1997 Summary Report of the South Pacific Electoral Administrators' Conference

Fiji
8-10 October 1997

Introduction

Background

The idea for a South Pacific electoral conference evolved over a period of several years when the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) found itself increasingly working with its counterparts in the region. In 1995 the Electoral Commissioner participated in Commonwealth Secretariat's "Workshop for Commonwealth Chief Electoral Officers in the Pacific" in Honiara. In addition, the AEC had the pleasure of hosting visitors from Papua New Guinea, Fiji, the Cook Islands, Western Samoa, and Tonga to observe the conduct of Australia's March 1996 Federal Election. These interactions proved to be most beneficial and an interest in maintaining ongoing contacts between electoral administrators was clearly indicated.

A significant catalyst was the Commonwealth Electoral Officers' Workshop where delegates formally reported that they welcomed a proposal for some arrangement for closer co-operation in the region and suggested that this be explored further. In light of these sentiments, the AEC decided to initiate a conference to pursue the concept of electoral networking in more depth.

The AEC believed that a conference would offer an opportunity for regional electoral officers to expand their knowledge of practical electoral management issues, to explore electoral challenges facing them and their counterparts, to share and consider solutions to address these challenges, to develop their awareness of the breadth of options available to effectively manage electoral administrations, and to build a mutual support structure. An on-going network or regional forum was perceived as a valuable potential outcome of meeting. In the longer term the AEC hoped, through the conference, to strengthen its bonds with its Pacific neighbours, and to help pursue Australia's broader aim of enhancing the consolidation of democracy and good governance in the region.

Consultation

The proposal was discussed with a wide variety of organisations including the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA), the New Zealand Chief Electoral Office, the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) and Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). The positive support received encouraged the AEC to progress the initiative.

At an early stage the AEC resolved that to be successful the conference must be developed and structured to best suit the needs of the participants. An extensive consultative process was therefore commenced. Electoral Offices in the region were sent a questionnaire asking if they supported the concept of the conference and its tentative objective. Their particular areas of interest, the outcomes they would want the meeting to achieve, and the key issues they would like it to address were also sought. Fiji was selected as a suitable location for the gathering, particularly given it is geographically central and is the border between Melanesia and Polynesia, and had the necessary infrastructure to support a conference.

Replies to the questionnaire were extremely enthusiastic and supportive of the conference and its objective. The high level of interest demonstrated by the written responses was confirmed by the AEC's subsequent discussions with the Chief Electoral Officers in several of the regional countries.

Content and Format

The agenda for the South Pacific Electoral Administrators' Conference was based on the key topics of interest identified by respondents to the questionnaire. These were:

• Networking.
• Voter registration.
• Training electoral staff.
• Conducting cost-effective and efficient elections.
• Voter education and information.
• Structure of electoral administrations.
• Role of an independent electoral administration.
• Counting the votes.

More generally, respondents wanted a conference which addressed operational electoral issues, and focused on practical problems facing electoral officers in the Pacific.

At the request of respondents, the Conference was designed to be very interactive, with the bulk of proceedings comprising syndicate group exercises, panel discussions, and individual country presentations. This format meant that all participants were actively involved in the conference. Participants enthusiastically volunteered to act as panel leaders/members or syndicate group leader and to present information sessions on their own country's electoral system. Interpreters were employed to enable the French speaking participants to fully engage in proceedings. The high level of involvement and the positive contributions made by the participants were pivotal to the ultimate success of the Conference.

Various exhibits comprising posters and polling place materials were set up in the Conference room for the information of participants.

Participants

A total of 40 delegates from the Pacific region attended the Conference. They came from: American Samoa (2), Australia (4), Cook Islands (2), Fiji (3 participants and 4 observers), French Polynesia (1), Guam (2), Kiribati (2), Federated States of Micronesia (2), New Zealand (3), New Caledonia (1), Niue (2), Palau (1), Papua New Guinea (2), Samoa (2), Solomon Islands (2), Tonga (2), Vanuatu (2), and Wallis and Futuna (1).

