ECOWAS Parliament Seeks Members’ Involvements In Electoral Processes, Others

By Linda Ike

The ECOWAS Parliament Joint Committee on Political Affairs, Peace and Security and APRM, Legal Affairs and Human Rights, Social Affairs, Gender and Women Empowerment has charged the ECOWAS member states on the need to get involved in securing electoral processes.

This was the recommendations at the closing session of the Delocalised meeting held in Banjul, Gambia .

Co-Chairman of the Joint Committee, Ayamba Laadi Ayii read the committee recommendations which runs thus:

“ECOWAS states should get involved without delay in securing the electoral processes particularly through programmes aimed at preventing contemporary cyber attacks.

“Undertake in collaborations with ECOWAS Commission and appropriate processes to harmonise the constitutions and electoral laws as well as the legislation and grant political parties the right to demonstrate freedom of opinion and of the press.

“The status of arm of the security forces, the fight against corruption and women representation with relevance provisions of the protocol on democracy and good governance and those of protocol on the fight against corruption to ensure greater consolidation on democratic and republican values in member states .

“ECOWAS states should provide the national human rights commissions with the necessary resources to effectively carry out their mandate as well as legal guarantees to ensure the independence of their members,” it stated.

” ECOWAS states should adopt concrete measures to encourage the political stakeholders to ensure increased political representation of women in accordance with the ECOWAS community policy .

“Adapt or harmonise National Legislation so as to incorporate the relevance element of the ECOWAS counter terrorism strategy and the ECOWAS integrated maritime strategy .

“Adapt a concrete strategy for monitoring the implementation of these community texts by member states in such a way as to periodically assess the level of harmonization and or domestication as well as the challenges and the appropriate measures to address any constrains .

“Involve the parliament more closely through inter-institutional partnership in activities aimed at informing and sensitizing the authorities of member states on the challenges associated with the implementation of community texts on peace and security , democracy , good governance such as the protocol on democracy and good governance and the protocol on the fight against corruption ,” the committee stated.