NANA-AMA ACQUAH
Major:Political Science
Faculty Mentor:William Green , Ph.D.
Research Project: National Elections Monitoring

IInternational Election Monitoring (IEM) is conducted by a variety of organizations with differing approaches and motives.  The primary purpose is to ensure that procedural safeguards are in place during a given election, which helps maintain the integrity of the electoral process. IEM evaluates the degree to which electoral procedures are in place and observed, offers recommendations for improvement if needed and provides assistance to resolve any inadequacies. Bodies typically involved in IEM are the United Nations, regional security organizations such as the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), other governments, diplomatic communities, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), political parties and labor unions, and finally domestic partisan and non-partisan groups.  Election missions generally deploy 4-6 months prior to an election to establish a basis upon which observers will be able to work.  The observers themselves can be either long-term or short-term.  The fundamental principles that are vital for any democratic election are that it be universal, free, equal, transparent, fair, secret and accountable.  IEM provides the necessary electoral safeguards but it is not sufficient to counter all the problems that arise during elections. In sum, IEM protects the international community against corrupt or dictatorial rulers claiming democratic legitimacy by manipulating elections.