Addis Ababa, 18 October 2019: The Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC), His Excellency Moussa Faki Mahamat, has decided the deployment of the African Union Election Observation Mission (AUEOM) to the 23 October 2019 General Elections in the Republic of Botswana. The 40 short term observers are deployed from 18 to 29 October 2019.

The short-term observation (STO) Mission will be led by Her Excellency H.E. Mrs Fatoumata Tambanjang, former Vice-President of the Republic of Gambia. The AUEOM delegation includes ambassadors from the Permanent Representatives’ Committee (PRC) of the AU, parliamentarians from the Pan-African Parliament (PAP), election administrators, civil society, media and electoral experts.

The AUEOM draws its mandate from various African Union instruments, most importantly: (a) the African Union Guidelines for Elections Observation and Monitoring Missions (2002); (b) the OUA/AU Declaration on Principles Governing Democratic Elections in Africa (2002); African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights (1981) and (c) African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance (2007), among others. The deployment of an AUEOM in the Republic of Botswana demonstrates the AU’s commitment to supporting credible, transparent, inclusive and peaceful electoral processes in its Member States by providing an objective assessment of the process and the political environment surrounding it. This is in line with Aspirations No.3 of Agenda 2063, which aims to ensure good governance, democracy, respect for human rights, justice and the rule of law on the continent.

The objectives of the AUEOM are to: (a) provide an accurate and impartial reporting or assessment of the quality of 2019 General Elections in the Republic of Botswana, including the degree to which the conduct of the elections meets regional, continental and international standards for democratic elections; (b) offer recommendations for improvement of future elections based on the findings; and (c) demonstrate AU’s solidarity and support Botswana’s election and democratization process to ensure that the conduct of democratic, credible and peaceful elections contributes to the consolidation of democratic governance, peace and stability in the country.

For more information on the Mission’s activities, please contact: Mr. Samuel M. Atuobi, Senior Political / Elections Officer, Mission Coordinator
Department of Political Affairs, African Union Commission.
Email: atuobis@africa-union.org;