- Uhuru’s team will be comprised of 60 short-term observers (STOs) and three Core Team electoral experts.
- The primary mandate of the team will be to provide impartial reporting or assessment of the quality of the poll.
Image: COURTESY
The African Union Commission (AUC) has announced the appointment of retired President Uhuru Kenyatta to spearhead a team of observers tasked with overseeing the upcoming general election in South Africa.
Uhuru will lead the AU Election Observation Mission (AUEOM), which will be active in South Africa from May 21 to June.
The nation is preparing to hold the general election on May 29.
Uhuru’s team, commission chairperson Moussa Faki disclosed, will be comprised of 60 short-term observers (STOs) and three Core Team electoral experts.
The primary mandate of the team will be to provide impartial reporting or assessment of the quality of the poll.
This includes the degree to which the conduct of the elections meets regional, continental and international standards for democratic elections.
It will also offer recommendations for the improvement of future elections based on the findings.
“The AUEOM will engage with several stakeholders and observe the final preparations and polling process. Based on the findings, it will issue its preliminary statement after election day,” the statement reads.
As part of its tasks, it has been tasked with demonstrating the AU’s solidarity and support towards South Africa’s elections and democratization process to ensure that the conduct of democratic, credible and peaceful elections contributes to the consolidation of democratic governance, peace and stability in the country.
The observer mission draws its mandate from various AU instruments, notably the AU guidelines for elections observation and monitoring missions (2002), and the OUA/AU Declaration on Principles Governing Democratic Elections in Africa (2002).
It also derives it from the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights (1981) and the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance (2007).
AUEOM also aligns with Aspiration 3 of the AU Agenda 2063, which aims to ensure good governance, democracy and respect for human rights, justice, and the rule of law.