The delegates possessed direct responsibility for the conduct of elections in their countries and comprised mainly Chief Electoral Officers (or equivalents) and their deputies.

Unfortunately the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands could not send a representative due to work commitments, and Tuvulu's delegates were precluded from attending because of weather related transport difficulties.

International IDEA, which was a major sponsor of the Conference, was represented by two delegates.

Part time observers at the Conference attended from the South Pacific Forum Secretariat, the Australian High Commission in Fiji, and the United Nations Development Programme.

The names and contact details of all attendees are listed in Appendix A.

Sponsorship and Assistance

The Conference would not have been possible without the generous financial support of its sponsors: International IDEA, AusAID, the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the New Zealand Chief Electoral Office, the Australian High Commission in Fiji, and the Australian Electoral Commission.

In addition, sincere thanks are extended to the following organisations which provided invaluable support and assistance to the AEC in arranging the Conference:

• All participants of the South Pacific Electoral Administrators' Conference.
• The Supervisor of Elections Office, Suva, Fiji.
• The Electoral Commission of Fiji.
• The Pacific Regional and Multilateral Section, Australian Agency for International Development.
• The Office of Pacific Affairs and the French Polynesia and New Caledonia Desk, in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Australia.
• The Australian High Commission, Suva, Fiji.
• The Australian Consulate-General, Noumea, New Caledonia.
• The Australian High Commissions in Samoa, New Zealand, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, and Vanuatu.
• The United Nations Development Programme, Suva, Fiji.
• The South Pacific Forum Secretariat, Suva, Fiji.
• The Warwick Hotel, Coral Coast, Fiji.
• Raffles Gateway Hotel, Nadi, Fiji.

Objective

The formal objective of the conference was:

"To establish a network that will encourage the exchange of information, expansion of knowledge, and address challenges on electoral issues among Pacific countries."

It was hoped that bringing together electoral representatives from throughout the Pacific region to meet would, in itself, foster networking. In addition, it was anticipated that during the course of the conference participants might discuss the various electoral systems and their operating environments in the South Pacific region, commonly faced electoral related problems, and strategies to address them.

Outcomes of the Conference

Discussions at the Conference were wide ranging. Being the inaugural meeting, these discussions primarily focused on the features of the various electoral systems in operation in the region and the challenges confronting electoral administrators. This information gave delegates an understanding of the different structural, legislative and procedural frameworks within which their counterparts worked. As a result, the delegates were able to acquire new ideas which could be transferred to their home countries, identify colleagues with whom they could usefully network, share thoughts on resolving problems, and develop a common level of awareness of the regional situation.

Many countries produced written papers outlining their electoral system. These documents were a valuable resource for participants and offer a unique snapshot of electoral systems in the Pacific region. The papers presented at the Conference are listed at Appendix B. Copies can be obtained from Mr Alistair Legge, PIANZEA Secretariat, Research and International Services Section, Australian Electoral Commission.

Undoubtedly the information exchanged at the Conference provided a springboard for future networking within the region.

Pacific Islands, Australian and New Zealand Electoral Administrators' Network

The formal resolution endorsed by participants at the South Pacific Electoral Administrators' Conference was to form a network of electoral administrators called the Pacific Islands, Australia and New Zealand Electoral Administrators (PIANZEA) Network. It was agreed that the AEC would establish and host the Secretariat role for the network for a period of eighteen months to two years, after which time the function would be transferred to another host country.

