Africa-Press – Mozambique. STAKEHOLDERS have emphasised the importance of educating youth to participate in elections and political processes in order to maintain free, fair, and credible elections.
They stressed the importance of women and marginalised groups such as people with disabilities running for leadership positions in their communities and participating in the election process.
The issues were raised yesterday in Dar es Salaam at the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region and the United Nations (ICGLR – UN) workshop on enhancing the integrity and inclusivity of electoral processes in ICGLR member states.
Dr Denis Banshimiyubusa, Lecturer and Researcher in Political Science at the University of Burundi, said in his keynote address that electoral bodies must educate youth about importance of the election process.
“Some youths have lost faith in politics and do not trust elections or political actors; they see politics as a dirty business and politicians as liars,” he stated.
Dr Banshimiyubusa went on to say that for political systems to be significant, all segments of society must be represented.
He said when young people are disenfranchised or disengaged from political processes, a sizable portion of the population has little or no say or influence in decisions that affect the lives of group members.
“To make a long-term difference, it is critical that youths participate in formal political processes and have a say in shaping today’s and tomorrow’s politics,” he said.
According to him, inclusive political participation is not only a fundamental political and democratic right, but it is also critical to the development of stable and peaceful societies and policies that address the specific needs of younger generations.
He stated that other groups, such as opposition parties, women, and people with disabilities, must be included in the elections and political processes.
The UN, National Electoral Commission (NEC), and ICGLR organised the four-day workshop, which was attended by representatives from electoral bodies of member states as well as the European Union, East Africa Community (EAC), and Africa Union.
ICGLR was established based on the recognition that political instability and conflicts in member states which are Angola, Burundi, Central African Republic, Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania and Zambia.
Mr Zlatan Milii, the UN Resident Coordinator in Tanzania, stated that some of the factors that can help to create confidence in an electoral process and enhance the credibility, integrity, and peacefulness of elections include mitigating zero-sum politics, pursuing dialogue and consensus in setting the “rules of the game,” including issues around electoral system design or reform.
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