By Chantelle Muzanenhamo
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has launched its Electoral Observation Mission (SEOM) for the upcoming National Assembly elections in Mauritius, scheduled for November 10, 2024. Hon. Mohammed Chande Othman, Head of SEOM and former Chief Justice of Tanzania, announced the mission’s key details in a launch statement yesterday.
Othman revealed that the mission consists of seventy-three (73) personnel, including thirty-five (35) deployable observers from eight SADC member states: Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Eswatini, and Tanzania.
He noted that the observers participated in a four-day training session from November 1 to 4, 2024, to better understand the Mauritian context regarding the elections.
“Our observers will be deployed to the ten administrative districts of Mauritius: Black River, Flacq, Grand Port, Moka, Pamplemousses, Plaines-Wilhems, Port-Louis, Rivière du Rempart, Savanne, and Rodrigues,” he stated.
The SEOM will focus on various phases of the electoral process, including the pre-election period, voting day, ballot counting, and the announcement of results. Othman emphasized the importance of assessing the overall post-election environment as well. He added that the mission has already begun engaging with stakeholders to understand the political, legal, and security situation surrounding the elections.
He further encouraged all registered voters to actively participate in the electoral process and called on all stakeholders to ensure that the elections are conducted peacefully.
“SADC urges all registered voters to exercise their civic and political rights by turning up to cast their votes and elect leaders of their choice on November 10, 2024. We also encourage all stakeholders to ensure that these elections are conducted in a peaceful, free, fair, transparent, and credible atmosphere,” he urged.
Othman expressed optimism for an electoral process that aligns with the democratic values and principles outlined in the SADC Treaty and the revised SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections (2021).
In closing, Othman invited everyone to attend the release of the SEOM’s Preliminary Statement regarding the mission’s observations on November 12, 2024. The upcoming elections are seen as a crucial step in maintaining democratic governance in Mauritius.