Addis Ababa, 08 February 2016: The Chairperson of the African Union Commission of the African Union, H.E. Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, has approved the re-deployment of the African Union Short-Term Observation (STO) Mission to the second round of the Presidential Elections and re run of the Parliamentary Elections in the Central African Republic (CAR) scheduled for 14 February 2016, following an official invitation of the Government. The STOs arrived in Bangui – CAR on 07 February 2016 and will remain in the country until 17 February 2016.

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 Forty (40) 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 redeployed 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. It could be recalled that the AU had previously deployed the AUEOM in the said country for the first round of elections organized on 30 December 2015.

This redeployment reiterates the African Union’s mandate and commitment to promote democratic values and governance on the continent 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. 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 and the national laws of the Central African Republic.

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

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