Addis Ababa, 29 June 2018: The Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC), H.E. Moussa Faki Mahamat, has approved the deployment of an African Union Election Observation Mission (AUEOM) in the Republic of Zimbabwe as the country prepares to hold Presidential, Parliamentary and Local Council Elections on 30 July 2018.

The deployment of the AUEOM takes place in two phases. The first phase comprises the deployment of four (4) Core team members and ten (10) Long-term election experts from 4 July to 10 August 2018. This is to ensure that the AUEOM conducts a comprehensive observation and analysis of all aspects and stages of the electoral process. During the second phase, the Long term election experts will be joined by 40 Short term election observers from 23 July to 3 August 2018.

The objectives of the AUEOM are to: (a) provide an accurate and impartial reporting or assessment of the quality of the 30 July 2018 Presidential, Parliamentary and Local Council Elections, including the degree to which the conduct of the election meets regional, continental and international standards; (b) offer recommendations for improvement of future elections based on its observation and findings; and (c) demonstrate African Union’s commitment to support Zimbabwe’s democratisation process to ensure that the election contributes to the consolidation of democratic governance, peace and stability.

The AUEOM draws its mandate from various African Union instruments, including (a) the African Union Guidelines for Electoral 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.

For more information, contact: Mr. Idrissa Kamara, Political/Elections Officer, Department of Political Affairs, African Union Commission (kamarai@africa-union.org).