The ALN Executive Committee (ALN ExCom) met in Nairobi from 3 – 6 September to discuss a range of important issues for the network including the upcoming General Assembly. In attendance were ALN President Olivier Kamitatu, Vice President for Central Africa Medard Mulangala, VP for East Africa Rosemary Machua and VP for Southern Africa Stevens Mokgalapa, Iain Gill from the Liberal Democrats and Hubertus von Welck of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation. The ExCom was hosted by Rosemary Machua and the Orange Democratic Movement, the main opposition party in Kenya and a key member of the ALN. After two full days of productive meetings, the ALN ExCom held a press conference attended by wide range of media including Aljazeera and the Kenyan Broadcasting Cooperation.

The newly elected Executive Committee is pleased to announce that they will be holding their first meeting of the year in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, from 25 – 27 2015. As well as discussing the strategic plan for the Network for 2015-2016, the Executive will participate in a number of high level meetings with colleagues from the local member party, Rassemblements Des Republicains (RDR).
 
 

WEST AFRICA
SENEGAL

1. The ALN is concerned about the freedom and human rights situation in Senegal. It supports all political and civil society organisations working towards the principle of and respect for the separation of powers and independence of the judiciary.
2. The ALN condemns any form of manipulation of justice and the setting up of exceptional (emergency/special) courts. At the same time, the ALN denounces the failure of the Senegal government to respect the decision of the ECOWAS Court of Justice in the case between the State of Senegal and certain liberal senior political leaders banned from leaving the country.

MALI

1. The ALN supports the resolutions of the United Nations, the African Union and ECOWAS in favour of the non-partition of Mali.
2. The ALN calls upon armed groups to lay down their arms.
3. The ALN denounces and condemns all forms of terrorism in Northern Mali.
4. The ALN encourages and supports the negotiations underway in Algeria with the support of the international community.

BURKINA FASO
With respect to Burkina Faso, the Africa Liberal Network states that:

1. The Network has never supported the constitutional amendments recently proposed in Burkina Faso in order to extend the number of terms of former president Compaoré.
2. The Network urges the transitional movement to restore the rule of law in Burkina Faso, and to organise elections within 12 months.
3. The Network rejects any form of violence perpetrated against any individuals in Burkina Faso, and upholds the right to conduct peaceful protests.
4. The Network calls on all individuals and political parties to ensure that there are free and fair elections held in an open and competitive environment.

CENTRAL AFRICA DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO
–          Given the resolution taken in Kinshasa by the Africa Liberal Network in 2011, in the context of the Senegalese crisis, to launch an appeal to President Abdoulaye WADE not to run for a third term of office;
–          Given the resolution taken by the Africa Liberal Network in Ouagadougou on 14 March 2014 on the issue of democratic governance in Africa: reflections on democratic transition and the changeover of power; In the light of the foregoing the Africa Liberal Network:

1. urges the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo and the members of the National Assembly not to review the inviolable articles of the Constitution born of the popular referendum of 2006;
2. the Africa Liberal Network encourages the Congolese government to preserve the democratic gains and progress achieved, guaranteeing sustainable peace for the integral development of the DRC.
3. The Network urges the Government of Congo and MONUSCO to take action to end the massacres occurring in the East of the country.

  BURUNDI

1. The Network expresses deep concern about the safety of political leaders in Burundi.
2. We urge all political stakeholders to ensure there is a peaceful electoral process in Burundi.

EAST AFRICA
SUDAN
Taking into consideration the complexity of the situation in Sudan and the need for a peaceful transformation in the country from a one party system to a multi-party democracy, the Africa Liberal Network:

1. Urges the Sudanese parties to end all armed conflicts and declare a permanent ceasefire in the war zones;
2. Urges the Sudanese government to release all political detainees and prisoners and guarantee the basic freedoms of speech, association and political activity;
3. Calls for a democratic, fair and peaceful elections in which all parties have the same chances and opportunities;
4. Endorses the efforts of liberal parties in Sudan to contest elections under a unified presidential candidate;
5. Calls for the involvement of the international community in the elections in support of a peaceful and fair process.

 
SOUTHERN AFRICA
MADAGASCAR

1. The ALN congratulates Madagascar on the successful holding of its elections and encourages the process set in motion to bring an end to the crisis.

