تعد المراقبة الدولية للانتخابات آلية من الآليات المهمة لتعزيز نزاهة ومصداقية وشفافية الانتخابات، كما أنها تُعزز ثقة الناخبين في العملية الانتخابية ومخرجاتها.
وفي إطار مواكبة المنظمات الدولية والإقليمية العاملة بمجال الانتخابات، اعتمدت جامعة الدول العربية إعلان مبادئ المراقبة الدولية للانتخابات ومدونة قواعد السلوك لمراقبي الانتخابات الدوليين عام 2015، والذي تعتمده أكثر من 50 منظمة إقليمية ودولية.
International election observation is an important mechanism for enhancing the integrity, credibility and transparency of elections, and it also enhances voter confidence in the electoral process and its outcomes. The main goal of election observation is to provide an impartial and independent assessment of the extent to which the electoral process is compatible with national legislation that regulating it, and the extent of its consistency with recognized international standards and principles, in addition to its contribution to providing observations and recommendations to develop and improve future electoral elections.
Electoral international observation has developed significantly over the past years, as its work has become based on a set of agreed internationally standards and conventions, and its importance has been enhanced in recent years due to the keenness of many countries to have regional and international organizations present, and their invitation to monitor the elections, as the number of countries which amended its legislation to allow international monitoring of elections has increased.
The League of Arab States started its work in the electoral observation field since the beginning of 1990s coinciding with the growing international interest in the electoral observation field, It deployed many observation missions in response to the invitations it received from countries in the region that welcomed the electoral international observation. In response to invitations LAS received from countries in the region that welcomed international electoral observation. The League has deployed over 91 observation missions in 24 countries over the previous three decades, including 14 Arab countries and 10 non-Arab countries.
The League of Arab States has gained significant experience in the field of election monitoring, especially since it relies on the employees of the General Secretariat to carry out monitoring work. An urgent necessity for the formation of an institutional entity dealing with election affairs within the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States has evolved as a result of the rise in requests to take part in election observation over the past several years.
From this point, the "Department of Electorla Affairs" was established within the main structure of the General Secretariat in 2013, with the responsibility of supervising the tasks of observing elections, and carrying out all technical and organizational work related to this process, in coordination with the various sectors and departments concerned at LAS, and with the relevant authorities in the country in which the elections are held, in all media, legal, political and financial elements related to the matter.
In addition to its activities related to election observation, the Secretariat of Electoral Affairs holds forums where electoral administration bodies (EMBS) in Arab countries meet with each other and with the most important international and regional organizations working in the field of elections in the framework of exchanging experiences and lessons learned. The Secretariat also organizes workshops on key election-related topics of interest of concerned parties and parties involved in electoral matters with the purpose of enhancing knowledge of electoral experiences and practices, also holds training sessions to develop the skills of General Secretariat staff in the field of elections.
The League of Arab States adopted the Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation and the Code of Conduct for International Election Observers in 2015 to keep up with regional and international organizations working in the field of elections. More than 50 regional and international organizations have also adopted these documents.
The Methodology of LAS observation missions:
On the basis of an invitation received by His Excellency the Secretary-General from the interested party in the country that would like to do so, the League of Arab States takes part in a mission to observe the elections. The League's involvement in election monitoring comes within its overall mission of supporting and strengthening the process of democracy and reform in Arab countries, as well as in light of what was stated in the Tunis Summit document on the process of development, modernization, and reform, which stated in its clause (2) deepening the foundations of democracy and Shura and expanding participation in The political sphere, public affairs, and decision-making within the framework of the rule of law and achieving justice and equality among citizens in all Arab countries."
The League of Arab States adopts a short-term observation approach and depends on staff members with election observation expertise from the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States' Staff. LAS plans to transition to a long-term observation approach and build a core staff of analysts for observation missions in the period to come. This will eventually improve the standard and efficiency of the university's election observation missions.
The League of Arab States provides the mission's observers with training that provides them with all election-related information, including the legal framework governing the electoral process, the rights and obligations of the international observer, and the most significant political developments.
The Arab League mission signs a memorandum of understanding with the electoral administration in the nation where it observes the elections, outlining the obligations of observers such as respecting the law and the constitution, refraining from getting involved in the internal affairs of the state, pledging independence and impartiality, and adhering to the decisions made by the electoral administration. Additionally, it assures the liberties and privileges outlined in the international charters. suchfreedom of movement, the right to obtain documents, and clarification from the parties concerned with the electoral process.
Arab League missions rely on an application that runs on tablets and mobile devices for observation. This program consists of electronic forms for the opening, voting, counting, and sorting processes. This application's ability to continually update observations received from observers throughout the voting day is one of its benefits. It works to translate these observations into graphs and precise percentage statistics, which facilitates the quick and simple identification of early electoral process indicators.
The Arab League mission releases an opening statement detailing its early observations on how the election went at the conclusion of its work. Following the release of the final results, the mission puts together its final report, which includes its in-depth findings and suggestions. It is then delivered to the concerned authorities in the country after being approved by His Excellency the Secretary-General.
Election observation's main objective is to provide a independent and impartial assessment of the extent to which the course of the electoral process is compatible with national legislation regulating it, as well as the degree to which it is consistent with recognized international standards and principles. It also contributes, by offering observations and recommendations, for improving independent electoral process.
