International Electoral Assistance: A Review of Donor Activities and Lessons Learned

What are the issues facing international actors when they engage in post-conflict electoral assistance? What is the impact of international assistance on democratic politics in post-conflict situations? This paper from the Netherlands Institute of International Relations (Clingendael) addresses the main aspects of elections and presents some of the recent lessons learned. The need for a sustainable approach is highlighted.

Elections are the main political mechanism for choosing governments and thus a central aspect of the process of democratisation. In post-conflict societies, competitive elections can serve not only the purpose of promoting democracy, but also of consolidating a fragile peace. International electoral assistance has become increasingly commonplace, and has taken a variety of forms. However, the results of elections in a range of post-conflict contexts are mixed. In some countries, elections clearly played a vital role in making a decisive break with the past. In others, flawed elections created more problems than they solved.