Agencia de Informacao de Mocambique (Maputo)
21 October 2009
Maputo — The Electoral Institute of Southern Africa (EISA) is sending 24 observers to the Mozambican general and provincial elections scheduled for 28 October.
The mission is headed by Christiana Thorpe, president of the National Elections Commission of Sierra Leone. Other members come from civil society organisations and electoral administration bodies, not only from African countries, but also from EISA's Asian and European partners.
The deputy head of the mission, and executive director of EISA, Denis Kadima, told a Maputo press conference on Wednesday that the observation mission hoped to verify if the conditions existed for elections in which Mozambican citizens could make a free choice, and whether the elections were in line with Mozambique's own laws.
The mission would also seek to determine whether the election results "reflect the will of the Mozambican people", and whether the elections meet SADC (Southern African Development Community) standards. These standards for election management, monitoring and observation were drawn up under the aegis of EISA and the SADC Forum of Election Commissions.
Kadima said that on Wednesday and Thursday the EISA observers would meet in Maputo with the various stakeholders in the elections, including the major political parties and the National Elections Commission (CNE).
On Friday, the observers will be deployed throughout the country where they will be able to observe the final stage of the election campaign, and the voting and count at the polling stations.
Kadima said the mission will issue a preliminary assessment of the elections on 30 October. Although the observers will be leaving by then, the EISA office in Maputo will keep a watch on the tabulation of results at district, provincial and national level.
Kadima said that only after the final validation of results will EISA issue its final report.
The CNE has until 12 November to issue the results - but they must then be validated and proclaimed by the appeals body, the Constitutional Council, and, judging by past experience, this could take another month.
EISA is a regional, non-profit making organisation based in Johannesburg, which describes its task as fighting for credible elections and democratic governance in Africa.
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