  AFRICA AS WHOLE

1. The ALN is concerned by the health situation prevailing in certain African countries faced with the Ebola epidemic. It expresses its solidarity with the people and hopes that this disease will be swiftly eradicated in all the countries concerned thanks to the efforts currently underway with the support of the international community, which it welcomes.
2. With regard to forthcoming elections, the ALN called for vigilance by the international community and all friends of Africa, particularly in deploying a maximum number of electoral observers in order to ensure that the electoral process is not marred by any irregularity and that the voting process is sincere, peaceful and credible.
3. The ALN urges member parties to promote consultation and dialogue between liberals within the same country with a view to defining common strategies to win and exercise state power.
4. The ALN calls on liberal parties to draw inspiration from African success stories with regard to the process of gaining and exercising state power, in particular in Côte d’Ivoire and in the province of the Western Cape in South Africa, in order to define and implement liberal good governance policies, the guarantors of stability and prosperity.
5. The Africa Liberal Network endorses all of the Network’s members that are contesting elections in 2015 in their respective countries and wishes them luck for their campaigns.
6. The Network calls for the oversight of the international community to ensure all elections held across Africa in 2015 are open, free and fair.  

SPECIAL RESOLUTION ON GOMOLEMO MOTSWALEDI
The Africa Liberal Network notes with immense sadness the tragic passing away in August 2014 of Gomolemo Motswaledi, the ALN Vice President for Southern Africa, who was also the President of the Botswana Movement for Democracy. We recognise Gomolemo as a political leader who worked tirelessly to advance his vision of a Botswana and Africa in which every person is free and equal and able to live the life they choose. His loss is a deep one for his family, party, Botswana, Africa and indeed the world.
The General Assembly hereby resolves:

1. To recognise with gratitude and honour the role that Gomolemo played in the Africa Liberal Network as its Vice President for Southern Africa.
2. To recognise the central role that Gomolemo played in historically uniting the opposition in Botswana to form the Umbrella for Democratic Change.
3. To congratulate the Umbrella for Democratic Change on winning 17 parliamentary seats in the October 2014 election and the party’s new status as the official opposition in Botswana.
4. The Network will introduce a special annual prize named the Gomolemo Motswaledi award that will be given to an exceptional young liberal leader in Africa by agreement of the General Assembly.

DECLARATION TAKEN AT THE 2014 ALN GENERAL ASSEMBLY DECLARATION ADOPTEE LORS DE L’ASSEMBLEE GENERALE   The Marrakech Declaration on Human Rights We, the ALN member parties, understanding that human rights relate not just to equality and the rule of law, but also to health, education and the economy, hereby set out the ALN Human Rights Framework. Building on the Charter de Mandi, 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the African Charter of Human and People’s Rights (1987), and on the principles set out in the ALN Liberal Manifesto for Africa, we commit to work for the adoption and full implementation by every country in Africa of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (1966). We undertake to adopt these principles throughout our internal party structures. In particular, we give the highest priority to safeguarding and encouraging the rights of women and youth to equality of access and participation in all aspects of our party and wider society. The member parties of the ALN undertake to work with civil society to secure the adoption of these principles by all state institutions across Africa. In particular we identify the following as key priorities for political action:

1. Ensuring the constitutional independence of the judiciary and building a legal system which embeds the principles of equality before the law. Where the existing rule of law perpetuates discrimination and human rights abuses, it must be actively challenged.
2. Ensuring the right to personal security and freedom from arbitrary arrest, detention without trial, torture and the death penalty, and the right to a fair trial.
3. Ensuring constitutional protection for the right to freedom of association and peaceful assembly, freedom of movement, and participation in the full conduct of public affairs and access to public services.
4. Understanding that education is the route to raising awareness of civil and human rights, and to developing the skills needed for employment, developing the skills and opportunities of the next generation. We will work towards the universal compulsory introduction of free primary and secondary education for every girl and boy in Africa
5. Understanding that economic growth and development creates the foundation for good health and education services. We will work to ensure that everyone has the right to fair and safe working conditions in a prospering society, and accelerate progress towards meeting the Sustainable Development Goals set out at the Rio+20 Conference in 2012. We will continue to work towards eliminating extreme poverty, reducing infant mortality and halting the spread of various diseases.
6. Ensuring the implementation and application of laws to uphold equal rights for women, girls and youth, and to prevent the practices of female genital mutilation and forced and underage marriage in particular. We will work to combine legislative action with an educational programme for both children and the general public to raise awareness of these issues, particularly in rural areas.
7. Ensuring the implementation and application of laws upholding civil liberties, including freedom of speech, conscience, belief and worship.
8. Ensuring the implementation and application of laws ensuring equal rights before the law and preventing discrimination against any individual on the basis of race, colour, nationality, ethnic origin, religion, age, gender, sexuality or disability.
9. Ensuring the implementation and application of laws designed to prevent human trafficking, sex trafficking and ensuring an end to the recruitment and use of child soldiers and forced and bonded labour. The ALN member parties are committed to adopting measures to end these abuses.
10. Securing the recognition and application of private property rights as set out in the ALN Liberal Manifesto for Africa and the 2013 Zanzibar Declaration. The ALN recognises property rights as essential to the economic advancement of citizens and the elimination of poverty. The ALN member parties are committed to promoting economic growth, jobs, and regional trade links.
11. Working to create high standards of governance in governments and institutions, in order to restore public trust in their legitimacy, both domestically and internationally.
12. Recognising the importance of tackling climate change as an integral part of delivering human rights and equal opportunities for all, and formulating party and government policies to deliver progress on this key issue.

