23 Oct 2024

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) member states have been urged to consider implementing recommendations made by the various SADC Electoral Observation Missions (SEOMs).

Officiating at the launch of the SEOM tasked to observe the October 30 general elections, the SADC Executive Secretary, Mr Elias Magosi, said the implementation of the SEOM recommendations would serve to enhance democratic processes of member states.

He said such recommendations would ensure good governance and give confidence to the citizens as well as external stakeholders that election observations, which were very costly in nature, were beneficial and worthwhile exercises. Mr Magosi noted that it was SADC’s shared aspiration to transform the SADC region into a fully integrated space that safeguards prosperity for all and relied heavily on its resilience in commanding democracy, good governance, peace and stability.

As such, he said the implementation of the SADC Principles and Guidelines was set to uplift each SADC member state and in so doing, enabled the region to progress safely towards the achievement of the Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP), the SADC Vision 2050, as well as the broader African Union Agenda 2063.

He indicated that the observation mission also benefited from the counsel and guidance of the SADC Electoral Advisory Council (SEAC), a critical structure that was responsible for advising SADC and its electoral institutions on all matters of electoral processes, as well as the enhancement of democracy and good governance in the region.

“The SEAC not only advises the Chairperson of the Organ on deployments of SEOMs in Member States, but it also assesses progress made by the Member State holding elections on the implementation of recommendations made in previous SEOM reports,” he said.

The SEOM is mandated to implement the SADC Principles and Guidelines governing democratic elections that were adopted back in 2004 and have been amended over the years, leading to the much more recent version of 2021.

Article three of the SADC Principles and Guidelines mandates SADC to deploy the SEOM to all its Member States holding general elections and to achieve its objectives in Botswana, the mission is undertaking stakeholder engagements at the Head of Mission and Troika levels.

The SEOM normally arrives at its conclusions and recommendations after having considered reports from SADC observers as well as views of various stakeholders they engage with in countries holding elections. ENDS