The Need for Free and Fair Elections
Elections in any part of independent nation or state are pivotal to the political and social foundations of such country. Making a choice on political leaders who takes charge in the critical governance positions deems quite appropriate to nature at which the bottom lower position shall be managed through resource allocations, social amenities, and the general service provision at large. Therefore, for a proper representation of a populace, there is a need to have fair and credible elections that ensures the people’s will and democracy have been put into proper account. Ragging of elections denies people’s democracy to take charge, and pave the way for poor governance from dictatorial leadership that undermines people’s will. The paper shall, therefore, respond to the reasons behind having fair and credible elections in any part of the world, and why it is important to practice democracy within the verge assigning leadership positions via a voting process.
The most basic tenet which defines credible elections is that they must represent the people’s free expression of will. To achieve this, elections should be transparent, inclusive and accountable, and opportunities to compete in elections must be equitable. Capacities for fostering political transparency. Below are some examples of USAID election support and political support (Hohe, 2002). These specific principles are underpinned by several democratic process-related commitments, as well as a variety of core rights and freedoms, each deriving from public international law. The electoral cycle approach portrays elections as a continuous, interconnected mechanism consisting of building blocks interacting and affecting one another, rather than as a sequence of discrete events.
In planning and prioritizing its support for fair elections, USAID takes into account the degree to which the host country upholds democratic values and electoral standards. The Organization also analyzes the political dynamics of the country and assesses the level of commitment of the main electoral stakeholders. Elections become transparent because each phase is open to inspection, and stakeholders may objectively check the fair and correct conduct of the process (Ndulo & Lulo, 2010). The concept of openness is related to the universal right of people to obtain, receive and transmit information (which are components of freedom of expression), as well as the right to engage in public relations and in government.
Decision-making processes need to be open to review, and incentives for public feedback should be fair. Data must be made available to people, including the voters and candidates, covering all phases of the election process. Non-partisan and political monitors should be accredited to track and provide for public opinion at all stages of the democratic process. Elections are successful when people have equal and fair chances of qualifying to be elected to government offices. Political rivalry is a crucial constituent of elections which are truly people’s will. The principle of competition extends to elective facets of the democratic cycle (Bishop & Hoeffler, 2016). The legal structure will encourage people to come together to form political registration parties to represent their interests and provide access to ballot spots for the party and/or candidate. Parties and candidates must be allowed to advertise, and voters must be free to cast their ballots without criminal interference, coercion or violence.
In conclusion, the need to have free and fair elections is one of the best ways to install democratic peace and control an unnecessary outbreak of violence within the voting nations. Once able to take proper control of such elections, the general citizens become the greatest beneficiaries of the voting exercise.
References
Bishop, S., & Hoeffler, A. (2016). Free and fair elections: A new database. Journal of Peace Research, 53(4), 608-616.
Hohe, T. (2002). ‘Totem Polls’: Indigenous Concepts and free and Fair’Elections in East Timor. International Peacekeeping, 9(4), 69-88.
Ndulo, M., & Lulo, S. (2010). Free and fair elections, violence and conflict.