European Union Election Observation Mission EU-EOM

A summary of observers from the African Union Election Observers Mission (AUEOM), Tanzania 2015

Between 1989 and 2013, the African Union (AU) observed 423 elections in Africa. However, these election observation missions were inconsistent at best in terms of approach, methodology, framework and status. The first, which was in Namibia in 1989, was deployed within the framework of the United Nations (UN) statute in terms of which the UN invited the AU. The subsequent election observation missions have to date been deployed either as diplomatic or mediation missions or a combination of diplomatic and independent technical missions. This article shows that the election observation journey of the AU has passed through several stages and regimes. While we recognise the challenges, we also point towards improvement, and identify the missing links that the AU needs to complete to become a truly independent actor in its election observation missions.

Journal of African Elections, 2010

The African Union is the union of fifty-four (54) African countries. The African Union is the legal successor of Organization of African Unity. AU was launched on 9 July, 2002 in South Africa to replace the OAU. It could be understood that, just like United Nations Organisation did to League of Nations, AU was launched to correct the failures of OAU. At the dawn of the new millennium, most of the African countries were democratizing. The task for African Union (formally O.A.U) was promotion of democracy and good governance. Since the transformation of OAU to AU, the latter has maintained its stance on democratic enhancement of African through different means including election observation. Monitoring of elections by international observers is perceived as capable of reducing if not preventing fraud, build confidence among voters and competing political actors, and ensuring that elections take place in a free fair and transparent atmosphere. It is important to understand that free and fair election is a sine qua non to democratic substance in Africa. Most African countries face problems of free and fair elections, good governance, democratization and peaceful handovers. It is against this background that this paper seeks to examine the activities of the African Union Election Observer Mission vis a vis democratic sustenance, good governance, free and fair election in Africa. It is believed that the monitoring of the elections by Election Monitoring Observers would help in reducing largely some of these bottlenecks in African countries particularly at the dawn of the new millennium

2017

Journal of African Studies and Development, 2013

EASTERN AFRICA LAW REVIEW, 2015

All of us in this hall are stakeholders in this election. Therefore, we have the responsibility to ensure that it is conducted peacefully and in an orderly manner devoid of rancour. Violence does not help anybody. Rather, it shuts down our business, saps our energy, slows down our profits, destroys properties, stigmatises our states, depletes our resources, removes trust, creates enemies, and sometimes causes injuries and deaths. Let us shun it.

2021