Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - August 6, 2006, Winnipeg, Manitoba A8 Winnipeg free press sunday August 6, 2006 sunday special time for change for election observers As Well As congolese voters a new experience k Kinshasa democratic Republic of Congo ? it took 54 years for Lois Hunt to set foot out of the North american continent. But the self professed farm girl decided to come Here last month As an International observer in this country a first democratic elections in 40 years and found herself a changed woman ? alongside Many congolese who found themselves casting a ballot for the first time in their lives last weekend. Hunt said she Felt part of her self awaken As Well As she watched the men and women Gabrielle dressed in their sunday Best vote Giro Day for Over 9,000 parliamentary and presidential candidates Here some delicately holding up the metre sized ballots to Admire them before crossing off their choices. I a a woman who a lived on the farm and had a very simple life said the social services worker demurely arranging the Long skirt a fashion must have Here she picked up pre trip at the local Saan in Portage la Prairie. Instead of going to Ireland to see her daughter Meghan graduate from University this summer the duo decided to put the plane fare towards going to the Congo instead As observers and now Hunt vows Shell return to work in Africa. I think when i was 40, it was the turning Point. I started to think outside the social norms of people my Here its doing the Best with what you have and i relate to that she said explaining How she had to rebuild her life after leaving a 20-year marriage and her subsequent yearnings to explore the world. People Are really and resourceful the election truly was ? from open air polling stations in Sandy schoolyards to voting officials who pulled overnight shifts counting ballots under rudimentary Halogen lamps alongside International observers who watched the entire process and filed Independent reports on their impressions of transparency and accuracy of the july 30 elec Tion. Ten Manitoban observers organized by the Canadian mennonite University a Institute for Community peace building took part in the arduous and sometimes aggravating process of visiting some of the 12,000 Vot ing bureaus Here in the capital ? election observing City of Kinshasa. Is about a reduction volunteers spent Days learn ing How to provide written of violence. A Well reviews on elections proce run election or dures ranging from How to secure ballot boxes with a tie conversely an that can to be undone until polls election not run Well close to prevent vote tampering but that fact noted to How elections officials should behave such As not influencing leads to More voters to choose one particular peaceful responses candidate Over another. Written reports from the population before the results of the elec Manitoba organizer Davidt ions Are announced in the next Pankratz director of the two weeks observers written Institute for Community reports will be submitted to the peace building country a electoral commission to help determine the Success of the daunting election which involved 25 million voters in an Infra Structure poor state roughly the size of Ontario and Quebec. ? election observing is about a reduction of violence said part said Pankratz. Many electoral offices were surrounded by furious voters last Manitoba organizer David Pankratz director of the Institute according to observers while the electoral process May sunday angry they were being turned away at the polls. For Community peace building. A Well run election or con have not been followed perfectly complicated Steps of the my Mother said to me when i arrived she did to know if tersely an election not run Well but that fact noted leads to process included painting Ink on thumbnails to Mark compleat my father would make it said Mokole wringing her hands. More peaceful responses from the de voters and handing out two different sets of Gigantic ballots he told me he was sick but we had to wait until he voted to Kinshasa has been wracked by numerous instances of Vio for parliamentary and presidential candidates to be filled out bring him Lence in the last 10 years including mass pillaging and rioting separately observers Felt that most participants and electoral however Mokole said the elections Are the first step in a in the Wake of internationally condemned dictator Mobutu officials approached the vote with integrity. Long process of renewal for a country she feels is More eco sese seko who led the country for 30 years until the late 1990s. However there were exceptions ? like when one Manitoba nominally wounded than when she left seven years ago. Still blighted by ethnic conflict and political warring causing observer noted a candidates name posted on the Wall inside a elections observer Michael Mayen a sudanese civil War sur an estimated 4 million dead in the Drc in the last decade voting Booth. Visor and University of Winnipeg student believes the country International observers were invited by the country a electoral got a morale boost from the International election observers. Commission to observe the vote Here and provide Independent a dream the observers show the Central african nations people that feedback. Congolese Canadian Odette Mokole was not allowed to vote foreign nations care about them he said adding that an at one polling station Pankratz pointed out a group of angry in these elections she fled the country with her three Daugh increase in jobs will certainly accompany an increase in Politi voters sought out International observers to voice their sushi ters in 1999, moving to Winnipeg to study at the Canadian men Cal stability. Coins that the voting numbers assigned to them were being onite University. Some polling stations might have had logistical issues like used by others. But she came Back to observe the election process part of a Long voters lines Mayen noted but he added that voting is a even if the observers could not intervene directly in the dream for the future of the country. Learning process and citizens seemed eager to follow accurate polling process to determine if a mistake occurred he said the i a Happy to see my family but i feel sadness when i look at voting protocol correctly. Recording of voters frustrations bore witness to their con Here compared to the Way i am living in Canada said Mokole. I think for some people its a big change and you move from Cerns at least. Her ailing parents resisted immediate medical treatment a smaller step to a higher step said Mayen. They Felt like their concerns were now noted and they last week just so they could remain in their Remote Hometown people have big smiles and Are very could let them go reducing the possibility of violence on their to vote All voters must cast their ballots in the City where they originally registered a cause of great election Day confusion. ;