Retired Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has been appointed to lead the African Union Election Observation Mission (AUEOM) in South Africa’s upcoming general elections on May 29, 2024.
This deployment signifies the African Union’s commitment to supporting democratic processes on the continent.
The AUEOM will comprise 60 short-term observers, including three core team electoral experts, who will be in South Africa from May 21 to June 3, 2024.
Their mission will involve observing the elections and reporting on their adherence to democratic principles.
This includes assessing aspects like voter registration, campaigning, polling station procedures, and the vote counting process.
The ultimate goal is to ensure the credibility and transparency of the South African elections.
“The objectives of the AUEOM are to provide impartial reporting or assessment of the quality of the 29 May General Elections in South Africa, including the degree to which the conduct of the elections meets regional, continental and international standards for democratic elections; offer recommendations for improvement of future elections based on the findings; and demonstrate 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,” AU added.
“The AUEOM draws its mandate from various AU instruments, notably: (a) the African Union Guidelines for Elections 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). It 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.”
