• Honourable Chairperson of the Electoral Commission of Mauritius;
• Head of the Electoral Supevisory Commission;

• His Excellency the Deputy Executive Secretary- Regional Integration of SADC Eng. João Samuel Caholo;

• Your Excellency High Commissioner of the Republic of South Africa and SADC Ambassador to the Republic of Mauritius;

• Your Excellencies/High Commissioners of Countires Accrediated to the Republic of Mauritius;

• Excellencies Members of the Diplomatic Corp;

• Representatives of Political Parties in Mauritius;

• Representatives of Election Observer Missions to the Republic of Mauritius;

• Esteemed Members of the Media;

• Ladies and Gentlemen.

It is my greatest honour and privilege to, on behalf of the Chairperson of the Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation, His Exellency Armando Emelío Guebuza, President of the Republic of Mozambique and indeed on my own behalf, to welcome you to this important occasion.

I am emphasizing on the importance of this occasion as this symbolizes our unfettered commitment and efforts to nurture and entrench the culture of democracy in the SADC Region.

In furtherance of the above-stated regional agenda, the Republic of Mauritius decided to hold the National Assembly Elections on 05 May 2010 and has, in consistent with the SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections, invited SADC to send a team of observers to witness the conduct of these elections.

The Chairperson of the Organ on Politics, Defence & Security Cooperation mandated the Executive Secretary of SADC, Dr. Tomaz Augusto Salomão Secretariat to coordinate and make all necessary preparations for the participation of observers from Member States in the observation of these elections.

Your Excellencies,
Esteemed Invited Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen.

As the previous speaker has said, SADC is not only here because we were invited to come, but we are here because of our commitment as a community to uphold our principles and democratic values.

It is through our collective responsibility as a Region that we will all realize our ambition which is enshrined in the Treaty establishing SADC that of a “shared future”.

Article 5 of the SADC Treaty clearly outlines the objectives of SADC whereby Member States are committed to the promotion of common political values and systems.

For us to maintain the status-quo, we must be committed to democratic norms and principles. SADC must also be able to consolidate, defend and maintain democracy so that our citizens can realize and enjoy peace, security and political stability, hence, the ability to eradicate poverty and enhance livelihood of our people.

It is my conviction that the SADC observers are here today to further strengthen these principles of democracy and ensure that whatever they do will reflect what SADC is all about. This simply means, it is important to take into consideration the principles and guidelines governing democratic elections in the Region.

Clearly so, it is also important to note that our mission is a cornerstone in the advancement and promotion of democratic norms and values that will always aim at the conducting of transparent and credible elections.

The SADC Mission is not here to manage the electoral process, but to observe the management and conduct of this noble process.

I am glad to announce that at least almost all Member States of the SADC community have send observers to join this mission and more will join this mission at a later stage. So far, we already have about 40 Observers in Port Louis ready for deployment and we expect the number to increase as time goes especially when the country symbolizes the paradise of Africa. All in all, we expect to have about 100 Observers for this Mission.

After all the necessary administrative and logistical arrangements have been finalized, we will deploy these observers throughout the width, length and breadth of Mauritius.

My Mission in Mauritius will be available and will consultant widely at national, regional, district and local levels with the major stakeholders to this election that will include political Parties, independents, the Electoral Commission of Mauritius, Returning Officers, Police, Civil Society Organizations, media, local monitors, other international and regional observers as well as other relevant stakeholders deployed in the country for the same purpose.

The Headquarters of the SADC Electoral Observer Mission is located at the Le Suffren Hotel and Marina in Port Louis and those to be deployed throughout the country will be identifiable by their identification means.

They will ensure that they operate within the framework of the SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections as well as the Electoral Laws of the Republic of Mauritius.

With these few remarks, I wish to announce on behalf of the Chairperson of the Organ, His Excellency Armando Emelío Guebuza that the SADC Electoral Observer Mission to the 05 May 2010, National Assembly Elections in the Republic of Mauritius is hence officially launched.

I thank you.