[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 716 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 716

 Calling for credible, transparent, and safe elections in Nigeria, and 
                          for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            December 6, 2018

Mr. Menendez submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
                   the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Calling for credible, transparent, and safe elections in Nigeria, and 
                          for other purposes.

Whereas it is in the best interest of the United States to maintain a strong 
        bilateral relationship with a politically stable, democratic, and 
        economically sound Nigeria that can play a leadership role in the region 
        and the continent more broadly;
Whereas Nigeria has presidential elections scheduled for February 16, 2019, and 
        gubernatorial and National Assembly elections scheduled for March 2, 
        2019;
Whereas credible elections could further consolidate democratic gains achieved 
        in Nigeria over the last two decades since the transition from military 
        to civilian democratic rule;
Whereas a 2017 survey conducted by Afrobarometer found that 72 percent of 
        Nigerians agreed that democratic elections are the best means of 
        choosing their country's leaders, thus indicating that the country's 
        citizens are deeply committed to democracy;
Whereas collaboration between civil society actors and the international 
        community was a key factor that contributed to successful elections in 
        2015;
Whereas successive elections in Nigeria have featured varying degrees of 
        violence;
Whereas there have been deeply concerning instances of hate speech in Nigeria by 
        members of both the ruling coalition and the opposition inciting 
        supporters to ethnic violence as a means by which to gain electoral 
        advantage, intimidate electoral rivals, or suppress voter turnout;
Whereas, during the Ekiti and Osun gubernatorial elections in July 2018 and 
        September 2018, respectively, there were concerning incidents in which 
        some elements of Nigeria's security agencies displayed partisanship and 
        a lack of objectivity, which risks escalating tensions within the 
        country;
Whereas Nigeria's Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has improved 
        the voting process, notably through the introduction of continuous voter 
        registration, the adoption of simultaneous accreditation and voting, 
        improvements to the secrecy of the ballot, and the advancement of smart 
        card reader technology;
Whereas the statement of the September 2018 Joint National Democratic Institute/
        International Republican Institute Pre-Election Assessment Mission to 
        Nigeria cited remaining challenges and concerns such as delays in 
        finalizing the legal framework for the elections, delayed release of 
        funds for the elections, security threats in the Middle Belt and North 
        East, instances of vote-buying, and incitement to violence and 
        disinformation; and
Whereas ensuring transparency in electoral preparations and building public 
        confidence in the electoral process is vital for the success of the 
        upcoming elections in Nigeria: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) reaffirms that the people of the United States will 
        continue to stand with the people of Nigeria in support of 
        peace and democracy;
            (2) calls on the Government of Nigeria and all political 
        parties and actors to--
                    (A) take actions to facilitate elections that are 
                credible, transparent, and peaceful in order to support 
                the will of the people and advance the consolidation of 
                democracy and the stability of the broader region;
                    (B) condemn in the strongest terms the use of hate 
                speech and incitement to violence, and refrain from any 
                rhetoric or action that seeks to demonize or 
                delegitimize opponents, sow division among Nigerians, 
                or otherwise inflame tensions;
                    (C) seek to resolve any disputes over results 
                peacefully, including through the legal system as 
                necessary; and
                    (D) respect the impartiality of the Independent 
                National Electoral Commission;
            (3) calls on the Government of Nigeria to--
                    (A) refrain from deploying security forces in a 
                partisan manner;
                    (B) ensure that security services maintain the 
                highest level of professionalism and impartiality in 
                facilitating the electoral process, enable accredited 
                observers and journalists to perform their work, and 
                protect the right of citizens to exercise their votes 
                freely;
                    (C) move expeditiously to finalize the proposed 
                reforms to the legal framework for elections and to 
                ensure the disbursement of requisite funds for the 2019 
                elections; and
                    (D) enforce laws against election malfeasance, 
                including vote buying, and ensure equal and robust 
                application through such measures as the establishment 
                of the Electoral Offenses Commission and Tribunal;
            (4) urges all Nigerians to fully and peacefully engage in 
        the electoral process, insist on full enfranchisement, reject 
        inflammatory or divisive rhetoric or actions, and seek to 
        resolve any disputes over results through the legal system;
            (5) calls upon the Independent National Electoral 
        Commission to sustain confidence and trust in its management of 
        the electoral process by--
                    (A) taking concrete measures to combat vote buying 
                through voter education campaigns, enforcement of laws 
                against voter inducement, and a nationwide ban on cell 
                phones in the voting cubicle;
                    (B) releasing specimen ballots well in advance of 
                Election Day so that civil society and other electoral 
                stakeholders can conduct sufficient education to orient 
                voters;
                    (C) making adequate arrangements to ensure the 
                participation in the election of internally displaced 
                persons (IDPs); and
                    (D) taking steps to clean the voter roll and ensure 
                timely production and distribution of the Permanent 
                Voter Card to new voters;
            (6) encourages political parties in Nigeria to adhere to 
        and enforce existing codes of conduct that commit parties to 
        democratic electoral standards regarding campaign use of 
        resources, engagement of voters, peaceful resolution of 
        disputes, and acceptance of verified and credible results;
            (7) condemns any efforts on the part of any politicians or 
        political parties in Nigeria to politicize the security and law 
        enforcement agencies;
            (8) encourages civil society organizations in Nigeria to--
                    (A) promote the peaceful participation of citizens 
                in the electoral process and draw on existing inter-
                religious and peacebuilding bodies to enhance their 
                efforts;
                    (B) disseminate information about citizen-based 
                observation findings and analysis to increase public 
                knowledge and understanding about the conduct of the 
                elections; and
                    (C) continue leading important early warning and 
                response mechanisms to mitigate election-related 
                violence, including through efforts to monitor hate 
                speech and other forms of incitement, and further 
                strengthen democratic processes;
            (9) supports efforts by the Department of State, including 
        the Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations, and the 
        United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to 
        assist election-related preparation in Nigeria, including 
        through programs focused on conflict mitigation; and
            (10) calls on the United States Government and other 
        international partners, especially election-focused 
        nongovernmental organizations, to--
                    (A) continue to support efforts by the Government 
                of Nigeria to address the remaining electoral 
                preparation challenges and identify gaps in which 
                additional resources or diplomatic engagement could 
                make important contributions to the conduct of the 
                elections; and
                    (B) support civil society organizations and media 
                organizations working towards transparency and 
                accountability in the use of state resources around the 
                election period.
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