equally partnered and worked in synergy with government institutions, international and nongovernmental organisations to push for and attain an inclusive electoral participation rate.

Civil societies like “More Women in Politics,” “Réseau des Défenseurs des Droits Humains en Afrique Centrale,” Centre for Human Rights and Democracy amongst others adopted multiple strategies at getting maximum citizen participation in the electoral process.

As part of efforts to ensure the whole process is law abiding, these organisations send observers to polling stations to monitor the elections and present reports from which recommendations are forwarded to administration as the case may be. Their role cannot be undermined as they check administrative excess in the electoral proces...