Democracy, Elections & Conflict Management

Elections are by their very nature conflictual as they are a contest for political power. Involvement in the electoral process includes all stakeholders including election management bodies, who face a difficult task in ensuring that conduct remains within the the limits of the law; political parties, who are the contestants and civil society who are the potential supporters for the contestants.

Recognising that conflict is inherent in the electoral context and necessary for an environment that allows for debate and diverse opinion, it is important however that mechanisms are developed to manage conflict so that it does not manifest itself in negative or destructive ways.

EISA has designed and developed a comprehensive proramme focussing on developing a deeper undestanding of democracy, the role of elections in democratic society and mechanisms for managing electoral related conflict in a constructive manner. It equips electoral roleplayers with the skills and capacity to respond proactively to electoral conflict. The programme is suitable for all electoral stakeholders.

The programme is designed in a modular form, and runs over a 5 day period. The programme can be tailored to meet the needs and time available of a range of audiences. The methodology is interactive, giving participants an opportunity to use and practice the skills contained in the programme. Training aids include the use of case studies, scenarios, and a video. The programme is trained as a "direct to the public" programme or as a "train the trainer" programme. The latter programme includes a two and half day facilitation skills workshop.

The modules are as follows:

Democracy & Elections

• Module 1 Democracy
• Module 2 Elections

Conflict & Elections

• Module 3 Understanding conflict
• Module 4 Developing personal conflict management skills
• Module 5 Strategies for effective conflict management
• Module 6 SADC Conflict and Elections
• Module 7 Rigging and Fraud