Addis Ababa, 27 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 Mali as the country prepares to hold Presidential Election on 29 July 2018.

The deployment of the AUEOM takes place in two phases. The first phase comprises the deployment of five member Core team and six long-term election experts from 25 June to 14 July 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 observers from 21 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 29 July Presidential Election, 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 Mali’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. Samuel Atuobi, Senior Political/Elections Officer, Department of Political Affairs, African Union Commission (atuobis@africa-union.org).

Media contact:
Mrs. Esther Azaa Tankou| Head of Information Division | African Union Commission | Tel: +251 (0) 911 36 11 85 | E-mail: yamboue@africa-union.org |

For further information:
Directorate of Information and Communication | African Union Commission I E-mail: DIC@african-union.org I Website: www.au.africa 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.africa