<strong>for</strong> <strong>pdf</strong> 2/10/05 1:41 PM Page 34SIPA’s Tom Lansner monitors election proceedings in Nigeria.Well ahead <strong>of</strong> Nigeria’s 2003 legislative <strong>and</strong>presidential polls, the world community saw thatan election broadly accepted by Nigeria’s diversepeoples would be crucial <strong>for</strong> peace <strong>and</strong> developmentin Africa’s most populous—<strong>and</strong> enormouslyoil-rich—nation. Thous<strong>and</strong>s <strong>of</strong> people had beenkilled in recent ethnic strife. Unrest in petroleumproducingareas threatened the country’s primeexport. Teams <strong>of</strong> international election experts<strong>and</strong> observers spread throughout the country.In Enugu, our team left at dawn to visit somespots where people feared voting might go badly.In many polling places, we found eager votersqueuing, dedicated NGO poll watchers ready, butno <strong>of</strong>ficials or voting materials <strong>for</strong> that day’s legislative<strong>and</strong> gubernatorial elections. At one site,old peasant women in their colorful best dress<strong>of</strong>fered their strong <strong>and</strong> calloused h<strong>and</strong>s. Theybelieved their vote was important, they told me,but could wait only <strong>for</strong> a few hours be<strong>for</strong>e returninghome to tend to their farms <strong>and</strong> families.Later in the day, violence flared nearby <strong>and</strong>elsewhere in the state. Several people were killed.But by midday, balloting was underway in mostplaces. We visited polling stations at schools <strong>and</strong>community centers, speaking to scores <strong>of</strong> people,carefully completing observation <strong>for</strong>ms. Often,things seemed to be going well. In the earlyevening, though, we witnessed local politics at araw level. At a primary school polling place, wefound ballot boxes stuffed with more ballots thanthere were people registered, most marked withnearly identical Xs <strong>for</strong> the ruling party. An NGOpoll watcher nervously whispered that “thugs”were nearby. Then in a sudden flurry <strong>of</strong> fists <strong>and</strong>shoves <strong>and</strong> shouting, <strong>and</strong> despite a warning roundfired by our police escort, a group <strong>of</strong> young menwrestled the ballot boxes from poll workers <strong>and</strong>drove <strong>of</strong>f with them.Our experience was just one on a very complicatedelection day in a very large country. Inmany places, voting went smoothly. Allegations<strong>of</strong> fraud wove part <strong>of</strong> a tapestry that domestic<strong>and</strong> international observers examined to assess ifthe elections could be endorsed as a genuineexpression <strong>of</strong> the will <strong>of</strong> Nigeria’s peoples. Theresulting declarations were, unsurprisingly,ambivalent. Nigerians had demonstrated support<strong>for</strong> the democratic process by turning out to votein large numbers . . . but . . . .Democracy support groups will doubtlesscontinue working to improve elections inNigeria. In China, the Carter Center is helpingpromote open village elections. The EuropeanUnion sent a large election observation missionto Indonesia in 2004. And the UN is hoping toconjure a semblance <strong>of</strong> genuine elections in Iraqin January 2005.All these ef<strong>for</strong>ts recognize that sustained popularparticipation is the key to legitimate governance.Per<strong>for</strong>med properly, election support <strong>and</strong>observation is an important tool to promote thebasic right to representative government <strong>and</strong>encourages respect <strong>for</strong> other rights. But it willnever be a science, as it is by definition wrappedin both the art <strong>and</strong> possibilities <strong>of</strong> politics, local<strong>and</strong> global. And it must be remembered that eventhe most developed electoral democracies sometimesfall far short <strong>of</strong> the ideal <strong>of</strong> genuine elections,<strong>and</strong> that many nations in transition stillhave far to travel on the <strong>of</strong>ten rough road to free<strong>and</strong> fair elections.For more in<strong>for</strong>mation:Carter Center www.cartercenter.orgEuropean Institute <strong>for</strong> the Media www.eim.org/MaDP.htmEuropean Union Indonesia Mission, 2004www.id.eueom.org/<strong>International</strong> Foundation <strong>for</strong> Election Systemswww.ifes.org/elections/description.html<strong>International</strong> Institute <strong>for</strong> Democracy <strong>and</strong> ElectoralAssistance www.idea.int/<strong>International</strong> Republican Institute www.iri.orgNational Democratic Institute <strong>for</strong> <strong>International</strong><strong>Affairs</strong> www.ndi.orgUnited Nations Electoral Assistance Unitwww.un.org/Depts/dpa/ead/ea_content/ea_types<strong>of</strong>_assist.htmThomas R. Lansner, SIPA ’91, teaches internationalmedia <strong>and</strong> policy at SIPA. He has served as a consultant onelections, human rights, <strong>and</strong> democratization issues to numerousnongovernmental organizations <strong>and</strong> political parties.34 SIPA NEWS
<strong>for</strong> <strong>pdf</strong> 2/10/05 1:41 PM Page 35THEENDURINGCigarA woman smokes in the Partagas cigar factory inHavana, Cuba.By Eric CantorSIPA NEWS 35
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