Papers Presented to & by Participants at the South Pacific Electoral Administrators' Conference

• Conference goals and objectives.
• Opening remarks. Bill Gray, Australian Electoral Commission.
• An Electoral Administration: Who, What and Where. Peter Harris, International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance.
• Elections in Fiji. Walter Rigamoto, Supervisor of Elections, Fiji.
• American Samoa – Electoral System. Soliai T. Fuimaono, Chief Election Officer, Territory of American Samoa.
• The French Electoral System. (Elections in French Polynesia.) Robert Castellon, High Commission of the Republic of French Polynesia.
• Cook Islands' Country Presentation. Stephen M Wearing and Ngatuaine Luka Maoate, Cook Islands.
• The Electoral System in Samoa. David Fong, Chief Electoral Officer, Samoa.
• Brief Overview of the Australian Electoral System and the Australian Electoral Commission. Tim Kaisuva, Australian Electoral Commission.
• Electoral Systems of the South Pacific. Ben Reilly, International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance.
• Compilation and Maintenance of Electoral Rolls. Murray Wicks, Electoral Enrolment Centre, New Zealand Post.
• Information Kit on New Zealand's enrolment system. Murray Wicks, Electoral Enrolment Centre, New Zealand Post.
• Voter Registration in Tonga. Pita Vuki, Chief Returning Officer, Tonga.
• Voter Registration. Elizabeth M. Blas and Margret N. Duenas, Guam Election Commission.
• The Papua New Guinea Electoral System. Reuben T Kaiulo and Andrew Trawen, Electoral Commission, Papua New Guinea.
• Report to the Sixth Parliament on the 1997 National Election. Reuben T Kaiulo.
• Solomon Islands, Office of the Electoral Commission, Country Paper. John Babalu, Chief Electoral Officer, Solomon Islands.
• Information about the organisation, staff selection for electoral staff, and guidelines. Electoral Commission, Solomon Islands.
• Electoral System of New Zealand. Phil Whelan, Chief Electoral Officer, New Zealand.
• Strategies for Conducting Cost Effective and Efficient Elections – An Operational Perspective. Kay Mousley, Australian Electoral Commission.
• Conducting Cost-Effective and Efficient Elections. Elizabeth M. Blas and Margret N. Duenas, Guam Election Commission.
• The Australian Electoral Commission's Provision of Electoral Education and Information & Australia's Indigenous Peoples. Alistair Legge, Australian Electoral Commission.
• Country Paper: Republic of Vanuatu. Masing Lauru and Jeanette Bolenga, Vanuatu.
• Country Report – Niue. Togia L Sioneholo, Chief Electoral Officer, Niue.
• Country paper on the electoral system in Guam. Elizabeth M. Blas and Margret N. Duenas, Guam Election Commission.
• Structure of Electoral Administration. Elizabeth M. Blas and Margret N. Duenas, Guam Election Commission.
• The Electoral System in New Caledonia. Jean-Philippe Aubry, High Commission of Noumea.
• Networking. Bill Gray, Australian Electoral Commission.
• The Electoral System in Wallis and Futuna. Petelo Sanele Telepeni, Chief of the Bureau of Administration, Wallis and Futuna.
• Le Systeme Electoral Du Territoire Des Iles Wallis Et Futuna. (Extended version of country paper) Petelo Sanele Telepeni, Chief of the Bureau of Administration, Wallis and Futuna.
• Country paper on the electoral system in Palau. Gregorio Decherong, Office of the Election Commission, Republic of Palau.
• Short Country Paper on FSM Election. Heinrick Stevenson, National Elections, Federated States of Micronesia.
• The International IDEA Handbook of Electoral System Design. International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance.
• Voter Turnout from 1945 to 1997: A Global Report on Political Participation. International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance. International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance.
• Promoting Good Governance and Human Rights through the Aid Program. Address by the Hon. Alexander Downer MP Minister for Foreign Affairs, Australia, on 27 August 1997.
• Electoral and Political Profile of Countries Attending the South Pacific Electoral Administrators' Conference. Marnix Zwankhuizen, Australian Electoral Commission.
• Characteristics of free and fair elections. Margaret Stretton, Australian Electoral Commission.

Obtaining A Full Report

Contact the PIANZEA Secretariat to obtain a full report of the conference.

Contact details:
PIANZEA Secretariat
C/-
Australian Electoral Commission
PO Box 6172 Kingston ACT 2604
Australia
Phone: +61 2 6271 4564
Fax: +61 2 6271 4613
E-mail: alistair.legge@aec.gov.au