1. Background
The Coalition of Ethiopian Civil Society Organizations for Elections (CECOE) is a non-profit and non-governmental civil society organization with more than 175 member organizations. CECOE was licensed by the F.D.R.E. Authority for Civil Society Organizations (ACSO) in 2019 with registration number 4748 under the Civil Society Organizations Proclamation 1113/2019. CECOE was established with the aim of enhancing and coordinating the role of Ethiopian CSOs in election observation, voter education, preventing electoral conflicts, and providing capacity building and support for its member organizations. CECOE is a committed member of the East and Horn of Africa Election Observers Network (E-HORN), African Election Observers Network (AfEONet), a pan-African coordinating platform, and a member of the Global Network of Domestic Election Monitors (GNDEM), which connects regional networks and individual monitoring organizations across more than 88 countries worldwide. CECOE has a proven track record of success, having observed the 6th General Election of Ethiopia, the Sidama referendum, the South West Ethiopia Peoples’ Region referendum, the South Ethiopia referendum, and the referendum rerun in Wolaita Zone. CECOE has also been engaged in various advocacy activities, including advocating for electoral reforms, peacebuilding, and enhancing the participation of women in Ethiopian politics. Currently, CECOE is implementing the project titled “ Strengthening and promoting democratic processes and Peaceful Elections through Enhanced Engagement, capacity, and Awareness of Electoral Stakeholders” which is funded by the Embassy of Ireland.
The political reform process in Ethiopia, initiated in 2018, resulted in significant legislative changes, including updates to electoral law and the re-establishment of the National Election Board of Ethiopia (NEBE). NEBE organized the Sidama referendum in 2019 and the Sixth General Elections in mid-2021. However, conflicts in Tigray, Oromia, Amhara, Benishangul-Gumuz, and Afar severely impacted the 2021 elections, complicating the democratic reform process amid ongoing security challenges and the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the September 2021 elections, serious irregularities were reported in the Meskan and Mareko constituencies, including voter coercion and militia presence, leading to a decision for re-elections. Similar issues arose in the Muye Muluqe Constituency, prompting a recount due to discrepancies in voter numbers. In Jigjiga Town, coercion was reported, preventing observers from monitoring 13 constituencies, resulting in another re-election decision to ensure process integrity.
These cancellations left some seats in the Federal Parliament and Regional Councils vacant, highlighting NEBE’s challenges in ensuring a credible electoral process. In regions where the 2021 general elections didn’t take place due to security and logistical reasons and whose results were invalidated by the NEBE, specifically in the Benishangul Gumuz, Afar, Somali, and parts of Central Ethiopia, NEBE took the step of holding outstanding elections and re-runs for these areas on June 24, 2024. CECOE, in line with its mandate to observe electoral processes, was engaged in the observation of the pre-election, election day, and post-election processes by coordinating its member organizations in Benishangul Gumuz, Afar, Central Ethiopia, and Somali regions.
Following its observation, CECOE has issued a preliminary statement and has prepared a final observation report summarizing the findings and recommendations of the observation. Driven by its commitment to gather lessons from its observation projects, CECOE is seeking to hire a consultant who will assess CECOE’s observation of the June 24, 2024, outstanding and reelections.
2. Scope of Work:
The consultant will be responsible for the following tasks:
- Workshop Design and Facilitation
- Develop a detailed workshop agenda and methodology in consultation with CECOE
- Facilitate a participatory workshop employing interactive methods to identify strengths, weaknesses, challenges, and opportunities for improvement in CECOE’s election observation.
- Data Collection and Analysis
- Conduct key informant interviews with CECOE staff, partners, zonal coordinators, and observers using a semi-structured approach.
- Analyze interview transcripts, workshop outputs, and relevant documents to identify key lessons learned, considering contextual factors and emerging trends.
- Draft a comprehensive lesson-learned report
- Dissemination and Feedback
- Present key findings and recommendations to CECOE in a debriefing session, facilitating discussion.
- Incorporate CECOE’s feedback into the final report.
4. Deliverables
- Detailed workshop agenda and methodology.
- Facilitated lesson-learned workshop.
- Comprehensive lesson learned report.
5. Timeline
The consultancy will be undertaken for 10 days.
6. Required Qualifications and Experience
- MA or BA in political science, law, peace and security studies, or a related field.
- Proven experience facilitating participatory workshops and conducting qualitative data analysis, ideally within election observation or similar contexts.
- Strong understanding of election observation methodologies and best practices, including international standards and principles.
- In-depth knowledge of the Ethiopian political context and electoral system.
- Excellent written and oral communication skills in English and Amharic.
7. Application Process
Interested consultants are invited to submit their applications including:
- Business license.
- Curriculum Vitae (CV) highlighting relevant experience.
- Technical proposal outlining the proposed methodology and work plan.
- Financial proposal detailing consultancy fees and expenses.
- Sample of previous works
Applications should be submitted electronically on or before October 30, 2024
8. Contractual Arrangements:
The selected consultant will be contracted by CECOE for the duration of the consultancy. Payment will be made in installments upon satisfactory completion of deliverables as outlined in the agreed-upon contract.
