interim statement
EISA Election Observer Mission to the 2005 Mauritius National Assembly Election
Port Louis, Tuesday 5 July 2005 - for immediate release
1 Introduction
Following an invitation extended by the Electoral Commissioner's Office, EISA deployed an observer mission to the 2005 National Assembly Election in Mauritius. The EISA Mission delegates started arriving in Port Louis on Wednesday 22 June 2005 in order to observe and assess:
- pre-polling activities
- the voting process scheduled on Sunday 3 July 2005
- the counting on the following day
- post-polling stages, including the tabulation and announcements of results.
From its observations and views on the electoral process in Mauritius which are based on the guidelines enshrined in the Principles for Election Management, Monitoring and Observation in the SADC Region (PEMMO), the EISA Mission has made the preliminary assessments contained in this statement. EISA will produce a detailed final report in the next few weeks, which will provide an in depth analysis of the entire electoral process. For this reason, EISA will continue to follow the process to its completion, including the confirmation of results and allocation of parliamentary seats so as to evaluate the overall post-election phase.
1.1 About EISA
EISA is a regional non-profit organisation established in 1996. 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 and promote 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 and other institutions operating in the democracy and governance fields in Africa.
The organisation is headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, and has field offices in Angola, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Mozambique.
Election observation is a key component of EISA's work as it allows for the collection of relevant data and information on electoral practices. Equally important, election observation provides an opportunity for mission members to exchange their experiences in the organisation and conduct of elections and to learn from the host country.
1.2 Mission Composition
The EISA Mission, led by Mr Denis Kadima, the EISA Executive Director, consisted of 17 members including representatives from electoral commissions and civil society organisations from SADC countries (Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe), Côte d'Ivoire, as well as an electoral expert from Denmark.
1.3 Deployment
Upon arrival the Mission held a one and a half day briefing session during which key election stakeholders addressed the mission on the critical issues of the process, as well as their preparedness ahead of the polling day. Stakeholders included representatives from the Electoral Commissioner's Office, the Electoral Supervisory Commission, the media, political parties, as well as civil society organisations.
Following the briefing, the EISA Mission was divided into five teams that were deployed to cover all the constituencies in the country, including Rodrigues. At the constituency level, EISA teams held further meetings with election stakeholders, including candidates, attended political gatherings and made preliminary visits to polling stations.