Training the electoral officials and relevant stakeholders is an essential part of each election. Hence, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Lebanese Elections Assistance Project (LEAP), funded by the EU and USAID, supported the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities (MoIM) in the development and conduct of electoral procedure trainings for polling officials.
UNDP LEAP training experts assisted the MoIM in developing and implementing a cascade training in order to build the capacity of polling officials on electoral procedures. From February to April 2018, 810 sessions were conducted nationwide, and over 15,000 polling officers were trained. This training played a significant role in ensuring that election procedures are implemented in accurate and consistent ways throughout every polling station nationwide.
The sessions tackled many subjects including the opening and closing procedures of the polling station, simulation on the voting process, use of pre-printed ballots and counting procedures. In the same context, UNDP LEAP developed and distributed several training materials including guidebooks/manuals, and electoral law.
Within the same framework, the project provided support to the training of the Judges and members of the Registration Committees. The objective of the training is to enhance the participants’ knowledge on their tasks as per the new electoral law, particularly those related to the tabulation and aggregation of results, and to the electronic results management system. In addition, UNDP LEAP developed short training video clips in this regard.
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The EU-funded UNDP Lebanese Elections Assistance Project (LEAP) started its activities in October 2012 with the main objective to strengthen the institutional capacity of the national institutions and stakeholders in terms of electoral management and administration, for the conduct of credible, periodical, transparent and inclusive elections in Lebanon.
To achieve these objectives, UNDP LEAP works closely with the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities (MoIM), responsible for electoral management, administration and overall electoral operations. The project also supports other electoral stakeholders, such as the Constitutional Council, State Council, Supervisory Commission for the Election (SCE), judicial bodies and works in close cooperation with civil society organizations (CSOs). Within this context, UNDP LEAP provides electoral technical assistance and advisory support focused on: 1) management & administration of elections; 2) supervisory commission for elections; 3) voter education; 4) electoral dispute resolution; and 5) women’s participation in elections.