Addis Ababa, 29 September 2017: At the invitation of the Government and National Electoral Commission of Liberia, the Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC), His Excellency Moussa Faki Mahamat, has approved the deployment of a Short-Term Election Observation Mission to Liberia to observe the country’s presidential and legislative elections scheduled for 10 October 2017.

The Mission, which comprises Fifty (50) short-term observers (STOs), will be deployed on 3 October 2017 to complement the work of the Long-Term Observers (LTOs) who have been deployed to Liberia since 1 September 2017, and are charged with responsibility to comprehensively assess the electoral process for compliance with national laws and international standards for democratic elections. The STOs will specifically observe the conduct of Election Day operations and immediate post-election developments, including the results management process.

The Mission’s mandate is derived from relevant African Union instruments on democracy and elections such as the 2007 African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance; the 2002 OAU/AU Declaration on Principles Governing Democratic Elections; the 2002 AU Guidelines for Election Observation and Monitoring Missions; and the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), as well as the 2005 Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation and Code of Conduct for International Election Observers.

The overall objective of African Union Election Observation Missions (AUEOMs) to is to promote democracy, human rights and the rule of law, and to contribute to strengthening democratic institutions and building public confidence in electoral processes in AU Member States. The Missions are also in line with the AU’s aspirations outlined in Agenda 2063, particularly Aspiration no.3, 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 in Member States is a prerequisite to the realisation of the AU’s aspirations and overall goal of ensuring an integrated, peaceful and prosperous continent.

For more information about the AUEOM to Liberia, please contact the Mission Coordinator: Mr. Idrissa Kamara, Political/Election Officer, Department of Political Affairs, African Union Commission. Email: kamarai@africa-union.org

For further information contact

Directorate of Information and Communication | African Union Commission I E-mail: DIC@africa-union.org I Web Site: www.au.int I Addis Ababa | Ethiopia

Follow us

Face book: https://www.facebook.com/AfricanUnionCommission

Twitter: https://twitter.com/_AfricanUnion

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/AUCommission

Learn more at:

http://www.au.int