Rabat Colloquium 2005

The Rabat Colloquium -- REPORT OF THEMATIC SESSION I: "STANDARDS, STATUS AND ROLE OF POLITICAL PARTIES"

Thematic Session I: Standards, Status and Role of Political Parties

Noting that political parties are an essential component of a pluralistic democracy and fundamental partners in the building-up of States based on the rule of law, participants emphasised that political development largely depends upon national dialogue and the existence of independent, dynamic, reliable and democratic parties that enjoy appropriate guarantees protected by the law. An independent judiciary is necessary to ensure the active participation of political parties in public life.

Internal ethical codes for political parties were also suggested. Participants stressed the need for greater and more active participation of women in the life of political parties and in electoral processes, including the possibility of substantial quotas.

Participants agreed that the conditions in which the political parties practice their activities require today for them to have at their disposal substantial resources in order to develop their visibility and to attract political support for their programmes. The participants emphasised the importance of the adoption of rules regulating the financing of political parties and of electoral campaigns.

In that respect, the participants encourage States to promote citizens’ participation in political parties’ activities, including through financial support to the latter. Therefore, States are invited to give favourable consideration to providing or increasing public financial support to their national political parties. Such a financial contribution from the State should take into consideration the electoral results for each party, from which derives the importance of establishing fair criteria for the distribution of State funds among national political parties.

Parallel to public financing, private contributions – particularly donations – can be an important source of funds for political parties. However, in order not to open the door to special interest groups or some form of corruption, this source of funds should be strictly regulated, while implementing the conditions for total transparency of the accounts, controlled by an independent audit organisation and with appropriate sanctions in case of violation of those rules.

Given the above, the participants in Thematic Session I on “Standards, status and role of political parties” concluded that:

1. The development of political pluralism widely depends upon the existence of independent, dynamic and reliable political parties that are given appropriate guarantees protected by the law;

2. The promotion of political pluralism requires encouraging citizens’ participation in political parties’ activities, within the framework of a modern legal system regulating their activities;

3. States are invited to give favourable consideration to providing or increasing public financial support to national political parties and to encourage private contributions, in particular donations and membership fees;

4. Impeded access to the media, especially television, was also considered to be a crucial obstacle for the effective life and work of a political party. Governments are therefore encouraged to open public media to political parties in an equitable manner;

5. Major collaboration at the regional level is needed, as well as enhanced, international assistance in training both party members and elected parliamentarians, and staff to assist them in their daily activities. The need for greater and more comprehensive collaboration between the existing political groups was also emphasised;

6. The need to facilitate, as well as to give concrete support to the efforts for sharing experiences, lessons learned and best practices was also unanimously stressed. The partnership between the G8 and the broader Middle East and North Africa as well as the European Union, the League of Arab States and other partner countries should be aimed at encouraging positive and constructive participation of all political groups in public life;

7. The need for greater and more active participation of women in political parties and in electoral processes from the current status within a reasonable timeframe.

The Rabat Colloquium -- REPORT OF THEMATIC SESSION II: "ELECTORAL SYSTEMS, RULES AND MONITORING"

Thematic Session II: Electoral Systems, Rules and Monitoring

The participants reaffirmed their agreement with the principles on holding free and fair elections in accordance with the OSCE guiding principles. Those principles include, in particular: universality, equality, equity, secrecy, freedom, transparency and the accountability of elected officials towards the voters.

While those norms are universally accepted, they must take into consideration, during their implementation, the specificity of each electoral process and the general democratic transition in each country. An election does not exist as an isolated event that must absolutely aim at perfection, but as a step towards a country’s progress towards democracy.

The participants unanimously emphasised the importance of public participation as the essence of political pluralism. They declared that this participation is a right that cannot be restricted in any way, within the framework of the law.

Elections constitute a significant sign, among others, of the quality of a pluralist democracy. The participants agreed that it would be so desirable for people to take part in political life, that the State should actively encourage them to do so. Several kinds of measures can be implemented to that effect and each country must decide which ones they choose. Regarding those measures, the promotion of registration and the correction of errors on the electoral rolls were particularly noted, for example through use of the internet, as was voter education, a co-responsibility of Government and non-state actors.

It was noted that laws on political parties are important pre-requisites for elections, including appropriate laws that would strengthen the internal transparency of political parties, regarding their operations as well as their financing. This kind of legislative measure was considered a useful way to strengthen the process of political development.

Since any citizen has the right to participate in political life without any restrictions and within the framework of the law, the participants emphasised that effective measures should be taken in order to broaden this participation for the different components of society, particularly for young people and women, including through the use of quotas. Indeed, the disillusionment of citizens with political life was noted as a possible reason for their lack of participation in political life. The participants reaffirmed that, when granting the right to vote, no discrimination can be made between the citizens of a State based on gender, ethnicity, religion or otherwise.

