CHAPTER THREE: DEMOCRACY AND POLITICAL GOVERNANCE _____________________________________________________________________ • Ensure a more strict separation between the state and the majority party (government, Parliament, political parties). • Establish – with the aid of a permanent, computerised electoral list and a secure civil registry – a viable and secure electoral register and voter registration cards that cannot be forged (government). • Constitutionalise, professionalise and strengthen the capacity of CENI (government, Parliament, political parties, civil society). • Bring about reforms to the electoral code in order to improve the system of representation of the populations (including women and the youth, and representation through the admission of independent candidates) and political parties, and the participation of Burkinabe residing abroad in the voting process (government, political parties, civil society, Parliament). • Organise ‘general meetings on democracy’ with a view to seeking consensus on all these and partisan election issues before their formalisation by Parliament (government, Parliament, institutions of the republic, political parties, CSOs). As regards decentralisation, participation and local governance: • Sensitise and train state agents, as well as local government representatives and their staff, regarding the issue of decentralisation and local governance, popularise the texts on decentralisation to ensure greater ownership thereof, and ensure the effective implementation and efficient monitoring and evaluation of this process (government, elected representative, TFPs). • Clarify the roles and responsibilities of the mayor and the prefect from the perspective of the possible abolition of the post of prefect (government, Parliament, associations of mayors, local elected officials). • Require candidates for the post of mayor and those for presidents of the regional councils to have a good level of schooling (government, Parliament, municipal councils, voters). • Accelerate the process of actual transfer of powers, functions and resources to decentralised communities, and strengthen the institutional capacities of the decentralised entities (government, local officials, mayors, CSOs, TFPs). • Explore ways and means of promoting the greater involvement of traditional authorities in local governance by defining a legal framework that will govern their participation and involvement in the activities of decentralised entities (government, Parliament, associations of local representatives, traditional leaders). 109