Electoral Dispute Resolution Advisor

He or she will work under the supervision of the Support to Zambia's Electoral Cycle 2015-17 (SZEC) Programme Manager. The Dispute Resolution Advisor will design, coordinate, and implement the strategies, and mechanisms necessary to implement an effective dispute resolution mechanism at national and sub-national levels which will contribute to the credibility and peacefulness of the electoral process on polling day and during the second round, should there be one. 

The Dispute Resolution Advisor (DRA) will ensure that current dispute resolution mechanisms have the potential to be effective and respond rapidly to emerging situations.  Of particular importance will be the composition of the Dispute Resolution Committees (DRCs) themselves, ensuring that all key relevant stakeholders are represented; thereafter, it will be vital to review the Terms of Reference of the DRCs to see whether there are any issues which need to be added, re-prioritised or reviewed in those TORs. Furthermore, it is critical to establish or strengthen existing links between the DRCs and the judiciary and to the police for the cases where the DRCs decide that follow-up action is required.  The DRCs at both national and subnational levels need to have a clear mandate that is understood by the judiciary and on how cases will be handled that need to be passed on.

In performing his or her tasks, the DRA will need to be very familiar in the relevant legal frameworks, such as the Public Order Act (currently being reviewed), the Electoral Act and the recently modified Constitution. The DRA will also examine lessons learned from past electoral events and try to introduce corrective or improving measures.