LILONGWE, Sept. 6 — The Southern African Development Community (SADC) Secretariat, in collaboration with the Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa, has launched a four-day refresher training for the bloc’s election observers ahead of Malawi’s Sept. 16 general election.
The training, which opened Friday in Lilongwe, Malawi’s capital, runs until Sept. 8 and precedes the official launch and deployment of the SADC Election Observation Mission (SEOM).
According to a statement from the SADC Secretariat, participants have been drawn from 10 member states, including Botswana, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Mary Kachale, principal secretary (Legal) in Malawi’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said the presence of SADC observers was “not merely symbolic but a practical demonstration of SADC’s shared responsibility in safeguarding democracy and reinforcing citizens’ trust in electoral outcomes.”
The training will orient observers on the revised SADC principles and guidelines governing democratic elections, the structure of SADC electoral observation missions, Malawi’s political and security context, and the constitutional and electoral frameworks governing the polls.
The SEOM will be officially launched on Sept. 10, opening the mission to the public and media. Its activities will include field observations on election day, followed by the release of a preliminary statement on Sept. 18. (Xinhua)
