AUC Chairperson Approves the Deployment of African Union Short-Term Observers (STOs) for the 2015 General Elections in Central African Republic

Addis Ababa, 18 December 2015: The Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union, H.E. Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, has approved the deployment of the African Union Short-Term Observation (STO) Mission to the 27 December 2015 General Elections in the Central African Republic, following an official invitation of the Government. The STOs will arrive in Bangui, Central African Republic on 20 December 2015 and will remain in the country until 30 December 2015.

The African Union Electoral Observation Mission (AUEOM) will be led by H.E. Souleymane Ndene Ndiaye, former Prime Minister of the Republic of Senegal. The mission comprises Thirty (30) Short Term Observers (STOs) from the Pan African Parliament, the Permanent Representative Committee (PRC) of the African Union, election management bodies, civil society organizations, think tanks, media and academic institutions. They will be deployed throughout the electoral constituencies of the country to monitor the electoral process and to consult with key stakeholders involved in the electoral process including government and electoral officials, candidates and political parties, civil society representatives and media to provide a critical assessment of the conduct of election.

The Mission has the mandate to observe the General Elections in line with relevant African Union and international instruments comprising the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance, the OAU/AU Declaration on the Principles Governing Democratic Elections in Africa, the African Union Guidelines for Election Observation and Monitoring Missions, the International Covenant on Civil Political Rights (ICCPR), the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the 2005 Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation to which the AU is a signatory and the national laws of the Central African Republic. The Mission shall contribute to the reinforcement of the democratization process in Central African Republic by providing an objective, independent and impartial assessment of the conduct of the elections in line with the aforementioned international and regional best practices and standards.

For more information, please contact:
Karine Kakasi Siaba | Email: Kakasik@africa-union.org | Democracy and Electoral Assistance Unit (DEAU) | DPA - AUC

For Media information, please contact:
Michael Fikre Merid | Email: MichaelF@africa-union.org | Directorate of Information and Communication | AUC