MEDIA STATEMENT

ON SADC ELECTORAL OBSERVER MISSION

TO THE GENERAL ELECTIONS OF BOTSWANA

On Saturday 10 October 2009, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) deployed eighty-eight elections observers throughout the length and breadth of the Republic of Botswana to observe the general elections to be held on 16 October 2009. The SADC elections observers have been divided into fifteen teams to cover constituencies of Gaborone Central and Gaborone South; Gaborone North and Gaborone North West; Mochudi; Tlokweng/ Ramotswa; Kanye; Serowe; Molepolole; Maun; Gantsi; Tsabong; Francistown; Mahalapye; Kasane; Lobatse and Selibe Phikwe. The teams are further divided into sub-teams to ensure that every electoral zone is covered during the elections period.

The eighty-eight observers have been drawn from Angola, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Additional SADC observers are expected to arrive from other Member States.

SADC Electoral Observer Mission, headed by Honourable Ambassador Francisco Madeira, Minister of Diplomatic Affairs in the Office of the President of the Republic of Mozambique, was launched in Gaborone last Thursday, 8 October 2009. The launch is pursuant to the invitation by the Government of the Republic of Botswana and consistent with the provisions of the SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections. In this regard, the Chairperson of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation, His Excellency Armando Emilio Guebuza, President of the Republic of Mozambique mandated the SADC Executive Secretary, Dr. Tomaz Augusto Salomão to constitute and deploy a SADC Electoral Observer Mission to the General Elections in the Republic of Botswana.

The SADC Electoral Observer Mission will undertake its observation of the elections in the three phases of the electoral process, namely the pre-election, the election itself (voting day) and post election. The Mission will engage and support the people of Botswana as they go through these phases. The Mission is available to all elections stakeholders and will consult widely at national, regional, district and local levels with stakeholders to the elections that include political parties, independents, the Independent Electoral Commission of Botswana, Returning Officers, District Commissioners, Police, Civil Society organizations, Media, local monitors and other international and regional observers.

The guiding instrument for the SADC Electoral Observer Mission is the SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections which establishes that in holding elections Member States should follow a set of procedures that ensure, among other things, full participation of the citizens in the political process, freedom of association, political tolerance, equality of opportunities for all political contestants in terms of accessing the public media and civic education for voters. These Principles aim at enhancing the transparency and credibility of elections and democratic governance as well as ensuring the acceptance of the election results by all contesting parties.

While recognizing the challenges that come with the implementation of the SADC Principles and Guidelines, we, as SADC have made efforts to ensure that the process is peaceful, credible and legitimate. We believe that the process must assure voters and those voted for, to honourably accept the people’s verdict.

It is, therefore, our hope and expectation that the entire SADC region and indeed the international community will render assistance to the people of Botswana during the General Elections on 16 October 2009.

11 October 2009
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