Johannesburg, South Africa

The fourth symposium of the Electoral Institute of Southern Africa (EISA) is being held under the theme Preventing and Managing Violent Election Related Conflicts in Africa: Exploring Good Practices. It will focus upon the problem of persistent, violent election-related conflicts in Africa with a view to understanding their causes, magnitude, and consequences for democratic governance. According to the organisers, the conference will explore ways in which these conflicts can be prevented, managed, and resolved and, in the process, share best practices from across the continent.

The specific objectives of the symposium are to:

• provide a platform for dialogue on elections and conflict among key stakeholders in Africa, highlighting best practices and challenges;
• share best practices for the prevention, management, and resolution of election related conflict and propose appropriate electoral reforms;
• explore alternative, constructive mechanisms to complement what already exists in various African countries in managing election disputes and violent conflicts;
• review the intervention strategies of continental inter-governmental bodies in handling election disputes and conflicts and propose reforms where appropriate;
• review the intervention strategies of international development partners (donors) assisting African states in dealing with election disputes and conflicts; and
• disseminate the symposium proceedings throughout Africa and beyond through press releases, internet, and other publications.

Click here for more information about the symposium.

The symposium is designed for representatives of election management bodies, government executives, judiciary and legislative branches, political parties, civil society organisations (CSOs), the media, the donor community, development agencies, the African Union Commission, Pan African Parliament, the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), regional economic communities, academia, the United Nations, and other international actors. For more information about the symposium, contact the organisers below.