South Africa assumes the Vice Chairpersonship of the Association of World Election Bodies (A-WEB)
South Africa has been elected Vice Chairperson of the Association of World Election Bodies (A-WEB) for a two-year term and will host the next general assembly of the organisation in 2021.
South Africa was elected unopposed at the 4th General Assembly held in Bengaluru, India earlier this month. India became the new chair of the Association.
A-WEB was established in October 2013 based on a conference resolution of the Association of African Electoral Authorities (AAEA) in October 2011. This resolution was adopted at the A-WEB Establishment Forum held in Seoul, South Korea. The inaugural General Assembly and the first Executive Board Meeting was held in Incheon, South Korea and was attended by 175 organisations from 120 countries.
A-WEB is currently made up of 115 countries. It comprises three parts:
- The General Assembly: This is the decision-making council where all members discuss and approve major policies and project plans of A-WEB biennially;
- The Executive Board: This supervises policies decided by the General Assembly. It meets annually; and
- The Secretariat: This executes the decisions made by the General Assembly and Executive Board. It consists of 30 electoral experts.
The aim of A-WEB is to achieve sustainable democracy around the world through the strengthening of the basics of election management in each country. In order to secure the integrity of elections by assisting election management bodies (EMBs) in fulfilling their mandates, A-WEB conducts a number of programmes which include:
- Election Information & Communication Technology (ICT) Country Programme;
- Election Visitor Programme;
- Election Management Capacity Building Programme; and
- International Cooperation.
General Assembly meetings have been held in the Dominican Republic, India, Romania and South Korea. When South Africa hosts the 6th General Assembly in 2021, it will be first time such a meeting comes to the African continent.
“As a founder member of A-WEB we are honoured to be elected Vice Chairperson and to bring the global election body to Africa during the year in which we will host the country’s fifth municipal elections,” said Electoral Commission Chairperson Glen Mashinini.
“Around the world electoral democracy is facing a number of challenges. A global association of election management bodies provides many opportunities for cooperation and sharing of experiences to help strengthen electoral democracy around the world,” he said.
For media queries: Please contact Kate Bapela on 082 600 6386
For media interviews: Please email requests to spokesperson@elections.org.za