We commit to this ALN Human Rights Framework, and encourage all governments and political parties across the African continent to adopt these principles, and to integrate them into their manifestos as a basis for action(s) to be taken.

We are pleased to announce the 2014 ALN General Assembly will take place in Marrakech, Morocco from 27-29 Nov in partnership with the Liberal Democrats. UK. 

This year will see the largest and most ambitious General Assembly in the ALN’s history, with the conference focusing on the theme:

Human Rights, Increasing Participation: Providing a Voice for All

A healthy democracy and a stable political party can only be sustained by citizens who feel the system represents them and treats them fairly. Building a human rights framework and identifying best practice approaches to increase engagement with the political process are the most important roles integral to the political sphere.

The 2014 ALN General Assembly will therefore focus on the crucial themes ‘Human Rights & Increasing Political Participation: Providing a Voice for All’. We will host a series of plenary and breakout sessions dedicated to addressing both human rights and the practical application of involving underrepresented groups in political parties.

The plenary and breakout structure of the conference will be a historic first for the ALN, and will result in the formulation and adoption of a Human Rights Framework for the Network and a set of best practice recommendations for increasing the role of underrepresented groups in political parties.

For more information contact Aimee Franklin on aimee.franklin@africaliberalnetwork.org

The ALN has launched a new peer-to-peer mentoring programme with partner, the Liberal Democrats UK, to support member parties with the development of their party communications operations.
Programme applications have been opened to all 35 member parties of the Africa Liberal Network, with the ALN and Liberal Democrats ultimately planning to select two parties to participate after a competitive application process.
Each party selected will be invited to send two representatives working in communications to the Liberal Democrats Autumn Conference in Glasgow in October, where they will have an opportunity to share experiences with a number of peers from the Liberal Democrats who manage party communications.
The party representatives will then be connected with a peer mentor from the Liberal Democrats, who will work with the sister parties monthly between October 2014 and February 2015 to guide and support them through the development of their party communications operations, either focusing on social media, direct marketing or media relationship management.
It is anticipated that parties that excel in this programme will be selected for further peer to peer development opportunities with the Liberal Democrats in 2015/16.
This current programme follows on from the Liberal Democrats and ALN’s joint work on communications in 2013, through which we jointly produced a guide to best practice in political communications that was distributed to the broader Liberal International family.

On behalf of the ALN Executive Committee and entire ALN family, we are incredibly saddened by the passing away of our Vice President for Southern Africa and President of the Botswana Movement for Democracy, Gomolemo Sir G Motswaledi.
Anyone who met Gomolemo will speak of his power to inspire through melodic words, his smile, as bright and warm as the African sun, and his ability to bring joy to a room with his deep laugh. I considered Gomolemo a friend and mentor and I looked up to him as one of those rare leaders that truly put the interests of his people before his own.
Gomolemo worked tirelessly to advance his vision of a Botswana and Africa in which every person is free and equal and able to live the life they chose. His loss is a deep one for his family, party, Botswana, Africa and indeed the world.
Whilst myself and the many people Gomolemo touched through his work with the Africa Liberal Network are devastated by this unforeseen loss, we are committed to celebrating his life and the immense contribution he made to the advancement of democracy in Africa.
We will intensify our work to ensure we do real justice to Gomolemo’s dream of a free and equal Africa. We promise to make you proud.o
For a link the ALN’s full statement and quotes from other ALN partners, click here.
Aimee Franklin
ALN Coordinator

