Electoral Management Bodies met in Spain, 16-19 September 1999

Press Release:

Electoral Management Bodies met in Spain, 16-19 September 1999

Cordoba, 16 September 1999 -- Sixty-five top election managers, administrators, and experts from 30 countries gathered in Cordoba, Spain 16 to 19 September 1999 to attend the fifth annual meeting of the Electoral Management Bodies organized by the International IDEA.

The participants, some who head election commissions in countries as diverse as Canada, Guatemala, Mexico, Namibia, Nepal, Nigeria, Philippines, Spain, South Africa, Thailand, and Uruguay shared experiences, network and discussed the many challenges facing the management of elections today.

They debated issues such as challenges in voter registration, the functioning and funding of political parties, how to manage change in election management, electoral disputes, the media and elections, and the relationship between election bodies and domestic and international observers.

Among the top election officials were: Felix Marin Leiva, Deputy Director of Elections, Spain, Ignacio Astarloa Huarte-Mendicoa, International IDEA Board member and former Secretary of the Central Election Commission, Spain, Orlando Solano Barcenas, President of the Election Commission, Colombia, Bill Gray, Electoral Commissioner, Australia, Jean-Pierre Kingsley, Chief Electoral Officer, Canada, Felix Castillo Milla, President, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal, Guatemala, Thoko Mpumlwana, Electoral Commissioner, South Africa, Moshood Oluwole Ojikutu, National Commissioner, Independent Electoral Commission, Nigeria, Carlos Urruty, Electoral Commissioner, Uruguay, Carlos Valenzuela, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, United Nations Mission in East Timor and Jose Woldenberg, President Councillor, Instituto Federal Electoral, Mexico.

Other participants included: Jose Ramon Onega Lopez, Director-General, Ministry of Interior, Spain, Bengt Säve-Söderbergh, Secretary-General, International IDEA, Carina Perelli, Director, Electoral Assistance Division, the United Nations, and Elsa Fenet, election official, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.

International IDEA (International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance) was founded in February 1995. The Institute’s overall objective is to promote and advance sustainable democracy world-wide and to improve and consolidate electoral processes. To date, Members are Australia, Barbados, Belgium, Botswana, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Denmark, Finland, India, Namibia, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, the Inter-American Institute of Human Rights, the International Federation of Journalists, the International Press Institute, Parliamentarians for Global Action, and Transparency International. The Institute also has co-operative agreements with the Inter-American Development Bank, the International Commission of Jurists, the Inter-Parliamentary Union, and the United Nations Development Programme. Switzerland also contributes to the work of the Institute.