Electoral Essays and Discourses

Book excerpt: This book contains five electoral essays and five discourses which explore issues impacting on free, fair and credible election organisation and conduct, with special attention on best practices in the Commonwealth and the African Union. The essays constitute part 1 and the discourses part 2 of the book. It describes and analyses the slow and cautious restart of the process of democratic elections in Nigeria, examining the missteps along the way from the first to the fourth electoral cycle which ended in 2011, which constitute essay I. Essay II deals with the development of election observation, together with mechanisms to strengthen the effectiveness thereof in the African Union and promote the technical capabilities of African Union electoral management bodies. Essay III seeks to compare aspects of election observation by the Commonwealth and the African Union. Essay IV examines best electoral practices in the Commonwealth and the African Union and essay V with the potential use of alternative dispute resolution in elections in the Commonwealth and the African Union. The discourses vigorously explore current electoral issues that slant towards further development in the near future. Discourse A is about youth and elections. It discusses how youth can participate more effectively in elections. Discourse B looks at the dimensions of political finance with particular attention to campaign financing. Discourse C is about incumbency and elections and discusses the nature and impact of incumbency on elections. Discourse D is about the culture of impunity which affects many electoral management bodies and in particular as it pertains to election violence. Discourse E deals with the impact of social media on election preparation and conduct.