CONCLUSION A fter embracing democracy in the early 1990's, African states in general and those of West Africa in particular were faced with the problem of election management. Everywhere efforts were progressively made to define a system of management of elections suitable for traditional and political traditions of every country and which would ensure free and fair elections. This study aimed at making a comparative analysis of the different systems of election management through institutions called electoral commissions(EC, NEC, IEC), with the general task to regulate the democratic competition, improve the electoral process, and harmonise electoral standards in West Africa. The study compares the internal regulations and practices of the various electoral commissions in the region. It reveals that there are many similarities leading to the emergence of electoral laws which are peculiar to ECOWAS member states and some differences related to the democratic history of each country. Legislations that emerged with more or less consensus in the region establish the judicial and institutional scope of free and fair elections. Nevertheless, it is clear that some laws can ensure the independent and effective functioning of electoral commissions better than others. In general, the comparison of experiences allows for a more balanced picture of electoral systems in West Africa: cases of success exist together with mixed experiences and outright failures. 236