AU sends mission to observe December 3-5 presidential polls |01 December 2015

Following an invitation from the government of Seychelles, the chairperson of the African Union Commission, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, has deployed an African Union Election Observation Mission (AUEOM) to Seychelles to observe the presidential election set for December 3-5, 2015.

The AUEOM is led by Julie Dolly Joiner, former commissioner for political affairs of the African Union and comprises 17 short-term observers drawn from 14 African countries, representing the African ambassadors accredited to the African Union, members of the Pan-African Parliament, election management bodies and civil society organisations.
 
The mission arrived on November 26, 2015 and will remain in the country until December 10, 2015.

The AUEOM’s mandate is derived from the 2007 African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance; the 2002 AU/OAU Declaration on Principles Governing Democratic Elections in Africa; and the 2002 AU Guidelines for Elections Observation and Monitoring Missions.

The assessment and observations of the mission will be impartial and objective, informed by the principles and guidelines stipulated in the aforementioned standards as well as the legal framework for elections in Seychelles.

The AUEOM will issue a statement of its preliminary assessment of the elections on December 7 at a press conference at the Savoy Resort & Spa at Beau Vallon. The African Union will continue to follow the electoral process to its conclusion and will release a final and comprehensive report within two months after the end of the process.