Election observers from two local observation, namely Association for Rights Information and Democracy (ARID) & Citizens Democracy Watch Seychelles (CDWS) groups have followed a two day refresher training under the CEPS civic education project, funded by the European Union.
The training was facilitated by two representatives from the Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa (EISA).
The training focused on various aspects, one being to acquaint observers with a more practical approach to the the election cycle, from which they are now able to identify and recognize recurring areas of conflict and dispute in the election cycle.
Participants had the opportunity of strengthening their knowledge about their roles and responsibilities as citizen observers within the electoral cycle. From this exercise, the participants got a better understanding of the areas of assessment and the roles and responsibilities of their role as citizen observers.
The second day of the training focused on strengthening the use of a checklist as part of election observation. Participants also built on their reporting skills, as well as how to draft preliminary statements, which includes the formulation of a conclusion and recommendations.
From these sessions, participants now understand the importance of reporting in election observation, the type of formats that exist and that they can use. From this session participants have also learned how to report on thematic issues of the pre and post election issues. In this particular session, members learnt more about the role of media in the electoral process, how to assess the campaign period, monitoring of party financing, complaints and appeals.
From the two day training session, participants are now equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge to
conduct effective election observation, both nationally and internationally.
Election Observers Receive Refresher Training
