EISA Chad
In Chad, any progress made in the field of elections and democratisation is often interrupted with the noise of fighter aircraft, tanks and other combat vehicles: the remnants of civil war attacks. However, the country is moving slowly towards peace with a gradual democratisation of its political space and increasing stability.
Through its field office in N'Djamena, EISA assists in the implementation of the peace agreement between the ruling coalition and opposition parties. EISA's activities in the country include a domestic observation capacity building project for civil society organisations and the political parties strengthening programme, part of which is the establishment of the EISA Chad political parties resource center, the first of its kind in the region.
EISA assists civil society organisations in Chad with planning, coordinating and deploying election observer missions. The organisation also provides training for long and short term domestic observers all over the country. Helping build sustainable election observer networks and coalitions is an important aspect of EISA's support so that increasingly, these groups develop a common approach to election observation, resource sharing and mutual support in carrying out their activities.
This is the first programme of its kind to be undertaken in this region of the continent. Here, the capacity of civil society organisations is still weak, particularly around involvement in the electoral process. EISA is laying the ground for a long term intervention strategy. It aims to build local capacity and address the most pressing needs for assistance from countries without a long tradition of competitive elections. This is in line with EISA's vision of an African continent where democratic governance, human rights and citizen participation are upheld in a peaceful environment.
In a country like Chad which is plagued by intractable violence and political instability, domestic election observer groups act as impartial witnesses to help prevent conflict. Well trained, professional and non partisan domestic observers ensure transparency and increase the credibility of future elections.
In 2013 EISA Chad undertook a focus group discussion meeting with the Independent Electoral Commission.