Zambia : SADC Electoral Observation Mission Launched Ahead Of August 13 Polls

The SADC Electoral Observation Mission (SEOM) for the 2026 General Elections of Zambia has been launched in Lusaka.

The Mission, comprising 106 personnel from 10 member states, will deploy observers to all 10 provinces of the country to observe the Pre and Post – election phases.

Speaking during the launch, Head of the Mission, Samuel Tembenu, stated that the event was not merely ceremonial, but a platform to inform citizens and the international community about the Mission’s goals in strengthening democracy and upholding the SADC Principles and Guidelines governing democratic elections.

Mr Tembenu, who is also Malawi’s Former Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, highlighted that the SEOM would assess issues such as freedom of expression and assembly, the independence of the Electoral Commission, delimitation of boundaries, nomination procedures and political parties’ conduct.

He further added that neutrality of security forces, media access, civic education, polling station accessibility, ballot distribution, voting and counting procedures, and mechanisms for resolving electoral disputes is also assessed to determine if an election is free and fair.

“The SADC Electoral Observation Mission to the 13th August, 2026 General Elections to Zambia consists of 106 personnel. These are drawn from 10 member – states who have participated.

“These include the Kingdom of Eswatini, Republic of Angola, Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, and South Africa, including Zimbabwe and the United Republic of Tanzania,” he explained.

Meanwhile, Mr Tembenu called on registered voters to exercise their civic right and vote peacefully and urged the youth to resist involvement in political violence.

He said by doing so, the elections would reflect Zambia’s democratic maturity.

Earlier, Director of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Affairs at the SADC Secretariat, Kula Theletsane, assured that the Mission does not interfere in electoral processes, stressing that its role is only to observe.

“We are not here to police. We observe, take note and if there’s anything wrong, present in the report,” Professor Theletsane stressed.

He also noted that election observation was a data-intensive exercise, requiring prior training of capable personnel.

Prof Theletsane further indicated that under the directive of the Ministerial Committee of the Organ, the Secretariat in collaboration with the Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa (EISA), have trained hundreds of observers across nine SADC Member States.

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