Analysing Ethiopia’s Adherence with the Guidelines on Access to Information and Elections in Africa: A Spotlight on the 2021 National Election
Posted: 8 July, 2024 Filed under: Reda Benkhadra, Yeabsira Teferi | Tags: Access to Information, African Charter on Human and People’s Rights, African Commission, democracy, elections, electoral boundaries, Electoral Proclamation, Ethiopia, Guidelines on Access to Information and Elections in Africa, June 2021 national elections, National Electoral Board of Ethiopia, NEBE Leave a comment
Author: Yeabsira Teferi
Lecturer of law, School of Law, Dilla University, Ethiopia
Introduction
A fundamental element of democracy is the freedom to choose political leaders through elections. As envisaged under Article 13 of the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights (the African Charter), for elections to be free, fair and credible, the electorate must have access to information at all stages of the electoral process.
The Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression, a special mechanism established by the African Commission, with the specific mandate of monitoring member states’ compliance with article 9 of the African Charter adopted the Guidelines on Access to Information and Elections in Africa (hereinafter, the Guidelines), in 2017.[i] The Guidelines provide directions on access to information in the electoral process as a means of strengthening democratic governance in Africa and specifically incorporates the principle of proactive disclosure of information. The principle of proactive disclosure requires that those who hold information of public interest must routinely provide such information to the public even without being requested to do so.
A Decade of Constitutionalised Right to Access Information in Morocco: Reflections on the Progress and Challenges
Posted: 3 July, 2024 Filed under: Reda Benkhadra | Tags: biennial anti-corruption plan, chafafiya.ma, Commission for the Right to Access Information, constitutionalisation, ight to access information, International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, legislative framework, Model Law, Morocco, politico-militant sphere, Press and Publishing Law, Protection of Personal Data, right to access administrative records, right to information 1 Comment
Author: Reda Benkhadra
Researcher
Originally limited and considered as a right to access administrative records, the right to information has evolved over time to become a key element in strengthening good governance and institutional transparency. By endorsing foundational texts such as Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and Article 10 of the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), member states have committed to advancing the recognition of this right. In fact, the UNCAC calls upon state parties to take appropriate measures in accordance with their domestic laws to ensure the right to information and facilitate its access.
AfricLaw 