Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of International Relations and Co-operation of Namibia and Head of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Electoral Observer Mission (SEOM) launched the SEOM for the August 24 General Elections in Angola at the Epic Sana Hotel in Luanda on Monday.
Following an invitation extended by the National Electoral Commission (CNE) of the Republic of Angola to SADC, the chairperson of the Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Co-operation deployed the SEOM to the Republic of Angola from August 11 to September 9 to observe the general elections.
The SEOM will observe the elections based on the adopted practice that supports member states in ensuring regular and credible elections, namely the three-tier electoral observation approach that involves pre-election assessments, assessments during elections, and post-elections assessments.
Netumbo Nandi Ndaitwah noted that the SEOM is comprised of a total, of 52 personnel drawn from 11 SADC Member States namely, Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The observers will be deployed across 12 provinces of Angola.
She highlighted that SADC Electoral Observation Mission will assess the conduct of the elections against a set of central principles stipulated in the revised SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections (2021).
These include:
Full participation of the citizens in the democratic and development processes; measures to prevent corruption, bribery, favouritism, political violence, intimidation and intolerance; equal opportunity for all political parties to access the State Media as well as access to information by all citizens and acceptance of and respect for the election results by all political parties.
The head of mission also commended the people of Angola for the calm and peaceful environment as a sign guaranteeing a peaceful election.
The SADC executive secretary, Elias Mpedi Magosi, applauded the Republic of Angola for allowing SADC the opportunity to participate in the process to consolidate democracy in the country and the region.
He also underscored that the practice should be emulated by the rest of the continent to ensure the protection and preservation of democracy and its principles in the region and the world at large.
The launch of the SEOM to the Republic of Angola was attended by Jorge Carlos de Almeida Fonseca, former president of the Cape Verde Islands, and the Head of the Community of Portuguese speaking countries Electoral Observation Mission, the Chief Judge of the Constitutional Court, Ms Laurinda Jacinto Prazeres Monteiro Cardoso, heads of international electoral observer missions to the Republic of Angola, members of the diplomatic corps, representatives of civil society organisations and members of the media.
IOL