The participants emphasised the crucial role of civil society and particularly of political parties, as guarantors of the electoral processes and of respect for the general norms for free and fair elections. Electoral monitoring is an important tool for promoting free and fair elections, whether international or national monitoring, as appropriate. The presence of representatives of candidates and parties is an important system for preventing fraud and manipulation and irregularities in the electoral process, from the earliest possible moment. Within that context, it is important for the parties’ representatives and other national or international observers to be aware of the complexities of the current electoral system, in order to avoid mistrust or objections. Any necessary training can be provided by national electoral organisations, if necessary in cooperation with international foundations or organisations.

Given the above, the participants in Thematic Session II on “Electoral systems, rules and monitoring”, concluded that:

1. The OSCE principles on holding free and fair elections (notably: universality, equality, equity, secrecy, freedom, transparency and the accountability of elected officials towards the voters) are recognised as general standards on that matter;

2. Strengthening civic participation is the foundation of the promotion of political pluralism. Therefore, the governmental and non-governmental actors are exhorted to encourage it actively, particularly the participation of young people and women, including, for the latter, through the adoption of substantial quotas within a reasonable timeframe;

3. Strengthening the capacity of non-state actors and, in particular, of political parties, takes on a vital importance in light of the crucial role of those actors – in dialogue with Government – within the proper progress of the electoral processes, as guarantors of respect for general norms for free and fair elections;

4. Active participation of women is a key step for democracy development in the region. Therefore, gender equality should be welcomed as a cross-cutting issue in all stages of electoral systems and necessary measures, including financial and legislative, where appropriate, should be taken and supported by benchmarking;

5. Governments should aim to guarantee the protection of civil liberties, including freedom of expression, of association and of the press, in order to ensure free, fair and transparent elections;

6. Governments are encouraged to use national and international electoral monitoring, as appropriate, to ensure the promotion of free, fair and transparent elections.

The Rabat Colloquium -- REPORT OF THEMATIC SESSION III: "ACCESS TO THE MEDIA AND POLITICAL PLURALISM"

Thematic Session III: Access to the Media and Political Pluralism

The participants emphasised the strategic role of the media in building democracy, leading public opinion against undemocratic ideas. Free, public and diverse information represents the best way to open up public space to debates that characterise democratic pluralism. In that respect, they emphasised the responsibility of all media in the promotion of democratic debate, citizens’ participation and civic education, as well as its role in promoting transparency in all spheres of social life.

Several participants, however, noted that, within the context of societies widely affected by illiteracy, State control of radio and television – which play a predominant role in the creation of public opinion – can distort democratic interaction and disrupt the level playing field between political actors. Within that context, the opening up and liberalisation of public broadcasting space in participating countries would be an asset and an additional guarantee with a view to strengthening the processes of democratic development.

By emphasising the predominant role of media in political communication and the creation of public opinion, the participants noted the perceptible evolution in the countries of the region. In particular, the increase in satellite channels has contributed to the diversification of information sources.

However, it was stressed that, despite the evolution of the media and the facilities provided by new information technologies (such as satellite television channels and the internet), national public television and radio remain essential vectors of political communication that cannot be ignored in the countries of the region, particularly within the electoral context. Therefore, it is important to take and implement measures to ensure equal access to public media and to encourage it to promote equity among different political groups.

Those measures should ideally be in keeping with the framework of a global system that protects freedom of expression, freedom of assembly and freedom of the press. In addition to political actors, journalists have the obligation to use these freedoms responsibly. On that issue, the participants emphasised the importance of strengthening the capacity of information professionals in general, at the technical level as well as at the conceptual level.

Given the above, the participants in Thematic Session III on “Access to the media and political pluralism” concluded that:

1. Free, public and diverse information represents the best way to open up the public space to debates that characterise democratic pluralism;

2. The opening up and liberalisation of public broadcasting in the countries of the region would be an asset and an additional guarantee to strengthen the democratisation process. The issue of independent media funding should also be addressed;

3. Given the strategic role of public broadcasting in the countries of the region, it would be useful to implement measures to ensure equal access to public media and to encourage the media to promote equity among different political groups;

4. The strengthening, in particular through training, of the capacity of media operators, at both the technical and conceptual levels, can contribute to enhancing the quality of the media and thus can broaden the basis of democracy;

5. Governments should allow for a credible and effective monitoring system to be established in order to assess the progress made in respect of promoting media freedom. The need to protect journalists from all forms of mistreatment should also be addressed by putting all the necessary judicial safeguards in place. There should also be a legal framework to ensure that the media operates responsibly;

6. Dialogue among governments and civil society organisations with a view to sharing experiences and exchanging best practices on media-related issues should be further encouraged and supported so that an effective partnership can be established at the national, regional and international level;

7. Governments and non-state actors in the region should devise together national strategies to identify the problems affecting media freedom and lay out comprehensive plans of action, preferably with clear timelines and benchmarks, to redress them effectively.