EISA Election Observer Mission to the 2008 Zambian Presidential Election

8 October 2008

EISA hereby launches its election observer mission to the forthcoming Presidential Elections in Zambia which will be held on 30 October 2008. Leading the delegation is Mr Abel Leshele Thoahlane, Chairperson of the EISA Board of Directors and Former Chairperson of the Independent Electoral Commission of Lesotho. The mission will consist of 20 members drawn from civil society organisations in all regions of Africa.

The mission's assessment will be based on the EISA/ECF Principles for Election Management, Monitoring and Observation in the SADC Region (PEMMO) which were officially adopted in South Africa on 6 November 2003 and launched in Zambia on 24 March 2006. The Principles were drafted in consultation with all electoral commissions in the SADC region, as well as civil society organisations (CSOs) working in the field of elections. PEMMO provides the region with an objective basis for the conduct and assessment of elections.

The mission is expected to arrive in Lusaka on 20 October 2008 in order to hold a series of meetings with election stakeholders, including the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ), political parties, CSOs and academics, ahead of Election Day. The mission will remain in the country until 05 November 2008, after observing the voting and counting processes, as well as post-polling activities. The mission will cover selected rural and urban areas in Zambia.

EISA is a regional non governmental organisation established in 1996, 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. The organisation services governments, electoral commissions, political parties, civil society organisations and other institutions operating in the democracy and governance fields in the SADC region and beyond.