EISA Regional Observer Mission to the Zambia 2006 Tripartite Elections
Arrival Statement
26 September 2006
EISA is pleased to announce the official launch of its Election Observer Mission to the 2006 Tripartite Elections in Zambia scheduled for Thursday 28 September 2006. The Mission, which is led by Mr Abel Leshele Thoahlane, Chairperson of the Independent Electoral Commission of Lesotho and of the EISA Board of Directors, is in the country at the invitation of the Electoral Commission of Zambia. Mr Denis Kadima, EISA's Executive Director, is the Deputy Mission Leader.
The EISA Mission consists of 14 members, including representatives from electoral commissions and civil society organisations (CSOs) from different countries (namely, Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Lesotho, Mozambique, Portugal, South Africa, Zanzibar and Zimbabwe). The mission is based at the Intercontinental Hotel in Lusaka.
The overall objective of the Mission is in line with EISA's vision of promoting credible elections and democratic governance in Africa. Specific objectives for this particular Mission include the following:
- To assess whether conditions exist for the conduct of elections that allow the people of Zambia to freely express their will;
- To assess and determine whether the elections are conducted in accordance with the electoral legislative framework for elections in Zambia;
- To determine whether the final results of the electoral process as a whole reflect the wishes of the people of Zambia;
- To assess whether the elections meet the benchmarks set out in the Principles for Election Management, Monitoring and Observation in the SADC Region (PEMMO), developed under the auspices of EISA and the Electoral Commissions Forum (ECF) of SADC countries.
PEMMO was produced after 3 years of work by the ECF and EISA, in consultation with CSOs who work in the field of elections. Subsequently, the election principles, which serve as benchmarks in the conduct and assessment of elections in the SADC region, were adopted on 6 November 2003 in Johannesburg, South Africa. PEMMO has been applied for the assessment of all elections held since April 2004 to date in the SADC region.
On Sunday 24 September 2006, EISA will deploy teams throughout selected provinces in Zambia where they will meet electoral stakeholders, including electoral officials, representatives of political parties, CSOs and the voters ahead of the elections. On Election Day, 28 September, the EISA teams will observe the voting and counting processes.
On Friday 29 September 2006, all EISA Teams will reconvene in Lusaka where an interim statement expressing the Mission's preliminary views and recommendations on the 2006 Tripartite Elections in Zambia will be issued. The principles enshrined in the PEMMO will be taken into account to direct the Mission's observations on the polling and results processes, as well as the electoral environment as a whole. The EISA Mission will remain in Lusaka until Tuesday 3 October 2006 in order to observe post-polling activities, including the announcement of results.
The Mission undertakes to cooperate closely with the Zambian electoral stakeholders and other observers, and strives to act, at every stage of the electoral process under scrutiny, with impartiality, objectivity and independence.
EISA is a regional non-profit organisation established in 1996 and headquartered in Johannesburg South Africa with field offices in Angola (Luanda) the Democratic Republic of Congo (Kinshasa) and Mozambique (Maputo) The vision of the organisation is to promote credible elections and democratic governance throughout Africa. This vision is executed through the organisational mission: to strengthen electoral processes, good governance, human rights and democratic values through research, capacity building, advocacy and other targeted interventions. EISA services electoral commissions, political parties, civil society organisations, governments and other institutions operating in the democracy and governance fields in Africa.
Abel Leshele Thoahlane
Mission Leader