KMF/CNOE: entrust the whole electoral process to the CENI

According to the CNOE, locally standing for National Electoral Observation Committee, tasks, means and personnel, everything required by the organization of the vote have to be entrusted to the CENI, locally standing for national independent electoral Commission. This influential civilian society member, as a matter of fact as relevant in electoral as in political issues, has just completed a consultation of its assembly through meetings held in December 2009. The CNOE has presence in 20 regions out of 22. The committee is going to put its proposals to the reform of the electoral system, in response to the Interior Ministry’s invitation to the national task meeting to be held on January 06th and 07th, 2010 in Ivato.  

“The CENI must endorse the responsibilities until now entitled to the Interior ministry and to the CNE, standing for national electoral Council “, stated the president of the KMF/CNOE. Ernest Razafindrabe emphasized that the new institution is supposed to organize and manage the whole electoral process. The CNOE even means this small independent institution supposedly free from political influence to become a potential promoter of the national conference aiming at reforming Madagascar’s political life. The committee is, thereupon, longing for a fully emancipated CENI whose assignments and prerogatives are free from any outer influence, governmental control included, from scratch.  

The CNOE is putting forth proposals to be confronted with those from the CNE and the Interior Ministry. According to Ernest Razafindrabe’s explanations, the CENI would have to be granted a national structure whose branches would reach regions and districts. A decision making organ made of law makers, reporters, as well as civilian society’s representatives and so on, would be going to rule the institution at national level. Regional representations would make the main source of proposals. “We have to professionalize the organization of elections “, energically emphasized the president of the CNOE. This committee proposed technicians to be entrusted the job on the ground as employees of the CENI.  

As far as the CNOE is concerned, the reform of Madagascar’s electoral system proves to be complicated. “Electoral databases have to be written anew and not only updated”, explained Ernest Razafindrabe. “It means that the previous and latest electoral register must no more be held in account, and it consequently hints the conduct of a new census “. Such a task would not far too large for the CENI without the Interior Ministry’s contribution. The issue is the determination of who works for whom. In any case, the CNOE is longing to confide the whole electoral process to the CENI, including the establishment of the new registers of voters.  

CNOE members produced concrete propositions by calling upon the assignment of the organization of transparent, free and fair elections to the CENI. The electoral Commission must have a say on propaganda funds, either on their origin or on their amount, and make sure that voters are not corrupted by gifts from candidates. The control of the media propaganda is not a scoop. The true stake will be the preservation of a certain balance on all channels and not only on public waves.   

The CNOE longed for the comparison of polls’ report to be systematically conducted. The CENI would have to signal any vote cancellation. The Chief of Staff of the KMF/CNOE, Bruno Rakotoarison estimated that “the elections’ date must match those of the CENI stucturation”. For political reasons, Andry Rajoelina put the carriage ahead. The setting up of the electoral Commission would be tackled, or not, in function or the run of March 20th, 2010’s events, that is to say the legislative elections. Be it only for convenience and technical reasons, no wonder the HAT wants to restrict the CENI’s role in this first vote organized by de facto authorities!