3.1.4 The preparation of election officials Adequate preparation of all actors involved in the electoral process is another concern that should receive the attention of all those who care for qualitative management of elections in West Africa. This implies that all initiatives that help to ensure the precise division of tasks among actors be taken. It is obvious that negative consequences for the quality of the election process will arise if the clear distribution of tasks is not guaranteed. In the remainder of this section, emphasis will be laid on the preparation of election officials- that is to say members of polling and census teams. Indeed, the electoral process would necessarily benefit from the proper preparation of all actors who are involved. These include leaders of the media, security guards(whose role will be discussed later in this document under section D“Security and Elections”), judges on electoral disputes, ordinary citizens and the members of the electoral commission. The process will necessarily and inevitably gain in quality if each of these actors has a clear idea of the role and function he /she is to fulfil. The proper preparation of election officials is crucial to ensure that these important links in any electoral process provide an adequate and timely contribution to the quality of that process. It is absolutely essential to have a good understanding of the electoral legal framework, not least in relation to provisions relating to their duties, rights and responsibilities. It is equally essential that precautions be taken to ensure that election officials have the prerequisites and necessary competencies to perform the tasks entrusted to them. It would, for example, be very risky(for the quality of the electoral process) to entrust the management to polling agents who are not adequately trained or do not understand their duties and obligations. 133