Parliamentarians from across the Commonwealth took part in a seminar on elections earlier this week.
The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association is hosting a two-week governance seminar that includes trips to Brussels, Edinburgh and Glasgow.
There are 53 countries in the Commonwealth will a population of two billion people, and on Wednesday delegates from more than 30 countries attended a session on elections and electoral systems chaired by Plaid Cymru MP Elfyn Llywd.
Keith Best from Electoral Reform International Services (ERIS) discussed the different forms of electoral system, ranging from the British first-past-the-post system to the party list system used in European elections.
He also outlined the work being done by ERIS promoting fair and free elections by offering assistance and guidance.
Best outlined the need for effective follow-up activities following elections, as well as insisting there is now a need to develop domestic observation expertise within countries, rather than bringing it in from abroad.
Mark Stephens from the Commonwealth secretariat's democracy section said the organisation focuses on countries where governments have the political will to deal with challenges to democracy.
The secretariat works to support governments in developing democracy, based on the principles of the 1991 Harare Agreement.
It monitors the progress of the Commonwealth nations in enhancing democracy and has the power to suspend members which do not promote democracy, as recently happened to Fiji. Pakistan and Nigeria have also been suspended in the past.
Stephens also told the event that the use of IT in elections is a difficult area because a lack of confidence in the systems could easily translate into a lack of confidence in politics.
He highlighted the development of an Indian IT system, which has been developed through long negotiations between technical experts and politicians from all political parties and viewpoints.
The event also saw attendees taking a critical view of Western governments which want to observe and monitor elections in their respective nations.
It was seen as unfair that the West dictates what are considered to be 'good' and 'bad' elections but often lack an understanding of the cultural, social and economic issues in the country.
The panel was asked why there is an insistence on observing elections in some countries, but observation is not allowed in the UK.
Responses suggested that although countries are invited to the UK, there is not enough capacity to accommodate everyone who wishes to observe.
