The Head of the SADC Election Observation Mission (SEOM) to the Republic of Seychelles, the Honourable Nyeleti Mondlane, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, of the Republic of Mozambique, together with members of the SADC Electoral Advisory Council (SEAC) met with Heads of International Observation Missions at Avani Hotel in Victoria, Mahe, Republic of Seychelles on the 4th of December 2015.
In line with the standard practice, the Heads of International Election Observation Missions were invited to share perspectives, experiences, reflections, insights, and findings thus far, as the country emerged from the Special Voting day, which was the 3rd of December 2015.
Some of the Missions represented at the meeting included the Indian Ocean Commission, the African Union Observer Mission, the Commonwealth Observer Group, the Electoral Commission Forum of SADC countries (ECF-SADC), the SADC Parliamentary Forum (SADC-PF) and well as the British High Commission/EU.
Since the Missions came from diverse backgrounds, had different lengths of stay in the country, with varied sizes and areas of geographical coverage, they provided diverse inputs. Thus, their individual and collective interpretations of events, situations and political developments during the discussions were quite enriching.
The Heads of Missions agreed on a number of key issues observed regarding the general electoral process, the situation in the country as well as the events of the day of the special vote. They all acknowledged the country's readiness and preparedness to hold the Presidential Election.
It was agreed that, in line with the set standard and practice, the international observation missions would release their Preliminary Statements on the 7th of December 2015 at the same venue, Avani Hotel, in Victoria, Mahe.
In her concluding remarks, Honourable Nyeleti Mondlane commented on the importance of the insights that were exchanged amongst the Observer Missions. She reminded the group that the responsibility they carried as observers during this election was huge. As such, their credibility and integrity would be determined by their levels of objectivity, as reflected in their Statements.
