IFES In general, tips for better conflict management across the stages of the electoral cycle include:  In the pre-election period, multi-stakeholder bodies for cooperation and information sharing should respond proactively to conflicts that arise.  Between elections, adequate support should be given to the development of effective and efficient enforcement and integrity mechanisms of the EMB and related regulatory bodies to create accountability for violations.  Through the entire electoral cycle, early warning and early response mechanisms should be developed.  In the post-election period, violence can be mitigated with increased capacity of the security sector and trained mediators across sectors to intervene in escalating conflicts.  Between elections, opportunities for reducing impunity in the justice sector should be sought. Wider security sector reform or justice sector reform processes may offer opportunities to bolster capacity to address criminal acts of electoral violence. The creation of special units or task forces as noted above should be carefully considered. Conflict Resolution Conflict resolution, in the electoral cycle, may refer to resolution of short-term election complaints, prosecution of perpetrators of electoral violence or resolution of deeper grievances that often drive election-related violence. The latter is less often a focus of electoral programming, though issues of corruption, representational inequities, exclusion of certain groups or geographical areas are often dealt with during the period between elections. However, socio-economic, ethnic or religious conflicts can also be addressed through electoral assistance activities such as civic education, political participation, gender participation or other educational, consensus-building or rights-based work. EMBs, political parties and government actors, as well as educational institutions and civil society actors can be involved in these types of efforts. Institutional mechanisms such as electoral dispute resolution and other criminal and civil justice sector responses must be bolstered to function effectively throughout the electoral cycle. Formal legal adjudication processes are more likely to be effective if the groundwork has been laid by identifying, in advance, potential legal points of contention, educating political partisans on how to submit acceptable official dispute claims and training judges, lawyers and electoral administrators in dispute resolution and the investigation of alleged fraud. At the same time, alternative dispute mechanisms can also resolve tensions by focusing on negotiated resolution of electoral disputes (rather than punishment of one side or the other). The recommendations generated as government agencies and EMBs engage in lessons-learned processes add to improved performance in the future. For example, in 2007 in East Timor, IFES implemented an assistance strategy focused on conflict prevention and resolution through partnerships with the EMB and local organizations. Support to the election complaints process resulted in new complaint forms, case management processes, and an extensive outreach and education component targeting various stakeholder groups. Local partners and IFES trainers met with citizens, political parties, journalists and dispute adjudicators to ensure all stakeholders understood their rights within the system, how and when to file complaints, and how to contribute to their resolution. Publically releasing lists of resolved cases as complaints were heard proved highly beneficial. This unprecedented effort dramatically increased the effectiveness, credibility, accessibility and transparency of the system. It was also well-integrated 15