African Union Election Observation Mission Deployed

The African Union (AU) have confirmed that their Election Observation Mission for the August 12th Zambian elections has been deployed.

In a statement released on Wednesday, the AU confirmed that their plan to observe the Zambian 2021 election had been approved and the deployment subsequently begun, with one week to go before the election.

The statement confirmed that the election would be led by His Excellency Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma, former President of the Republic of Sierra Leone, alongside former and current African ambassadors to Ethiopia, members of election management bodies in Africa, members of civil society organisations as well as independent electoral experts.

The Union hope that the mission will encourage a free and fair election within the country.

“The mission’s objective is to provide an independent and impartial assessment of all aspects of the 2021 electoral process, including the legal framework, the political context and the transparency and effectiveness of the electoral preparations,” the statement read.

Unlike the SADC Election Observation Mission, which is due to be held virtually, the African Union team will be present on the ground in Zambia to carry out their mission.