About us

The European Centre for Electoral Support (ECES) is a Brussels-based non-profit private foundation with a global purpose. ECES promotes sustainable democratic development through the provision of:

• advisory services and operational support for the implementation of electoral cycles in favour of electoral management bodies and international-regional organisations; and
• capacity development at country, regional and global levels through facilitating peer reviews, the exchange of experiences, south-south collaboration and leadership development.

When acknowledging the cyclical nature of electoral processes, support to elections must be embedded in the wider democratic development framework. Therefore, ECES works in close collaboration not only with electoral management bodies, but also with national parliaments, political parties, media, justice institutions and civil society organisations of partner countries. Furthermore, ECES emphasises the importance of bringing on-board local and regional expertise and organisations to ensure the successful implementation of programmes and projects.

Launching of ECES

ECES was launched during the European Development Days on the 6th December 2010. ECES Chair Person Prof. Apollinaire Muholongu MaluMalu was invited to participate in the EDD Panel on Democracy and Human Rights: Clichés, Hopes and Cynicism – Lessons from 15 Years of EU Support, organized by the European Commission, the European Parliament, the United Nations and l’Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie. The Panel Keynote Address was delivered by Morgan Tsvangerai, Prime Minister of Zimbabwe and moderated by former CNN anchor women Tumi Makgabo.

The other distinguished panelists included:

• Thijs Berman, Member of the Development Committee, European Union Chief Observer to Afghanistan and Ethiopia
• Filippo Grandi, Commissioner-General, United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East
• Eva Gamboa, National Council of Indigenous Women, Argentina
• Gérard Latortue, Former Prime Minister of Haiti, Head of OIF Missions to the Ivory Coast, Togo and Gabon.