African nations adopt digital, social media guidelines for elections

The Association of African Election Authorities (AAEA) has launched a set of principles and guidelines aimed at getting the most out of digital and social media, while mitigating its potential harms.

The guidelines, launched on Tuesday, emphasise the dangers of social media abuse, and call for responsible use and accountability from both platform owners and users.

The launch event was attended by 16 African election management bodies (EMB) from countries that will hold elections in 2024 and 2025.

The guidelines encourage African EMBs to develop a clear and comprehensive plan for responsible social media use during election campaigns. It emphasises the critical roles governments and regulatory bodies can play in safeguarding electoral processes across Africa.

The guidelines encourage African states and regulatory authorities to refrain from imposing measures that might disrupt access to the internet.

Furthermore, they call on social media operators to treat political parties and candidates equitably and ensure that their online messaging, including that of their supporters, does not undermine electoral integrity or contravene human rights.

Speaking at the launch in Johannesburg, the AAEA president, who is also the chair of the Mozambique National Election Commission, Reverend Carlos Simao Matsinhe, said the guidelines were an invaluable resource for protecting elections integrity and credibility.

SA through grant funding by the African Renaissance and International Cooperation Fund, played an important role in developing the guidelines.

“The reality is that the political environment during elections is tense and volatile, and we should use social media with responsibility to ensure that the content we share is credible and accurate. I urge political parties that participate in robust debate on social media to uphold ethical standards and refrain from going too far in being unjust, deceptive, or hateful,” Matsinhe said.

Electoral Commission of SA chair Mosotho Moepya urged all stakeholders to play their role in ensuring that the guidelines were widely socialised and implemented, not only to increase voter confidence and trust in electoral processes, but also to ensure the deepening of democratic values.