Niël Terblanché
The African Union Commission (AUC) has deployed an Election Observation Mission (AUEOM) to Namibia in anticipation of the Presidential and National Assembly elections scheduled for Wednesday.
This deployment follows an official invitation from the government and the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN).
According to the AUC’s statement, the invitation and involvement of the continental body is a demonstration of Namibia’s dedication to upholding democratic principles and the rule of law.
The AUEOM is led by Dr Speciosa Kazibwe Wandira, the former Vice President of Uganda, and consists of 47 observers drawn from a diverse array of African nations, including Benin, Central African Republic, Congo Brazzaville, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Mali, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania, The Gambia, Togo, Tunisia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Uganda.
The observers represent a cross-section of ambassadors accredited by the African Union, officials from election management bodies, members of civil society organisations, election experts, human rights specialists, gender and media experts, and youth organisation representatives.
The observers will monitor the electoral process across all 14 regions, where they will monitor aspects such as the opening of polls, voting procedures, closing, and the counting processes at polling stations.
According to the AUC, the mission of their assessment will be based on Namibia’s legal framework governing elections, the OAU/AU Declaration on the Principles Governing Democratic Elections, the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance (ACDEG), and the International Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation.
In addition to on-the-ground observations, the mission will engage with various stakeholders, including ECN, political parties, media outlets, civil society organizations, representatives of the international community based in Namibia, and other election observation missions.
The AUC stated that such engagements aim to provide a holistic understanding of the electoral environment and ensure a comprehensive assessment of the electoral process.
The AUEOM plans to release a preliminary statement of its findings and assessment of the elections on 30 November.
This deployment by the African Union follows closely on the heels of the Southern African Development Community’s (SADC) Electoral Observers Mission launched last Thursday.
Anne Semamba Makinda, a former Speaker of the Tanzanian Parliament, leads the mission, which includes 65 observers from eight member states: Eswatini, Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Tanzania.
These observers will also be deployed across all 14 regions of Namibia to monitor the electoral process.
The insights and recommendations from both observation missions will also strengthen Namibia’s electoral processes and democratic institutions.
