Lusaka, Friday 30 July 2021: COMESA is part of the election observer missions that will deploy teams in Zambia for the forthcoming general elections on 12 August 2021. This follows an invitation by the Government of Zambia.

The Mission will be led by Members of the COMESA Committee of Elders, Ambassador Ashraf Gamal Rashed of Egypt with the assistance of Madam Hope Kivengere of Uganda. It is expected to include observers from Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Kenya, Libya, Malawi, Rwanda, Sudan, Somalia, and Zimbabwe and the COMESA Secretariat staff.

In a statement issued today, Secretary General Chileshe Kapwepwe confirmed that the observer team will be deployed to the field after going through a training programme on the COMESA Election Observer Principles and Methodology. The mission will cover all the 10 provinces of Zambia.

“As part of its mission, the observer team will consult various electoral stakeholders including political parties, security, the Electoral Commission of Zambia, civil society, and the media, among others. They will also exchange views with other election observers’ missions,” she said.

The observation process will be guided primarily by the constitution and legal framework of Zambia, in consistence with the relevant international and regional instruments including the COMESA Guidelines on Election Observation.

Prior to the deployment of the observers, the Secretariat, which is based in Zambia, has been monitoring the evolving pre-electoral situation in the country including campaigns, civic education, and voter registration, among others.

“The COMESA electoral observation mission welcomes the opportunity to contribute to the democratic process in the Republic of Zambia and looks forward to the cooperation of all Zambians,” Ms Kapwepwe added.