An assessment of Botswana's electoral management body to deliver fair elections

Botswana has regularly held general elections since 1965 and in October 2014 held her 11th general election. All these elections have so far been won by the ruling party. The regularity of elections in Botswana has persuaded some observers to present Botswana as an exemplar of democracy and good governance in Africa. This perception is reinforced by the formal existence of an electoral management body, the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), whose mandate is to ensure that elections are conducted efficiently, properly, freely and fairly. Although the Constitution enjoins the IEC to ensure that elections are conducted fairly, this article reveals that, in effect, the IEC has neither the authority nor the power to level the electoral playing field, and ensure that elections are also fair, in addition to being conducted efficiently, properly and freely. This inability by Botswana's electoral management body to ensure that elections are conducted fairly emanates from the narrow legal and political framework within which the IEC operates, and exposes the weaknesses of Botswana's much vaunted democracy.     

民事裁判文书的理性探析

裁判文书是司法公正的载体 ,理由是裁判文书的灵魂。而如何增强裁判文书的说理性 ,是我国目前裁判文书改革的重点。本文从三个方面 :理性展现的对象、理性展理的必要性、理性展现的路径 ,论证我国民事裁判文书加大说理力度的重要意义及改革思路。     

刑事证人出庭制度修订之我见

重新构建一套合理的证人出庭作证综合制度,提高证人出庭作证率,以维护刑事审判的公正,已成为法学界关注的焦点问题。     

论庭审实质化的体系化构建——以“顾雏军案”再审为例

落实庭审实质化是实现以审判为中心的诉讼制度改革目标的关键,是对复杂刑事案件进行公正审判的必要条件。“顾雏军案”的再审纠错过程,体现了庭前会议制度的运用与直接言词审理原则的贯彻对于体系化构建庭审实质化的重要作用,为实现复杂刑事案件的公正审判带来了诸多有益启示。庭审实质化的实现,不仅需要完善庭前会议制度以及直接言词审理原则的相关制度,更需要刑事诉讼办案人员提升执业素养与办案理念。     

论涉法新闻报道的规制——以无罪推定为视角

涉法新闻报道作为司法与传媒的交界领域,对无罪推定原则的认识和贯彻还存在缺失和不足。随着近年来各种形式的媒体技术,特别是自媒体的出现,使得舆论对司法的影响与日俱增,涉法新闻报道领域对无罪推定原则的无视与侵犯已日益成为影响司法公正和社会稳定的负面因素。文章聚集涉法新闻报道中涉及无罪推定原则的情况,讨论在新闻报道中如何正确应用无罪推定原则和背离无罪推定原则可能造成的危害,以及尝试从涉法新闻报道的规制角度,探讨如何在贯彻无罪推定原则的前提下形成新闻报道与司法公正的良性互动。在新闻报道中应当尊重无罪推定原则,需要明确媒体的社会责任,确保司法透明,对涉法新闻报道应当依法进行规范,可以通过立法授权司法机关对新闻报道案件情况加以限制,还需要赋予法院对其审理案件相关新闻报道活动进行规制的权力。