Lusaka, Friday, March 16, 2017: COMESA and the Community of Sahel-Saharan States (CENSAD) will deploy a joint Election Observation Mission to Egypt’s Presidential Elections set for 26th to 28th March 2018. The teams will undergo a joint two-day training in Cairo before deployment to various governorates.
This deployment follows an invitation from the National Elections Commission (NEC)of Egypt. A member of the COMESA Committee of Elders from Uganda, Ms Hope Kivengere, will lead the COMESA Observer team.
As part of its mission in Egypt, the COMESA delegation will conduct pre-election observation which will include consultations political parties, the NEC, security agencies, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) the Media and other stakeholders. The aim is to gather information on election-related issues and to assess election preparedness. The delegation will also engage with the Diplomatic Community as well as with other election observers on the ground in the selected provinces.
The findings of the Pre-Election Observer mission’s will enhance understanding of the electoral processes in Egypt. These findings will be included into the detailed report that will be submitted to the NEC and the Government within 90 days from the election date.
The joint COMESA -CENSAD deployment is informed by a Memorandum of Understanding signed between the AU and the Regional Economic Communities (RECs) in 2008. The decision of 20th Technical Meeting of AU and RECs on Early Warning Systems held in December 2017 in Djibouti further underscored the need for collaboration between the RECs.
The observer mission will use this opportunity to strengthen and consolidate the democratic processes in Egypt.
Mwangi Gakunga
Head, Corporate Communications/COMESA
