why free and fair electoral competition is the feature fo democracy
Answers
Explanation:
Elections and other political processes are pivotal to the quality of a country’s governance and can either greatly advance or set back a country’s long-term democratic development, as well as USG country, regional, and global foreign policy priorities.
The most fundamental principle defining credible elections is that they must reflect the free expression of the will of the people.
To achieve this, elections should be transparent, inclusive, and accountable, and there must be equitable opportunities to compete in the elections. These broad principles are buttressed by several electoral process-related obligations, as well as a number of key rights and freedoms, each of which derive from public international law. The electoral cycle approach depicts elections as a continuous, integrated process made up of building blocks that interact with and influence each other, rather than as a series of isolated events.
In designing and prioritizing its support for credible elections, USAID takes into account the degree to which the host country upholds democratic principles and standards for elections. The Agency also analyzes the country’s political dynamics and assesses the key electoral stakeholders’ level of commitment and capacities in order to promote electoral integrity. Below are some examples of USAID support to elections and political processes:
Electoral Security Best Practices Guide
Burma: USAID fostered democratic reforms through programming in four main areas: election administration, political party support, parliamentary strengthening, and civil society engagement, including citizen election observation. USAID also supported international observation of Burma’s 2015 general elections.
The Gambia: USAID and its partners supported the Gambia’s democratic transition by deploying a team of election experts ahead of 2017 parliamentary elections to assist the electoral commission. Later, USAID followed-up with a delegation of governance experts to initiate capacity building of the President’s executive team.