Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2000. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Over the past three decades the practice of international election observation has
shifted its focus from elections taking place within a decolonialisation context, to
those in independent, but formerly undemocratic, states. The latter accepted the
presence of international observers with some reservation, citing the contention
that observation amounted to an infringement on national sovereignty. The
demise of the former East Block, however, established the primacy of the liberal
democratic ideology in world politics, leaving these states with a limited choice
between democratisation and isolation.
Pro-democracy supporters in former authoritarian countries embraced the
change in ideological climate. Realising the lack of capacity and trust to run
elections by themselves, they generally supported the presence of international
observers in elections of states emerging from prolonged periods of
authoritarianism. Over the past decade this affinity with international missions
has been transformed into skepticism. Three primary reasons for this
disenchantment have been the apparent lack of electoral standards,
uncoordinated observer missions and failure to convince voters of their
impartiality.
This assignment represents a scholarly attempt to evaluate the contributions of
international election observers to South African elections. On a theoretical level
it addresses the three criticisms against foreign observation. Drawing on the vast
body of international literature, the author suggests three countermeasures.
These suggestions, aimed at enhancing the contributions of international
observer consist of: 1) a greater consideration for the political context within
which an election takes place; 2) the pooling of international observer capacity
and 3) more scope to, and cooperation with, local observer groups. Each of
these measures is transferred to the South African electoral reality to establish
the extent of their application in this practical context. With regard to the first proposal the author finds that clear consideration has
been given to contextual factors in both elections. An assessment of the quality
of coordination of international observer groups also indicates that the practice of
pooling resources have been employed with success by a number of missions. In
this field the U.N. played a leading role. Cooperation between international
observers and their local counterparts is however an aspect that has been
lagging behind. The opportunity for capacity building, a significant benefit of
such cooperation, has therefore to a large extent been lost. In the light of this,
and the uncertainty of future international involvement, the author asserts that in
future South Africans will increasingly be dependent on the cultivation of
homegrown capacity. He therefore believes that initiatives such as the creation of
the SADC Electoral Forum in 1998 are commendable and should be
encouraged. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die fokus van internasionale verkiesingwaarneming het in die loop van die laaste
drie dekades wesenlik verskuif van die tradisionele dekolonisasie
verkiesingskonteks, na waarneming binne onafhanklike state waar die
omskakeling van outoritêre na demokratiese regeringsvorms redelik onlangs
plaasgevind het. Laasgenoemde state moes waarnemers, en die verkiesings wat
waargeneem is, met voorbehoud aanvaar. Die alternatiewe was egter beperk.
Die val van die voormalige Oosblok en die gevolglike triomf van die liberale
demokrasie, het ondemokratiese state met 'n eenvoudige keuse gelaat: hervorm
of staar isolasie in die gesig.
Pro-demokratiese groepe in voormalige outoritêre state het die nuwe klimaat van
politieke vryheid verwelkom. In die besef dat nuwe demokrasieë waarskynlik nie
oor die nodige ervaring en wedersydse vertroue binne die bevolking beskik om
verkiesings volkome te laat vlot nie, is buitelandse bystand - met inbegrip van
internasionale waarneming - deur dié groepe verwelkom. In die afgelope dekade
het die positiewe konnotasie aan internasionale verkiesingswaarneming egter in
gedrang gekom. Drie kernredes hiervoor was die skynbare gebrek aan
universele verkiesingstandaarde, swak georganiseerde waarnemer afvaardigings
en 'n algemene gebrek om hul motiewe bo verdenking te plaas.
Die sentrale oogmerk van hierdie werkstuk is die evaluasie van die bydraes
gemaak deur internasionale verkiesingswaarnemers in die twee Suid-Afrikaanse
verkiesings van 1994 en 1999. Op 'n teoretiese vlak is die drie bogenoemde
gebreke aangespreek, en na raadpleging van internasionale literatuur oor die
onderwerp is drie teenmaatreëls geidentifiseer. Hierdie aktiwiteite, gemik op
meer effektiewe internasionale betrokkenheid bestaan uit: 1) groter aandag wat
geskenk moet word aan politeke konteks; 2) die kombinering van internasionale
waarnemer vaardighede vir beter resultate, en 3) groter klem wat gelê moet word
op samewerking tussen nasionale en internasionale waarnemers. Elkeen van hierdie vereistes is oorgedra na die Suid-Afrikaanse verkiesingskonteks om vas
te stel tot watter mate dié gebruike in Suid-Afrika wortel geskied het.
Wat betref die eerste voorstel met betrekking tot konteksgebonde evaluasie, is
daar vasgestel dat dit wel deel was van internasionale waarnemer praktyk in
beide verkiesings. 'n Waardeskatting van die koordinasie van internasionale
waarnemingsgroepe dui verder daarop dat samewerking tussen
waarnemergroepe oor die algemeen bygedra het tot 'n versterking van
inisiatiewe deur internasionale waarnemers. Op hierdie gebied het die Verenigde
Nasies veral 'n sleutelrol gespeel. 'n Aspek wat egter agterweë gebly het, is die
vlak van samewerking tussen internasionale waarnemers en hul Suid-
Afrikaanse eweknieë. Hier is 'n waardevolle geleentheid verspeel om die
kapasiteit van plaaslike verkiesingswaarnemers te versterk. Dit, en die feit dat
toekomstige internasionale teenwoordigheid in die toekoms nie 'n sekerheid is
nie, sal volgens die skrywer, beteken dat Suid-Afrikaners in die toekoms
toenemend aangewese sal wees op die ontwikkeling van eie kapasiteit. In die lig
hiervan moet inisiatiewe soos SAOG se nuutgestigte Verkiesingsforum
verwelkom en aangemoedig word.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/51768 |
| Date | 03 1900 |
| Creators | Hofmeyr, Jan Hendrik |
| Contributors | Kotzé, H. J., Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences. Dept. of Political Science. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | en_ZA |
| Detected Language | Unknown |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 100 p. |
| Rights | Stellenbosch University |
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