Page 182 - Conducting Elections during COVID-19

164 INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCES OF CONDUCTING ELECTIONS DURING COVID-19

The IFES COVID-19 Briefing Series tackles Seven fundamental areas of concern for democracy, human
rights and governance in the wake of pandemic.
During the webinar, Dr. Daniel Zovatto, Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean of
International IDEA, delivered a presentation on democracy and elections in times of pandemic in the
region. Dr. Zovatto addressed the Latin American context and strongly suggested EMBs make concrete
plans before they decide whether to postpone their elections or not.
Three officials of the National Election Commission of the Republic of Korea (NEC ROK) shared their
experiences in managing the 21st National Assembly Elections in April when South Korea struggled
to contain the Corona virus. They explained the COVID-19 related measures taken in the elections in
South Korea and answered the pre-gathered questions from EMBs in Latin America. They pointed out
that it is important to make both voters and polling station workers feel safe in polling stations.
So far the A-WEB Secretariat has organized and participated in webinars under the theme of election
management in times of pandemic with its global partners such as United Nations Development
Programme (UNDP), Arab EMBs, and the Association of European Election Officials (ACEEEO).
The A-WEB Secretariat also hosted a Webinar on Election Observation during COVID-19. Experts from
the Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) and the Organization of American States (OAS) spoke
on their extensive experience in organizing observation missions.
ANFREL COVID-19 Risk Mitigation Strategy

Prior to deployment in the host country:
• Observers were selected in priority from lower-risk countries with little or no local transmission
of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
• Direct flight routes were preferred when available.
• Coordination with local authorities was critical, as the observers and staff need to comply with
applicable travel restrictions (e.g. mandatory quarantine or COVID-19 PCR testing).
Once in the host country:
• There was a strong emphasis on social distancing and hand washing.
• All observers and staff were required to wear face masks in public.

• All were required to maintain a detailed journal of their daily activities for contact tracing purposes.
• The health of our observers and staff was closely monitored in cooperation with healthcare
professionals.

In practice: the example of Sri Lanka
• After two postponements, the country held its parliamentary elections on August 5 (originally
scheduled for April 25).
• ANFREL initially intended to send a full-fledged international election observation mission but
had to revise its plans in light of the challenges.
• Then it prepared for a downsized mission, with observers who would go through quarantine upon
arrival. Despite collaboration with the Election Commission and MFA, the absence of flights was
an obstacle.

• ANFREL is now running an election assessment with experts conducting remote interviews.
Volunteers based in Sri Lanka will collect data in polling stations and counting centers.