The African Union Commission announces the launch of the African Union Election Observation Mission (AUEOM) to the 24 August 2022 General Elections in the Republic of Angola. The short-term election observation mission comprises 35 members drawn from various AU Member States, Members of Pan African Parliament and Permanent Representatives Committee of the AU, supported by a team of 14 experts drawn from African Union Commission and independent experts. The AUEOM is led by His Excellency Hailemariam Dessalegn, the Former Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and has been deployed from 19 to 27 August 2022.

The objectives of the AUEOM are to: (a) provide an accurate and impartial assessment of the electoral process, including the degree to which the conduct of the elections meets regional, continental and international standards for democratic elections; (b) offer recommendations for improvement of future elections based on the findings; and (c) demonstrate AU's solidarity and support towards consolidation of democracy in Angola.

The AUEOM draws its mandate from various AU instruments, most importantly: (a) the 2002 African Union Guidelines for Elections Observation and Monitoring Missions; (b) the 2002 OUA/AU Declaration on Principles Governing Democratic Elections in Africa; 1981 African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights and (c) the 2007 African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance; and Aspiration No. 3 of the Agenda 2063, which aims to ensure an Africa of good governance, democracy and respect for human rights, justice and rule of law, among others.

As part of its observation process in Angola, the AUEOM will engage with various stakeholders as well as observe the polling process. Based on the findings, AUEOM will issue its preliminary statement on the electoral process on 26 August 2022 in Luanda.