Launch of the EISA Regional Observer Mission to the 2004 South African General Election & the Principles for Election Management, Monitoring and Observation (PEMMO)

Press Release

EISA hereby launches its Regional Observer Mission for the upcoming general election due to be held on 14 April 2004. Leading the Mission is Chairman of the Lesotho IEC Mr A. L. Thoahlane, who is also Chairman of the EISA Board. The Mission comprises 40 members from various countries within the SADC region, including the Democratic Republic Republic of Congo, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Angola.

'The Mission is excited that it will assess these elections based on the recently adopted ECF/ EISA Principles for Election Management, Monitoring and Observation in the SADC Region (PEMMO),' Mr Thoahlane said. 'These regional principles were adopted in November in last year and were drafted in consultation with all Electoral Commissions within the SADC region as well as Civil Society organisations who work in the elections field,' Mr Thoahlane continued.

The launching of PEMMO as a tool to assess the election is a crucial step in ensuring an objective basis for concluding on the freeness, fairness or otherwise of an election. South Africa is the first country where these principles will be utilised since their adoption in November 2003. Later elections due to be held in Malawi, Botswana, Mozambique and Namibia this year will also be assessed in accordance with PEMMO as well as all future elections in the region.

Six Provinces, namely Eastern Cape, Gauteng, KwaZulu Natal Limpompo, Mpumalanga and the Western Cape, will be covered by the Mission.

issued by the eisa regional observer mission to the 2004 national and provincial elections

Mission Leader
Mr A. L. Thoahlane