Promoting Transparency of Elections through Voter Awareness
July 1999 - February 2000
Funded by: International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES)/Washington
Within the framework of this project IESD:
1. Put together, published, and distributed through election commissions of various levels a «Legal Guide for Election Campaign».
2. The publication of this manual coincided with the start of the 1999 parliamentary election campaign. It served as an advisory to election commissioners, candidates, political parties, election associations and blocs and other participants of the election process.
3. In a user-friendly, easy-to-understand format the publication provided comments to newly adopted election laws and current election practices, and explained to election participants their rights and obligations.
4. The manual covered a broad range of election campaign aspects, from registration of candidates to assumption of an elective office. This Guide had been conceived of as a practical advising tool that commissioners and candidates were expected to resort to when going through many stages of the election process. The publication focused on legal implications of all steps of election campaigning limiting itself to what is allowed by the law to help the reader minimize mistakes and come to the election day without losing any of their pre-election baggage.
5. In addition, having joined its efforts with the CEC and IFES, IESD organized and conducted a seminar dedicated to the issue of televised political debating of candidates. The seminar was held in Moscow. Not only did IESD design and conduct the seminar, but it also developed training materials together with the CEC, processed results of the seminar, translated them into readable format, and distributed them using its networks.
6. To assist the CEC in their work with international observers, IESD developed a Glossary of Election Terms in collaboration with IFES. The Glossary was published shortly before the official announcement of the parliamentary election campaign. The printing was done by the CEC whereas IESD placed the document on its web site.
7. IESD developed and distributed printed and electronic materials clarifying election procedures related to candidates with criminal history. Based on the most recent publications of domestic and international legal experts, these materials serve as a reliable resource for both voters and potential candidates who have ben previously convicted of committing a crime.
8. IESD organized and conducted a panel discussion on election fraud, corruption, incumbency, and adjudication of grievances. The discussion was held in Moscow and covered both domestic and international aspects of these problems. This panel discussion was designed for election commissioners and political parties.
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