EISA Observer Mission to the 2005 Constitutional Referendum in the DRC

EISA hereby launches its regional observer mission to the forthcoming 2005 Constitutional Referendum in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), due to be held on the 18th of December 2005. The mission will be composed of approximately 15 representatives from electoral commissions, civil society organisations and academic institutions in the SADC region as well as individual experts in the field of elections and governance.

The mission is to arrive in Kinshasa on the 12th of December 2005 in order to attend meetings with Congolese electoral stakeholders, including the Electoral Commission, political parties, CSOs and academics. The Mission will remain in the country until 21 December 2005 after observing pre-polling activities, voting and counting on the polling day as well as post-polling activities.

In assessing the referendum, EISA will be using the Principles for Election Management, Monitoring and Observation in the SADC Region (PEMMO). These principles were adopted in November 2003 and were drafted in consultation with all electoral commissions in the SADC region as well as civil society organisations (CSOs) who work in the field of elections. PEMMO provides the region with an objective basis in terms of which to conduct and assess elections.

EISA is a regional non-governmental organisation, established in 1996 and based in Johannesburg, South Africa. Its mission is to strengthen electoral processes, good governance, human rights and democratic values in the SADC region and beyond through research, capacity building, advocacy and other targeted interventions. EISA services governments, electoral commissions, political parties, civil society organisations and other institutions operating in the democracy and governance fields in the SADC region. EISA has field offices in Burundi, the DRC, Angola and Mozambique.