interim statement
EISA Regional Observer Mission to the Zambia 2006 Tripartite Elections 28 September 2006 (continued)

1.3 Method of work

In order to accommodate the need for a holistic approach to election assessment, EISA conducted various activities covering the pre-election, the polling and the post-election phases:

• Support to Zambian Electoral Stakeholders
  The EISA Regional Election Observer Mission forms part of EISA's ongoing support to the democratic process in Zambia. In the past two years, EISA has, at various times, trained domestic observers, provided expert advice to the Electoral Reform Technical Committee and contributed to the preparation of the Electoral Code of Conduct. EISA has also published on political parties in Zambia and provided training of trainers for the ECZ programme on conflict management.
• Pre-election assessment
  The EISA Mission to the Tripartite Elections was a short-term observation assignment which began with the deployment of a pre-election assessment team which was in the country from 28-31 August and was followed by the arrival of the advance team in Zambia on Monday 18 September 2006. The advance team considered and examined legal documents governing the organisation and conduct of the electoral process in Zambia.
• Stakeholder Meetings and Political Party Rallies
  Members of the Mission met various electoral stakeholders including representatives of the Electoral Commission of Zambia, political parties, civil society organisations, the media and other international observer teams. Our different teams also attended political party rallies in the various parts of the country where they were deployed.

1.4 Deployment and observation of the voting process

Following a two-day briefing in Lusaka during which key stakeholders addressed the Mission on the critical issues of the electoral process in Zambia, as well as the level of preparedness of the ECZ ahead of the polling day, EISA deployed 5 teams on Sunday 24 September 2006 covering provinces as follows:

• Lusaka Province;
• Eastern Province;
• Copperbelt Province;
• Northwestern Province;
• Southern Province.

Upon arrival in their areas of deployment, EISA teams held further meetings with the main stakeholders. This period was also used by the teams to familiarise themselves with the local context in which the Tripartite Elections were to take place and observe the campaigning. On Election Day, EISA teams visited a total of 61 polling stations and 149 polling streams and observed the voting and counting of ballot papers at the polling stations.

1.5 Principles for Election Management, Monitoring and Observation in the SADC Region (PEMMO)

The Mission's assessment of the Elections is based on the Principles for Election Management, Monitoring and Observation in the SADC Region (PEMMO). PEMMO is a set of benchmarks against which an election can be measured to assess whether it is credible or legitimate. It was developed by EISA in partnership with the Electoral Commissions Forum (ECF) of SADC Countries, The principles cover the whole electoral process and provide an objective standard against which an election can be assessed. Furthermore, they constitute a useful tool for post-election reviews and for electoral reforms. For observers, PEMMO also outlines guidelines on the expected behaviour for the enhanced ethical conduct and credibility of both election observation and monitoring groups. Since its adoption at a regional conference on 6 November 2003 in Johannesburg, South Africa, PEMMO has been successfully used to assess elections held since April 2004 in the SADC region and beyond.