The way in which National Collectives are elected - Vote by DiEM25 members

In recognition of the need to strengthen our organisation, the new Coordinating Collective (CC) has been working to develop a 5 Year Plan for DiEM25’s next five years. One of the priorities identified as part of this Plan is the need to strengthen the movement’s National Collectives (NCs).

Our NCs must play a key role in empowering and assisting our local members, while contributing to sophisticated, appealing and persuasive country manifestos (e.g. DiEM25’s Manifesto for Italy or for the UK) that the movement will then review transnationally. These country manifestoes will be a first step toward country-specific campaigns that will engage members, new and old, at the grassroots level across Europe. To this purpose, the movement must first reinforce our NCs.

The need to reinforce NCs is unambiguous. We have had a number of elections with very few candidates - the result being that the election was a non-event (as anyone standing was assured election) and, often, very few voters. Subsequently, resignations left most of our NCs under-staffed and under-performing. The legitimacy deficit that this entailed added to the teething problems of our emergent organisation when it came to defining and supporting the role of NC’s, to undermine them and render them incapable of coordinating the movement as they had hoped and we had expected of them.

From now on, through closer monitoring and feedback, we are committed to a permanent process of support and improvement of these roles. To remedy the immediate situation, and following monthly calls with NC members in order to understand the challenges our teams are facing, the CC is putting forward the following proposal for strengthening our NCs (as part of a larger effort which will be further defined, in cooperation with new NCs, in the following months):

(1) If the result of this AMV is positive, the new rules will be applied in elections in every country that already has an elected NC (in cases where there are Provisional National Collectives (PNCs), they will be consulted about whether an election should be held or not). These elections will be organised in November in order to ensure that all of DiEM25’s NCs are appointed on the same basis

(2) If at least three candidates put themselves forward for every available seat on a country’s NC, and if at least 1/3 of those candidates are not men, the election goes ahead. If not, we revert back to a Provisional National Collective (PNC) whose members are selected in the way described in 4 below

(3) If the election proceeds (see 2 above), a minimum of votes must be cast before the election of a new NC is deemed successful. This minimum number of votes will equal half (50%) of eligible DiEM25 members/voters in the country in question. If this condition is not met, we revert back to a Provisional National Collective whose members are selected in the way describe in 4 below

(4) In case of a reversion from NC to PNC (that can happen either because of the failure to field enough candidates - see 2 above - or because of insufficient voter turnout - see 3 above) the members of the new PNC will be selected as follows: Candidates for the PNC can be nominated by any DiEM25 member in that country (including self-nominations) and will be interviewed by members of the CC. The CC will then make a recommendation for lists of PNC members across Europe. Finally, DiEM25 members will validate this list in an All Member Vote. These PNCs will have a mandate of 2 years. After their first year, they may recommend to the CC the organisation of new NC elections at any time.

By establishing the above process, DiEM25’s activism will be coordinated: (A) By elected NCs in the countries where the movement has matured sufficiently, and (B) By properly constituted PNCs seeking to increase the movement’s maturity in their country. Note: in case a member resigns from an NC, the runner-up will take his/her place, just as the OPs prescribe for CC positions. However, if 1/3 of NC or PNC members are inactive or have resigned, the teams will also be reconstituted through new elections.

You can read through the Forum thread on the topic, to familiarise yourselves with arguments for and against the proposal.

Do you agree?