Adopted by the Africa Liberal Network at the Liberal Forum on the subject of:
“Issues of Democratic Governance in Africa: Some Reflections on Democratic Transitions and Transfers of Power”
Given that the Africa Liberal Network, a member of the Liberal International, remains, in accordance with the Oxford Manifesto of 1947, committed to the values of Freedom, Democracy and Peace;
Given that the situation of security and democracy which has prevailed in some African countries constitutes a major concern for the international liberal community as a whole;
Given that the Africa Liberal Network, in its founding Charter and in the Johannesburg Declaration of June 2003, has adopted as its mission to defend and promote freedoms, democracy, peace and the rule of law everywhere on the African continent.
EXPLANATORY STATEMENT
In Africa, the enthusiasm for democratic governance does not emanate from an understanding shared by the different players of its meaning. It relates more to the scope and range of political, institutional and economic, not to mention ethical and social, issues.
Nevertheless, democratic governance is capable of providing a suitable base on which to build the agreement on the rules of the political game in Africa where, in addition to a legal basis, there may be a number of divergent cultural foundations conferring legitimacy. This is due to the fact that the agreement made in principle is continuing to evolve.
In Burkina Faso, the issue of democratic governance is linked to the conditions needed to foster the advent of peaceful political transfers of power.
In view of the tendencies to jeopardise democratic gains, all the political players of Burkina Faso need to federate their efforts, in order to preserve and strengthen the conditions of functional democracy. In fact, it behoves them not only to comply strictly with the constitutional provisions in force, but also to make certain of them inviolable and irreversible.
The organisations which subscribe to the liberal philosophy, particularly the Africa Liberal Network, supported, among others, by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom, play a decisive role in the preservation of peace and cohesion in society in Burkina Faso.
From an institutional standpoint, every contemporary democracy draws on a single shared base whose purpose is the freedom and development of individuals. For that a framework is required: rule of law, separation of powers, social justice, respect for the institutions and for the principle of the mandatory accountability of those in power, protection of freedoms and other fundamental rights, political pluralism, freedom of expression and opinion, peace, security and social cohesion.
To the African political class as a whole, the stakeholders of Civil Society and the international, regional and subregional community, the Africa Liberal Network makes the following proposal expressed in the Resolution below:
1. To achieve peaceful democratic transfers of power in Africa in compliance with the legislative framework:
./ To impose compliance with the provisions of the 2001 ECOWAS protocol on good governance and democracy and of the African Union Charter of 2007 on good governance, democracy and elections;
./ To ensure widespread acceptance, through the adoption of constitutional provisions, of the limit on the number and duration of terms of office;
./ To prohibit any amendment of the electoral laws that would jeopardise democratic gains within a period of one (01) year before holding elections;
./ To foster dialogue between all the parties concerned with a view to achieving a consensus on the electoral roll, the nature of the voting system, the delimitation of electoral boundaries and the electoral timetable;
./ To ensure the monitoring of the electoral process by international observer missions, from the development of the process to the publication of the results.
 2. To promote a liberal democracy in Africa:
./ To ensure that activists and sympathisers are educated in the values and principles of the liberal plan within the member parties of the ALN through the establishment of appropriate platforms interacting with the partners;
./ To create and consolidate bridges between the political parties and Civil Society;
./ To foster the creation of observer training platforms for the purpose of forming election observation missions in partnership with the appropriate organisations.
3. To foster democratic transfers of power in national harmony in Burkina Faso:
./ To learn lessons from historical tensions and crises as well as from constitutional revisions in the past, with a view to preventing situations leading to chaos or acts of force;
./ To foster dialogue between the political parties, Civil Society and all the other stakeholders in the democratic process, with a view to creating the conditions for the peaceful transfer of power;
./ To maintain the limit of the number of presidential terms of office at two (2);
./ To invite the International Community and the Liberal Networks (ALN, ALDEPAC and LI) to play an active role in all the processes requiring compliance with the constitutional legislation on term limits and their duration.
Signed by:
./ Mr Olivier Kamitatu, Alliance pour le Renouveau du Congo (ARC) / DR Congo
./ Maître Gilbert N. Ouédraogo, Alliance pour la Démocratie et la Fédération/Rassemblement Démocratique Africain (ADF/RDA) / Burkina Faso
./ Mr. Ahmadou Elbaz, Union Constitutionnelle (UC) / Morocco
./ Mr. Ousmane Ben Fana Traoré, Parti citoyen pour le renouveau (PCR) / Mali
./ Ms. Kanaté Diakité Fatouma, Rassemblement des Républicains (RDR) / Côte d’Ivoire
./ Dr. Lamine Ba, Parti Libéral Sénégalais (PLC) / Senegal
./ Dr. Malick Dieng, Parti Démocratique Sénégalais (PDS) / Senegal
./ Mr. Alpha Diallo, Parti de l’Unité et du libéralisme social (PULS) / Guinea
./ Mr. Alpha Boubacar Ba, Union des Forces Démocratiques de Guinée (UFDG) / Guinea
./ Mr. Mohamed Tall, Union des Forces Républicaines (UFR) / Guinea
./ Hon. Thierno Bocoum, REWMI (The Country)Party/ Senegal (observer)
./ Mr. Zéphirin Diabré, Union pour le progrès et le changement (UPC) / Burkina Faso (observer)
./ Maître Djibril War, Alliance pour la République (APR) / Senegal (observer)
 
Ouagadougou, 14 March 2014