As contained in Article 3 of the revised SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections (2021), the Southern African Development Community (SADC) shall observe all General Elections held in its Member States. Therefore, SADC is deploying Electoral Observation Mission to observe the 2025 Presidential and National Assembly Elections in the Republic of Seychelles.
In line with their five-year electoral cycle, the Republic of Seychelles will hold Presidential and National Assembly Elections from 25th - 27th September 2025. H.E. Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera, President of the Republic of Malawi, and Chairperson of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation, has assigned the SADC Secretariat to coordinate the deployment of the SADC Electoral Observation Mission for a Short-Term Observer mission within the country in line with Article 3 of the revised SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections (2021), which provides that SADC shall observe all general elections held in its Member States.
The SADC Secretariat and observers will arrive in Seychelles from 9th September 2025, with the Mission lasting until 4th October 2025. The Official Launch of SEOM Seychelles will be held on 18th September 2025 and the release of the SEOM Preliminary Statement will take place on 29th September 2025, both at the Eden Bleu Hotel on Mahe Island where the SEOM Headquarters will be based.
The SEOM to Seychelles will observe the pre- and post-election phases as well as the polling day. The Mission's key objective is to assess the conduct of the elections against the revised SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections (2021). These principles emphasise, amongst others, the importance of citizen participation in the democratic and development processes, the implementation of measures to promote free and fair elections, equal access to the government-owned Media by all political parties and the significance of acceptance and respect for the election results by all political parties.
As part of its mandate, the SEOM Leadership and observers will engage a variety of election-related stakeholders on Mahe, Praslin and La Digue during the deployment period. The SADC Secretariat will also facilitate a Pre-Deployment Refresher Training for the observers ahead of their official sending off to the country’s respective Districts.
The following are some of the key activities for the SEOM in the Republic of Seychelles.
Arrival of the Observers, Troika, and the SADC Electoral Advisory Council (SEAC) on 12th September 2025
Official launch of the SEOM to the 2025 Presidential and National Assembly Elections in the Republic of Seychelles on 18th September 2025 (Open to both the Public and the Media).
Election Day (Field Observations) on 25th to 27th September 2025.
Release of the SEOM Preliminary Statement on the 2025 Presidential and National Assembly Elections in the Republic of Seychelles on 29th September 2025.
