Addis Ababa, 1 May 2019: Following an invitation by the Government of South Africa, the African Union Commission (AUC) has deployed a short-term election observation mission for the National and Provision elections that will take place on 8 May 2019.

His Excellency Moussa Faki Mahamat, Chairperson of the AUC appointed His Excellency Jakaya Mrisho Kiwkete, former President of Tanzania, as leader of the African Union Election Observation Mission (AUEOM) to South Africa. The Mission comprises a core team of four (4) electoral experts, technical support staff from the AUC and 30 short-term observers (STOs) drawn from various African Union (AU) member states and institutions across the continent.

The core team and AUC staff arrived in South Africa on 29 April and will remained until the announcement of final results. They will be joined by the STOs and Mission Leader on 2 May and 5 May 2019, respectively.
The core team and AUC staff will be responsible for analyzing all aspects of the electoral process, including the political and legal context, to ensure that they are conducted in line with AU and international standards for democratic elections. The Mission’s activities will be guided by relevant AU instruments such as the 2007 African Union Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance, the 2002 OAU/AU Declaration on Principles Governing Democratic Elections in Africa and the 2002 African Union Guidelines for Election Observation and Monitoring Missions, as well as South Africa’s legal framework and international commitment for democratic elections.

The deployment of an AUEOM to South Africa demonstrates the AU’s commitment to supporting credible, transparent and inclusive electoral process in its Member States. This is in line with Aspirations No.3 of the African Union Agenda 2063, which aims to ensure good governance, democracy, and respect for human rights, justice and the rule of law on the continent. The conduct of free, fair and credible elections is also widely recognized as being critical to ensuring an integrated, peaceful and prosperous African continent.

For more information, please contact:
Mr. Idrissa Kamara- Mission Coordinator | African Union Election Observation Mission to South Africa | Crown Plaza Hotel, Rosebank, Johannesburg | Email: kamarai@africa-union.org | Tel: +27630509569