On the August 17, 2004, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) leaders adopted the “SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections.” As a member of SADC, Madagascar was a signatory to these benchmark principles, and therefore it is entirely fitting that Madagascar’s performance in relation to the future elections be measured against these
principles and guidelines.

Idasa notes that Madagascar is currently suspended from SADC. Our position is that this does not minimise the effectiveness of the Election Watch as a tool to measure progress towards a more democratic dispensation in the country.

The Electoral Institute for the Sustainability of Democracy in Africa presents a brief overview of Madagascar’s electoral system on their website.

The Election Watch is designed to aid civil society groups in Madagascar in holding governmental institutions accountable and ensuring a free and fair election.

The Election Watch is based on the SADC principles and guidelines for conducting elections. It holds countries to the standards that they originated and agreed to abide by as members of the regional community. It will be released on a quarterly basis in order to track progress towards or divergence from the SADC standard.

Please download the full report above.