STATEMENT OF ARRIVAL
H.E. former President Hifikepunye Pohamba Officially Launches the African Union Election Observation Mission to Ghana
ACCRA, 3 December 2016: At the invitation of the Government of the Republic of Ghana, the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Her Excellency Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, authorized the deployment of an African Union Election Observation Mission (AUEOM) to Ghana comprising four (4) Core Team of election analysts and ten (10) Long-Term Observers who were deployed on 22 October 2016, and forty (40) short-term observers (STOs) who arrived in the country on 29 November 2016.
The AUEOM to Ghana is led by His Excellency Hifikepunye Pohamba, former President of the Republic of Namibia. He arrived in Ghana on 2 December, and will be meeting key electoral and political stakeholders, including the Government, Electoral Commission, political parties, civil society, Judiciary, security agencies, among others.
On arrival, H.E. former President Pohamba declared that “the African Union Election Observation Mission is in Ghana as a demonstration of the AU’s commitment to stand with and support its Member States in their journey to credible, transparent and democratic elections as component of good governance”. He also stated: “the Mission’s deployment is in line with the aspirations and goals of Agenda 2063, which aims to deepen democratic values and practices, build confidence in electoral processes, and ensure capable and accountable institutions and transformative leadership on the continent”. He expressed confidence in the ability of Ghanaian leaders and people to conduct peaceful and democratic elections.
The AUEOM’s mandate is derived from the 2007 African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance, the 2002 AU/OAU Declaration on Principles Governing Democratic Elections in Africa, and the 2002 AU Guidelines for Elections Observation and Monitoring Missions. Its assessment and observations will be guided by the principles and guidelines stated in these instruments, other relevant international and regional instruments guiding international election observation and the legal framework for elections in Ghana.
The Mission will release a preliminary statement of its overall findings and assessment of the elections on 9 December 2016 in a Press Conference in Accra. A final and comprehensive report will be released within two months from the date of announcement of final election results and will be in the AUC website: http://au.int/en/pa#
The Secretariat of the AUEOM is located at Labadi Beach Hotel in Accra.
For more information about the mission and its activities, please contact the Mission Coordinators: Mr. Idrissa Kamara at email: kamarai@africa-union.org or mobile phone no: +233264349122; Dr. Job Akuni at email: akunij@africa-union.org or mobile phone no.: +233506481716.
For media enquiries, please contact the Mission’s Information and Communication Officer: Mr.Gamal Karrar at email: gamalk@africa-union.org or mobile phone no: +233246009294.
