Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (PANA) – The African Union (AU) is deploying a team of election observers to the October 15 Presidential and Parliamentary elections in Mozambique.
The AU Commission Chairperson, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, said on Monday that the AU approved the deployment of the mission on the request of the Mozambican government.
Justice Sophia Akuffo, former President of the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights and Judge of the Supreme Court of Ghana, who is leading the AU team, arrived in Maputo on October 11, 2014, to interact with key political players ahead of the polls.
President Armando Guebuza is not eligible to stand for elections, but observers expect victory for his ruling Frelimo party, which has won successive polls since 1975.
The AU observer mission is being deployed to observe the Presidential, Parliamentary and Provincial Assembly elections scheduled to be held on Wednesday.
Some 250 seats are up for grabs in the country’s parliament and other seats available in the 10 provincial assemblies.
Dlamini-Zuma said the AU launched its election observation mission in Mozambique on 8 September, 2014, with the deployment of 10 long-term observers.
The team is drawn from 8 African countries. They were deployed in five teams to cover the 11 provinces in Mozambique.
“Since their arrival, they have closely followed pre-election events and preparations including political campaigns, training of polling personnel, media coverage of elections, and held consultations with key election stakeholders in Mozambique,” the AU said.
Frelimo’s Presidential candidate, Filipe Nyusi, will battle it at the ballot on Wednesday with his closest rival, Alfonso Dhlakama of Renamo and David Simango of the Mozambique Democratic Movement.
The AU’s short-term observers will compliment the coverage of Election Day procedures – from opening the poll to voting and counting procedures.
The AU team of 35 short-term observers is drawn from 24 African countries, representing the Permanent Representatives’ Committee (PRC), the Pan-African Parliament (PAP), Election Management Bodies (EMBs) and Civil Society.
The assessment and observations of the Mission will be guided by the principles and guidelines stated in various AU rules and regulations, including the AU Charter on Democracy.
The Mission will issue its preliminary verdict on the conduct of the elections on October 17, and will remain in the country to follow the post-election developments including tabulation and announcement of final results.
