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The European Union (EU) has announced that a total of 100 observers will be deployed across the country to monitor the country’s electoral process, following the launch of its Election Observation Mission to Zambia ahead of the August 13 elections.
The EU Observer Mission to Zambia has since called for an electoral process that is free, fair, transparent and free of violence.
The mission, led by Michael McNamara, the Head of Mission was unveiled in Lusaka at Intercontinental Hotel during a briefing with media and stakeholders, marking its continued support for democratic processes in Zambia.
McNamara said the team comprised 32 long-term observers from 25 EU member states and Norway who have already been posted in teams of two to all 10 provinces, with an additional 32 short-term observers expected to join closer to polling day.
He said the observers would be joined by a delegation from the European Parliament, as well as diplomatic staff from EU missions accredited to Zambia and that the expanded presence was aimed at ensuring nationwide coverage of the electoral process.
“We are here as independent and impartial observers. Our mandate is to observe the entire electoral process and assess it against Zambia’s legal framework and Zambia’s international and regional commitments,” McNamara said.
He said the mission’s scope included monitoring the campaign period, voting, counting, tabulation of results, announcement of results, and the handling of any complaints and appeals that may arise.
McNamara added thst Observers would also engage political parties, election officials, civil society organizations and the media.
“Who wins is a matter for Zambian voters and Zambian voters alone to decide. Our role is to observe, not to interfere, we remain committed to non-interference in the country’s internal affairs,” he assured.
He said the EU team had already begun meeting stakeholders in Lusaka and in the provinces, saying long-term observers were mandated to provide regular reports to the core team based in Lusaka to inform the mission’s overall assessment.
“We will be making our findings known at the end of the election process. We will also be issuing recommendations at the end of that process for consideration by Zambian authorities,” the Head of Mission said.
McNamara said a preliminary statement on the mission’s findings up to election day would be issued in Lusaka on August 15, two days after the vote and a more comprehensive final report with detailed recommendations would be published later, after all post-election processes have concluded.
“Transparency builds confidence and trust in the results. It is important that the process is seen to be open at every stage,” he said
McNamara added that the mission would pay particular attention to issues of inclusion, with a focus on the participation of women, youth, and persons with disabilities as voters, candidates and leaders and will also monitor media coverage and online speech.
He said a dedicated social media monitoring team had been set up to track hate speech and incidents of violence against women candidates and voters across different platforms and languages.
“The EU observers will coordinate with other international missions including the African Union, COMESA, SADC and the Commonwealth, all operating under the Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation,” McNamara said.
He stated that if a presidential runoff was required, the mission was ready to continue its observation to ensure the entire process was covered.
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