TEMCO values

In the conduct of its activities, TEMCO is guided by the following cardinal values

  1. Political impartiality
  2. Integrity (honest and trustworthiness)
  3. Transparency
  4. Objectivity
  5. Diligence to duty
  6. Professionalism
  7. Accountability
  8. Legality

 

CODE of conduct for TEMCO election observers

  1. Observers are obliged to observe and comply with all laws, regulations and guidelines governing and guiding elections, as enacted or otherwise issued by the Election Management Bodies, i.e. The National Electoral Commission (NEC) and Zanzibar Electoral Commission (ZEC);
  2. Observers will carry any prescribed identification issued by the Electoral Management Bodies, NEC or ZEC and will identify themselves to any authority upon request. They will also be required to dress in TEMCO observers’ apparel;
  3. Observers shall at all times during the currency of this agreement maintain strict neutrality and impartiality in the conduct of their duties and will at no time publicly express or exhibit any bias or preference in relation to national authorities, parties or candidates, or with reference to any issues in contention in the election process;
  4. Observers are prohibited from making personal comments about their observations to the media. Observers are strictly forbidden from speaking to the media regarding the substance of their observations and findings. TEMCO Chairman and Head of Election Observation mission or deputy head of election observation mission may make substantive comments to the media;
  5. Observers will undertake their duties in an unobtrusive manner and will not interfere in the electoral process. TEMCO observers may raise questions with election officials and bring irregularities to their attention, but they must not give instructions or countermand their decisions;
  6. Observers will base all conclusions on their personal observations or on clear and convincing facts or evidence;
  7. All information and documents arising from the observers' work must be held in confidence and communicated only to TEMCO;
  8. Observers must not conduct any activity that could be reasonably perceived as favoring or providing partisan gain for any political competitor;
  9. Observers will not take any unnecessary or undue risks. Each observer’s personal safety overrides all other considerations;
  10. Observers will exhibit the highest levels of personal discretion and professional behaviour at all times;
  11. Observers will attend all required TEMCO meetings and debriefings and adhere to the deployment plan and all other instructions provided by the TEMCO;
  12. Observers should present themselves in proper manner, dress formally and reflect the good standing of TEMCO at all times;
  13. Observers will remain on duty throughout Election Day, and will observe the entire election day processes, including opening of the polling station, security, polling, vote counting and tabulation as well as declaration of the results; and
  14. Any absence from duty without reasonable cause from the constituency shall constitute ground for dismissal.

General and specific objectives of TEMCO’s monitoring activities

The general objective of TEMCO’s Monitoring activities is to build practical local capacity in elections, a key institution for competitive multiparty political systems. Thus, the specific objectives of TEMCO include:

  1. To observe the entire electoral process, including constituency setting, registration of voters, nomination of candidates, campaigning, voting, vote counting and assessing of the final election results;
  2. To observe and assess the fairness of the administration of the elections in general, especially the impartiality of the legal infrastructure (the electoral law, regulations and directives), the electoral machinery, namely the National Electoral Commission (NEC) and the Zanzibar Electoral Commission (ZEC) and supporting state institutions and instruments of law and order;
  3. To assess the fairness in the allocation and use of relevant state resources by the contending political parties, especially state subsidies and public media (government radio, television and newspapers);
  4. To assess the extent to which all factors considered, the elections results can be said to have been free and fair; and
  5. To take stock of the major lessons that can be learned from the elections with a view to improving electoral efficacy and fairness in the future.

 

Scope of election observation

TEMCO shall strive to observe the entire electoral cycle, specifically it shall observe:

  1. Delimitation of electoral boundaries
  2. Registration of voters and voter register updating process
  3. Intra-party nominations
  4. Campaigning
  5. Polling
  6. Vote counting and results aggregation
  7. Declaration of results
  8. Complaints and appeals processes
  9. Immediate post-election reactions

 

TEMCO CERTIFICATES AWARDED TO ELECTORAL PROCESSES

 

Marks

 

Grade

 

Description

 

Certificate awarded

 

0%

 

F

An election (or electoral step) which has failed totally in terms of management, compliance with electoral rules, code of conduct and fairness; and therefore it does not come to normal finality.

 

 

 

ABORTED ELECTION

 

1%-39%

 

E

An election (or electoral step) with so many managerial problems and irregularities that most major stakeholders (voters, candidates, parties) reject or are likely to reject the final results.

 

 

TOTALLY MISMANAGED ELECTION

 

40%-49%

 

D

The election process has acts of violence, intimidation, favouritism, corruption, etc.

 

UNFREE AND UNFAIR ELECTION

 

50%-59%

 

C

The election permits free participation of stakeholders (voters, candidates, parties, others), but there are many instances where bigger parties (or especially the ruling party) break the rules with impunity.

 

FREE BUT NOT FAIR ELECTION

 

60%-79%

 

B

An election (or electoral step) which is generally free and fair, but still has short-comings which work against fortunes of some stakeholders (voters, candidates, parties, etc.).

 

 

QUALIFIED FREE AND FAIR ELECTION

80%-100% A An election with only a few short-comings which do not affect the overall results CLEAN, FREE AND FAIR ELECTION