President Edgar Chagwa Lungu has appointed 48 man SADC Elections Observation Mission team to the Republic of South Africa to monitor the forth-coming General elections.
President Lungu appointed the Electoral Observer Mission from ten (10) SADC member countries to be headed by Zambia’s Foreign Affairs Minister Joel Malanji.
The President made appointments in his capacity as SADC chairperson on Defence and Politics.
Speaking during the official launch of the SADC Electoral observer Mission (SEOM) at Sheraton Hotel in Johannesburg, South Africa, Lead Observer, Joel Malanji said the 48 observers would be deployed in all the provinces of the country.
He said the deployment of the SADC observer team was in line with the revised SADC principles governing credible and democratic elections
Mr Malanji noted that the observer team constituted of members from Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo and Lesotho.
Others were from Namibia, Malawi, Tanzania, Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Mr Malanji, who was franked by the SADC Executive Secretary Dr Stergomena Lawrence Tax said his team will focus on the pre and post-election periods which included campaigns, voting day and the processes of voting counting.
He encouraged stakeholders to ensure that the elections were conducted in a free, fair and credible manner as envisioned in the SADC treaty on Politics, Defence and Security.
Mr Malanji mentioned that the current observer mission was preceded by a pre-election assessment by SADC Electoral Advisory body from 4th to 10th April 2019.
He mentioned that the SADC electoral advisory body mission to the Republic of South Africa established that 26.7 million voters were registered countrywide
He added that the about 22 thousand polling stations were established to esnure that registered voters cast their vote.
Mr Malanji, on behalf of His Excellency President Edgar Lungu has since declared the SADC Electoral Observer Mission (SEOM)officially opened.
Meanwhile, the SADC Executive Secretary Dr Stergomena Lawrence Tax said a post election observation phase will begin immediately after voting was closed.
She said this was aimed at promoting electoral integrity and peace and stability
This is contained in a statement by Naomi Nyawali First Secretary Press and Public Relations Zambia’s High Commission, South Africa.
