Supporting Political Parties’ Internal Organisation & Capacity in the SADC Region

EISA is implementing a project called Supporting Political Parties’ Internal Organisation and Capacity in the SADC Region in Botswana, Lesotho and South Africa. The project will build on the successes of EISA’s previous political party support projects in these countries through consolidating and expanding the range of services and thematic content.

The project is generously funded by the Embassy of Finland in Pretoria for a period of three years (2010-2012).

New dimensions to the project

• The development of political party benchmarks and
• Technical assistance and facilitation of internal elections within parties.

The benchmarks will reflect the role which political parties play as well as address, through their own contributions, how parties in Africa ought to be institutionalized. EISA plans to develop the benchmarks by convening a series of dialogues to canvass party input for the standards and indicators comprising the benchmarks. It also hopes to host post benchmark development dialogues for discussion and popularisation with the parties.

Internal party democracy

In strengthening internal party democracy through the conduct of credible internal elections, EISA is piloting the technical expertise of its Balloting and Electoral Services Unit to facilitate elections within political parties in Botswana. Botswana was selected based on the successful marketing of this service in nearby South Africa and cost constraints.

Project objective

The specific objective of the project is to enhance the capacity and skills of parties through training, in order to provide effective social leadership in public affairs, resource mobilisation and management (fundraising), more effective gender and other marginal groups, election campaigning and poll watching for party agents at elections, public outreach, constituency relations and effective representation as well as conflict management.

Thematic content

The project comprises the following thematic content:

• Leadership and developing leadership skills
• Better Representation and Constituency relations
• Gender Representation and inclusivity of marginal groups
• Party resource management and exploring the regulatory options regarding the private and public funding of political parties
• Election Campaigning and Public Outreach
• Poll Watching
• Conflict management and Administrative and Management development.