Focus 8 Relationship between commissions and the other institutions of the electoral process The most important thing at this level is to avoid above all a deficit of precision in the relationships(or a bad structuring of the relationship) between the commission and the other institutions, which would hamper the quality of the election process. Therefore, it should be assured that: 1. The essential tasks of the electoral operations are handed over to the commission(this already decreases the necessity to liaise with other institutions) and the latter has sufficient means to carry out its mission; further, one should: Avoid that another institution of the electoral process has a discretionary power over the determination of the means and conditions of the commission's work; Ensure that there are regulations which provide the conditions for the collaboration of the actors such as security forces, the media, civil society organisations, political parties, etc.; Ensure that a framework for periodic exchange exist between the candidates(political parties or individuals) and the commission during the whole electoral process and even after; Ensure that reports of the commission are submitted at various levels to increase monitoring and improvement of the process; several Anglophone countries have set a good example by submitting reports to the parliament which means that the commission's information is widely available and the role of political actors in elections can be debated. 2. Share the functions between many institutions, including the 160