By Arnold Tutu
The African Union -AU- and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa -COMESA- have deployed a 93-member election observation mission to monitor Zambia’s August 13, 2026 General Election.
The AU-COMESA Election Observation Mission has been deployed at the invitation of the Zambian Government and the Electoral Commission of Zambia.
The mission is being led by former Ethiopian Prime Minister HAILEMARIAM DESSALEGN BOSHE and deputised by Ambassador MARIE-PIERRE LLOYD, a member of the COMESA Committee of Elders from Seychelles.
The 93 short-term observers are drawn from ambassadors accredited to the AU, election management bodies, civil society, youth organisations, and experts in elections, human rights, gender and the media.
The observers come from 29 countries, including Botswana, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe.
They will be deployed across all 10 provinces to observe the electoral environment, Election Day proceedings and the immediate post-election period.
The mission says its assessment will be guided by Zambia’s electoral legal framework, the OAU/AU Declaration on the Principles Governing Democratic Elections in Africa, the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance, and the Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation.
The observers will also engage key electoral stakeholders, including the Electoral Commission of Zambia, state institutions, political parties, civil society organisations, religious leaders, the media, the international community and other election observation missions.
The AU-COMESA mission is expected to release its preliminary findings at a press conference in Lusaka on August 15, 2026.
A final and comprehensive report will be issued after the official announcement of the final election results.
This is according to a joint statement issued to ZNBC news today by the African Union and COMESA.
