South Africa’s Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) today bid farewell to a delegation from its Egyptian counterpart, Egypt’s Higher Elections Committee, and representatives from various Egyptian state organs with election related responsibilities, which it hosted on a three-day study tour.
The objective of the study tour was to expose Egyptian election practitioners to the workings of an independent election management body as Egypt transitions to an independent election administration.
“We are always looking to develop and improve our electoral processes in Egypt and to gain from the experience of electoral management bodies in other countries. We have been very impressed with the warm welcome we have received in South Africa, and are keen to implement the new knowledge that we have gained on our visit here,” commented Samir Ahmed Abou El Maati Ibrahim, Chairman of the Higher Elections Committee and President of the Cairo Court of Appeal.
“The promotion of knowledge of sound and democratic electoral processes, not just in South Africa but on the continent as a whole, is a key strategic objective of the IEC. Over the last few years the Electoral Commission has hosted delegations from various African and other countries. These visits are used as platforms for peer learning and for discussing key election management principles,” says Advocate Pansy Tlakula, Chairperson of the IEC.
“As electoral management bodies on the African continent there is great value to be found in sharing our experiences and learning from one another, as we operate in a similar context. South Africa is a developing democracy and it would be unwise for us to think that we have all the answers. Just as other electoral management bodies come to us for knowledge sharing opportunities, we learn from them in equal measure,” adds Tlakula.
She points out that the IEC recently also hosted a Ugandan delegation of Members of Parliament which studied the IEC’s reporting structure to the Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs.
“Soon we will be hosting delegations from the electoral management bodies of Angola and Thailand, which also have the objective of sharing knowledge with us,” reveals Tlakula.
In 2011, the University of South Africa established the WIPHOLD-Brigalia Bam Research Chair in Electoral Democracy in Africa under the aegis of its College of Human Sciences, in collaboration with the IEC. In the first year alone electoral management body officials from 15 countries participated in the regional election capacity building programme.
“The Electoral Commission takes very seriously its role in advancing democracy in Africa through knowledge sharing of best practice in electoral processes, and we will continue to share our hard-won lessons with those countries who request our assistance,” concludes Tlakula.
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