The Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa (EISA) has
\nannounced the arrival in South Africa of its election observation
\nmission (EOM) led by former President Dr. Goodluck Jonathan to observe
\nthe country’s national and provincial elections.<\/p>\n
A statement issued by the South African-based EISA ahead of the May 8
\nelections quoted former President Jonathan of stating that the polls
\nwould provide another opportunity for South Africans to exercise their
\nvoting right and deepen the roots of the nation’s democracy.<\/p>\n
In the arrival statement Jonathan said: “It is a great pleasure for me
\nto lead the EISA election observation mission to the 2019 national and
\nprovincial elections in South Africa. These elections which come in the
\n25th year of South Africa’s democratic journey are of great importance
\nas they provide another opportunity for South Africans to exercise their
\nright to vote and thus support the country’s democratic consolidation.<\/p>\n
“The EISA EOM seeks to contribute to the integrity of the electoral
\nprocess through its findings and recommendations.”<\/p>\n
The statement added that the Jonathan-led observer mission which has Mr.
\nDenis Kadima, EISA’s Executive Director, as the deputy mission leader is
\ncomprised of 37 international observers drawn from Civil Society
\nOrganisations (CSOs), Election Management Bodies (EMBs), and Regional
\nEconomic Communities (RECs) from 16 African countries. It is the fifth
\nEOM to be deployed by EISA in South Africa since the 1999 elections.<\/p>\n
It said further: “EISA observers will be deployed in 18 teams to all the
\nnine provinces of South Africa to observe the last days of the electoral
\ncampaigns, pre-polling activities, special voting, and Election Day and
\npost-polling activities. On 10 May 2019, the EISA EOM will issue a
\nstatement on its preliminary findings and recommendations on the
\nelectoral process.”<\/p>\n
The EISA EOM is in South Africa at the invitation of the Independent
\nElectoral Commission (IEC) of South Africa, to conduct an independent
\nassessment of the electoral process and contribute to its integrity
\nthrough its findings and recommendations.<\/p>\n
“These elections are the sixth to be conducted since the end of
\nApartheid and the adoption of the 1996 Constitution. They coincide with
\nthe 25th anniversary since the country held its first elections by
\ndirect universal suffrage, marking a critical milestone in the country’s
\ndemocratic journey. A peaceful and successful election will therefore
\nfurther cement the democratic gains made by the country over the past
\ngeneration. EISA is pleased to be part of this historic moment in South
\nAfrica.”<\/p>\n
This is the second time that former President Jonathan would be leading
\nEISA EOM, having led a similar mission to Sierra Leone’s Presidential
\nelection last year.\u00a0 He had previously led other international election
\nobserver missions to many countries including Tanzania, Zambia and
\nLiberia. Since leaving office in 2015, Dr. Jonathan has been lending his
\nsupport to the efforts to consolidate democracy in Africa.<\/p>\n
The Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa (EISA) has announced the arrival in South Africa of its election observation mission (EOM) led by former President Dr. Goodluck Jonathan to…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":60011,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-66456","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n