The Head of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Electoral Observation Mission (SEOM) to the National Assembly Elections in the Republic of Mauritius, Honourable Mohammed Chande Othman, Former Chief Justice of the United Republic of Tanzania, on 4th November 2024 arrived in Port Louis, Republic of Mauritius ahead of the official launch of the SEOM in Port Louis, Mauritius on 5th November 2024.
The Chairperson of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation, Her Excellency Dr. Samia Suluhu Hassan, President of the United Republic of Tanzania, appointed Honourable Othman as the Head of Mission to the National Assembly Elections in the Republic of Mauritius.
Meanwhile, observers SADC Election Observers have concluded their four-day Pre-deployment Training for the Short-term Observers which was held from 1-4 November 2024 in preparation for their deployment after the launch of the Mission. The observers will be deployed to all the ten administrative districts of the Republic of Mauritius, of which nine (9) are located on the mainland of Mauritius, and the tenth district is the Island of Rodriques.
Speaking at the opening of the training Ms. Talha M. Waziri, SADC National Contact Point and Director of the Department of Regional Cooperation in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, expressed gratitude to the Member States for availing observers to observe the National Assembly Elections in the Republic of Mauritius.
Ms. Waziri underscored the importance of the Pre-deployment Training as it provides an opportunity for the observers to familiarise themselves with the political and security situation as well as constitutional and electoral frameworks and practices relevant to the conduct of elections in the Republic of Mauritius.
She urged the observers to adhere to the provisions of revised SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections (2021), which are in conformity with international and regional frameworks such as the United Nations Charter and the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance.
The training was facilitated by the SADC Secretariat in conjunction with the Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa (EISA), non-profit organisation that works to promote credible elections and sustainable democracies in Africa. Observers in the training have been drawn from nine SADC Member States namely Botswana, Eswatini, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
