ECF-SADC

The Electoral Commissions Forum of SADC countries (ECF-SADC) is an independent organization comprising of Election Management Bodies (EMBs) in the SADC member States namely Electoral Commissions of; Angola, Botswana, DRC, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Seychelles, Tanzania, Zambia, Zanzibar and Zimbabwe. The ECF-SADC has been in place since July 1998 and operates with a structure which includes the Conference, the Executive Committee and the Secretariat. The Secretariat is hosted by the Government of Botswana in Gaborone since 2005. The Forum has played an important role in ensuring that the management of elections in the SADC countries is improved and in building the capacity of election management bodies to fulfil their roles. It is through this Forum that Election Management Bodies strengthen one another and learn from each other. The objectives of the Forum are to: - Encourage the establishment of independent and impartial Electoral Commissions in the region - Encourage the development and promotion of a democratic culture and an environment conducive to the holding of free, fair and credible elections - Encourage the development of electoral laws that adhere to regionally and internationally accepted principles of election management - Promote conducive relationships between Electoral Commissions and stakeholders through open and transparent electoral practices - Support and encourage the development of voter and civic education programmes - Facilitate access to and sharing of experiences, research and technology as well as technological information between and among Member Commissions - Support and encourage capacity building programmes of Electoral Commissions to ensure effective discharge of their mandate - Develop guidelines for alternative dispute resolution mechanisms - Establish relations with other organisations with similar objectives