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Report/Paper
Electoral Conflict and Violence: A Strategy for Study and Prevention
An electoral process is an alternative to violence as it is a means of achieving governance. It is when an electoral process is perceived as unfair, unresponsive, or corrupt, that its political legitimacy is compromised and stakeholders are motivated to go outside the established norms to achieve their objectives. Electoral conflict and violence become tactics in political competition. There are examples of elections that have exacerbated long-term conflict (Angola 1992) or have politically hardened conflict-related alliances (Bosnia and Herzegovina 1996). From these experiences, it is generally recognized that post-conflict elections can be held too early and produce results that may extend the conflict rather than resolve it. However, in most cases, such elections mitigate the effects of larger conflict issues and reduce them into localized, manageable incidents...
February 04, 2002
Publication
Survey
2001 Electoral Administration and Performance: Findings from the IFES Survey on the November 2001 Kosovo Assembly Election
The International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES) has been working within Kosovo since the cessation of NATO bombing in 1999 by providing technical assistance to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in the administration of Kosovar elections. IFES assisted the OSCE and UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) in creating a civil registration system, a necessary step to normalize public administration and to register voters. Leading up to the successful October 2000 Municipal Elections, IFES assisted the OSCE in establishing a legal electoral framework, developing a technical infrastructure, and training election officials and poll workers. Fueled by the success of the Municipal Elections, the OSCE, with assistance from IFES, decided to strengthen the capacity of the newly formed Municipal Election Commissions. In order to pinpoint exactly what aspects of electoral administration needed to be developed, IFES conducted a post-election survey after the municipal elections. Based on the results of that survey, IFES and the OSCE planned its activities for the upcoming Assembly Elections in Kosovo, which were scheduled to be held on 17 November 2001 and would result in the formation of Kosovo’s first elected Assembly, which would then elect Kosovo’s first democratically elected President. On Election Day, 65 percent of the Province’s 1.25 million people visited the polling stations in order to participate in the highly successful democratic election of Kosovo’s Assembly. Following the 17 November 2001 Assembly Election, IFES conducted its second postelection survey of people from Kosovo who had participated in the elections as either election administrators or observers. This survey follows the format of the survey conducted after the 2000 Municipal Elections in Kosovo. The sample included Municipal Election Commission (MEC) members, Polling Station Committee (PSC) members, and representatives from political entities and NGOs that fielded election observers. The sample was composed of representatives from all political and ethnic groups and covered every municipality in Kosovo. The survey had two main goals: first to assess the performance of electoral administrators in the 2001 Kosovo Assembly Election and to compare this performance with 2000 and second to assess the role the international community is playing in election administration in Kosovo and make recommendations regarding the process of transferring election administration to Kosovo institutions. In total, 1,200 questionnaires were distributed between 28 November and 18 December. Of these, 979 were returned, resulting in a response rate of 81.6 percent.
January 31, 2002
Election Material
Civic Education Material
Constitutional Framework for Provisional Self-Government in Kosovo
Written by Kosovo and international legal experts and signed on May 16th, 2001 by United Nations Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) Chief Hans Haekkerup, “Constitutional Framework for Provisional Self-Government in Kosovo” outlines the structure of government in Kosovo after the November 17th, 2001 general elections. It details institutions soon to be under the control of Kosovo’s leaders and civil servants and includes basic voting information in an effort to further educate the public.
Publication
Report/Paper
The Electoral Process in Kosovo: Next Steps (Conclusions from the Conference Held in Pristina on 8-10 Feb 2001)
This conference report summarizes the areas of consensus from the plenary and working group sessions, observations of the October 2000 elections, the main presentations, the presentations on associations, and the outcomes of the three-day event in Kosovo.
February 28, 2001
Publication
Survey
Electoral Administration and Performance: Findings from a survey on the October 2000 Municipal Elections in Kosovo
Kosovo is a territory with a particularly conflict-ridden past. Many people in this disputed province of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia have been displaced from their homes and experienced trauma during the conflict that ravaged this territory and its people, particularly during recent years leading up to the NATO bombing campaign in 1999. After the cessation of the NATO bombing campaign in June 1999, the international community, through the United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) and the NATO Kosovo Protection Force (KFOR), took over responsibility for civil administration, reconstruction and general security in Kosovo. One of the major projects of the international community in its quest to restore normality to this territory was to conduct the first democratic elections for the people of Kosovo. Following the 28 October 2000 Municipal Elections in Kosovo, the International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES) conducted a survey of people from Kosovo who participated in these elections. The survey was administered during the first two weeks of December, 2000. All Municipal Election Commission (MEC) members, representatives of all political entities, including candidates representing parties, independent candidates, and citizen's initiatives that participated in the elections, and representatives of all 106 NGOs that fielded observers in these elections were invited to participate in the survey. The survey covered all five regions and all thirty municipalities of Kosovo. The purpose of the survey was to assess the performance of electoral administrators in these first elections and to determine lessons that can be learned to improve future electoral administration.
January 31, 2001
Election Material
Civic Education Material
Election Complaints and Appeals Commission
“Election Complaints and Appeal Sub-Commission” is a document presented by the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) in preparation for the 2001 Parliamentary Elections. The document outlines the procedures necessary to file complaints and information on examples of possible complaints or appeals that may be filed by citizens of Kosovo. The ECAC was established on May 24th, 2001 and its purpose is to “examine and adjudicate complaints regarding violations of any applicable rules and regulations during the election process.”
Election Material
Civic Education Material
How Do I register?
In 2001, the United Nations Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) published this pamphlet entitled “How do I register?” in preparation for the November 17th Assembly Elections. This pamphlet focuses on voter registration and provides information such as identification needs, important deadlines, and other criteria necessary to register to vote.
Election Material
Civic Education Material
How to Vote
The United Nations Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) provide this “How To Vote” brochure in preparation for the November 17th, 2001 Kosovo Assembly elections. Details regarding polling hours, ballot instructions, practical tips, and a step by step voting procedure once in the polling station are provided.
Election Material
Civic Education Material
Kosovo Assembly Elections 2001
Published by the International Foundation for Electoral Services (IFES) and the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), this comic strip provides step-by-step voting instructions to the people of Kosovo. Distributed in 2000 in preparation for the November 17th, 2001 Kosovo Assembly Elections, this comic strip emphasizes the ease of voting.
Election Material
Civic Education Material
Understanding the Electoral System
In 2001, the United Nations Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) designed two pamphlets educating Kosovo citizens on the November 17th, 2001 Assembly Elections and Provisional Assembly Elections respectively. Both pamphlets are included in this document and both include basic factual information regarding political structure and explanations of proportional representation.