Summary of Chapter 1 · The conditions for becoming a member of electoral commissions can be essentially summed up as follows:(i) only people who are neutral(who do not belong to any political party) can be included as members of the commission, which is the case in almost allAnglophone countries and in Cape Verde or(ii) a balanced representation of political forces taking part in the electoral contest need to be assured, which is the case in all Francophone countries with the exception of Senegal as well as Guinea Bissau. · The authority and procedure for the appointment of members of the electoral commissions also vary from one country to the other. There are cases where the president of the country appoints members on the proposal by other bodies(Benin, Niger). There are also cases where the appointment is done by the president of the country but with the required consent of another institution(Liberia, Senegal, Ghana, Sierra Leone). There are finally cases where parliament, e.g. an institution which handles the appointment(Togo, GuineaBissau and Cape Verde). 42