[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Con. Res. 1 Referred in House (RFH)]

<DOC>






116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. CON. RES. 1


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 19, 2019

              Referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


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

Whereas it is in the national 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 and National Assembly elections scheduled for 
        February 16, 2019, and gubernatorial and state-level elections scheduled 
        for March 2, 2019;
Whereas credible, transparent, and peaceful elections could further consolidate 
        democratic gains achieved in Nigeria since the transition from military 
        to civilian democratic rule;
Whereas a 2017 survey conducted by Afrobarometer found that the overwhelming 
        majority 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 both the ruling coalition and opposition parties have incited ethnic 
        violence in an apparent effort to gain electoral advantage, intimidate 
        electoral rivals, and 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 taken 
        important steps to improve electoral processes, 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 remaining challenges to the conduct of credible, transparent, and 
        peaceful elections in Nigeria include the failure to enact additional, 
        critical reforms to the legal framework for elections, instances of vote 
        buying, reported security threats in the Middle Belt and North East, 
        incitement, and disinformation; and
Whereas ensuring transparency in electoral preparations and building public 
        confidence in the electoral process is vital to the success of the 
        upcoming elections in Nigeria: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring), 
That Congress--
            (1) reaffirms the commitment of the United States to 
        supporting peace and democracy in Nigeria;
            (2) calls on the Government of Nigeria and all Nigerian 
        political parties and actors to--
                    (A) take actions to facilitate credible, 
                transparent , and peaceful elections that reflect 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 
                speech that incites violence, and refrain from efforts 
                to demonize or delegitimize opponents, sow division 
                among Nigerians, or otherwise inflame tensions;
                    (C) seek to resolve any disputes over results 
                peacefully, including through judicial processes as 
                necessary;
                    (D) respect the impartiality of the Independent 
                National Electoral Commission; and
                    (E) take measures to combat vote buying;
            (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; and
                    (C) enforce laws against election malfeasance, 
                including vote buying, and ensure equal and robust 
                application of such laws through appropriate 
                mechanisms, including through the establishment of an 
                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 taking effective measures to--
                    (A) combat vote buying through voter education 
                campaigns;
                    (B) institute a nationwide ban on cell phones in 
                the voting cubicle;
                    (C) ensure the participation in the election of 
                internally displaced persons (IDPs); and
                    (D) clean the voter rolls 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 activities to mitigate election-related 
                violence, including monitoring efforts to incite 
                violence or further inflame tensions;
            (9) supports efforts by the Department of State and the 
        United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to 
        assist elections preparations 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 
                credible, transparent elections; and
                    (B) support civil society organizations and media 
                organizations working to enhance transparency and 
                accountability in the use of state resources around the 
                election period.

            Passed the Senate February 14, 2019.

            Attest:

                                                JULIE E. ADAMS,

                                                             Secretary.