International Election Monitors Institute

Last updated April 09, 2019

The International Election Monitors Institute is an association of former Members of the United States Congress (Senate and House of Representatives), the Canadian Parliament and the European Parliament, "to provide former legislators as election observers to operate worldwide in collaboration with other democracy-building organizations".^[1]

The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the Federal Government of the United States. The legislature consists of two chambers: the House of Representatives and the Senate.

The European Parliament (EP) is the only parliamentary institution of the European Union (EU) that is directly elected by EU citizens aged 18 or older. Together with the Council of the European Union, which should not be confused with the European Council and the Council of Europe, it exercises the legislative function of the EU. The Parliament is composed of 751 members (MEPs), that will become 705 starting from the 2019–2024 legislature, who represent the second-largest democratic electorate in the world and the largest trans-national democratic electorate in the world.

History

The International Election Monitors Institute contributes to election monitoring, particularly in emerging democracies. The Institute was established in June, 2006, as a joint project of the Canadian Association of Former Parliamentarians, the United States Association of Former Members of Congress, and the European Parliament Former Members Association. The initial goal was to "establish and operate an International Election Monitors Institute, which manages a dedicated and professional program to recruit, train, and arrange for the deployment of former parliamentarians from the three organizations".^[2] In addition to election monitoring, a goal of the Institute is to "work with governmental and non-governmental partners on post-election democracy-building endeavours, in countries where the Institute has observed elections".^[2] The Institute works with other monitoring organizations, including the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the Carter Center.^[3] The Institute has offices in Washington, Brussels and Ottawa, and has endorsed the Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation.^[4]

Election monitoring is the observation of an election by one or more independent parties, typically from another country or a non-governmental organization (NGO), primarily to assess the conduct of an election process on the basis of national legislation and international election standards. There are national and international election observers. Monitors do not directly prevent electoral fraud, but rather record and report such instances. Election observation increasingly looks at the entire electoral process over a longer period of time, rather than at election-day proceedings only. The legitimacy of an election can be affected by the criticism of monitors, provided that they are themselves seen as unbiased. A notable individual is often appointed honorary leader of a monitoring organization in an effort to enhance its own legitimacy.

The Canadian Association of Former Parliamentarians (CAFP) is a non-profit organization, established by an Act of the Parliament of Canada, the membership of which is composed of former members of the Senate or House of Commons of Canada.

The United States Association of Former Members of Congress (FMC) is a non-partisan, non-profit organization of over 500 former Members of the United States Congress.

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The International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) is an international, non-profit organization founded in 1987. This Washington, D.C.-based development organization provides assistance and support for elections in new and emerging democracies. Since 1987, IFES has provided assistance in 145 countries and it currently has programs in over 20 countries throughout Asia-Pacific, Africa, Eurasia, the Middle East and North Africa, and the Americas.

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References

↑ International Election Monitors Institute, About IEMI Archived 2011-07-26 at the Wayback Machine .. Retrieved 2011-08-07.
1 2 Canadian International Development Agency, Project profile for International Election Monitors Institute. Retrieved 2011-08-09.
↑ European Parliament Former Members Association, International Election Monitors Institute. Retrieved 2011-08-09.
↑ The Electoral Knowledge Network, Endorsing Organisations - Declaration of Principles for International Electoral Observation. Retrieved 2011-08-11.

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[1] International Election Monitors Institute, About IEMI Archived 2011-07-26 at the Wayback Machine .. Retrieved 2011-08-07.

[CIDA-2] 1 2 Canadian International Development Agency, Project profile for International Election Monitors Institute. Retrieved 2011-08-09.

[3] European Parliament Former Members Association, International Election Monitors Institute. Retrieved 2011-08-09.

[4] The Electoral Knowledge Network, Endorsing Organisations - Declaration of Principles for International Electoral Observation. Retrieved 2011-08-11.