Two days after poling day, the Head of Mission releases the Preliminary Statement at a public forum. The Preliminary Statement covers the Mission’s observations of the pre-election and voting processes. The Preliminary Statement, among others, highlights the Mission’s observations in areas such as the political and security environment, participation of women, people with disabilities, and minority groups, the legal framework governing elections and the level of access to public media during the campaign period. The Preliminary Statement also highlights observations on the polling day and makes recommendations for improving the conduct of future elections based on the challenges encountered and drawing from international best practices in the management of elections.
In accordance with the revised SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections (2015) SEOM’s Final Report is presented within thirty (30) days of the conclusion of the electoral cycle. Both the SEOM Preliminary and Final Reports draw largely from observations of deployed observers, consultations with political and electoral stakeholders, review of election-related legal instruments and media reports. The Final Report is submitted to the Chairperson of the Organ and to the Electoral Management Body of the Member State.
Between 2018 and 2019, the SADC Electoral Observation Missions (SEOMs) were deployed to ten SADC Member States which held their national elections, namely: Kingdom of Eswatini and the Republics of Botswana, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.
Pursuant to Article 4.1 of the revised SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections (2015), Member States shall invite SEOMs to observe their elections, based on the provisions of the SADC Treaty, Protocol on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation.
