Elections 2014 - AU Observer Mission statement

Elections 2014

African Union Election Observer Mission to the 7th of May 2014 National and Provincial Elections to the Republic of South Africa preliminary statement

INTRODUCTION

At the invitation of the Government of the Republic of South Africa and the Independent   Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC), the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, H.E. Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, deployed an African Union Election Observer Mission to the 7th May 2014, South African National and Provincial Elections.

The Mission is headed by His Excellency John Kufuor, former President of the Republic of Ghana, assisted by the Deputy Head of Mission HE Ibrahima Fall, former Assistant Secretary General to the United Nations. The Mission comprised 54 Observers drawn from the Pan-African Parliament, African Ambassadors to the African Union in Addis Ababa, African Court on Human and Peoples Rights, Election Management Bodies, and Civil Society Organisations from the following countries: Algeria, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The Mission is supported by a team of experts from the African Union Commission (AUC), the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) and the Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa (EISA).

The AU Mission observed the elections in accordance with the spirit and letter of the Durban Declaration on the Principles Governing Democratic Elections in Africa (2002), The African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance (2007), and the Guidelines of the African Union Election Observation Missions and Election Monitoring. In addition to these Continental instruments, the AU Observation Mission was held in accordance with the Constitutional and legal framework governing elections in South Africa.

The Mission arrived in South Africa on 27th April 2014 and will remain in the country until 12th May 2014. This preliminary statement is released following the announcement of the provisional results by the IEC. However, the final declaration of the results by the IEC is still pending and will be done once all the results are tabulated. The AU Mission hereby presents its preliminary findings and recommendations based on its consultations and observations up to the close of polling and counting on 7th May 2014. A detailed final report of the Mission will be shared with relevant authorities in South Africa after the elections.

OBJECTIVES AND METHODOLOGY OF THE MISSION

In line with the mandate contained in the AU instruments, the objective of the AU Mission is to make an independent, objective and impartial assessment of the 7th May 2014 General Elections in South Africa. Pursuant to the above objective, the Mission leadership consulted with key and relevant stakeholders in South Africa among them are IEC, Media representatives and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs). The Mission also attended a briefing session convened by the IEC for International Observers, where they were appraised on the election preparations, and the aspects of voting and counting processes. To enhance its observation methodology, the AU mission conducted a three-Day training for its Observers on the use of AU checklist and reporting as well as received briefing by experts and key electoral stakeholders in South Africa. The Mission also co-organised two joint consultative meetings with the leadership of Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) Election Observation Mission and the Commonwealth Mission. During the meetings, held before and after the Election Day, the Heads of these three Missions had useful exchange on several aspect of the electoral process including harmonised approach for deployment, observation and the release of preliminary statements.

The AU Mission deployed 26 teams to observe the elections in the nine provinces of South Africa. These are Gauteng, Western Cape, Eastern Cape, Free State, Northern Cape, Kwazulu Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga and North West. Upon arrival in the Provinces of deployment, the AU Observers held further consultations with key stakeholders and members of the public to familiarise themselves with the local political and electoral context and voter perspectives on the elections.

PRELIMINARY FINDINGS AND OBSERVATIONS

General Political and Electoral Environment

The 7th May General Elections in South Africa coincided with the 20th Anniversary of the advent of democracy in the country in 1994. The elections were also historic because the voters who were born after 1994 (informally referred to as “Born Frees”) were casting their ballots for the first time. Significantly, this was the first General Elections to be held after the passing away of the country’s first democratically elected President, Nelson Mandela, who was widely recognised as the unifier of the nation.

The Mission noted that there were 29 political parties contesting national elections including newly registered political parties. The Mission noted that the parties conducted themselves in accordance with the electoral law.

The Mission observed that on Election Day, millions of South Africans enthusiastically made their way to the Polling Stations, patiently queued and took their turns to vote, some late into the night.

The Mission noted that the political and electoral environment was generally peaceful across the country with voters being able to exercise their right to vote. There was also a high level of tolerance between the contesting political parties and their supporters.  The Mission also noted the professionalism of the security forces.

Preparedness of the Electoral Management Body

 The Mission observed that the IEC preparation and management of the entire electoral process were such that it contributed to the overall integrity of the process and enhanced public confidence. Most of the stakeholders met by the AU Mission expressed confidence and trust in the ability of the IEC to preside over a credible and transparent process.

The Mission noted that the internal safeguards put in place by the IEC ensured smooth operation of the entire voting process. It further notes that the measures taken to improve the credibility of the Voter’s Roll, voter identification and results transmission, minimised challenges to ensure efficient operation of the entire process.

The Mission observed that the IEC personnel were adequately trained on all aspects of the electoral process and demonstrated high levels of professionalism, competence and understanding of their roles and responsibilities.

Opening of the polls

The Mission observed that most of the polling stations visited by its Observers opened within the stipulated time at 7a.m. In all Polling Stations, the IEC personnel were present and undertook the opening exercise in a commendable manner.

Polling Stations and Election Materials

The Mission noted that the polling stations were clearly marked and that the layout of the majority of polling stations sufficiently guaranteed the secrecy of the vote, as voters were able to vote without interference. Most of the polling stations were located in public places, and the Commission conveniently placed signposts to direct voters to these Polling Stations. The Mission noted that in most Polling Stations, voting was conducted in streams arranged alphabetically. Yet, in a few Polling Stations some streams had more registered voters thereby contributing to long queues in those Polling Stations.

The election materials were adequate in most of the polling stations visited and were deployed well in advance. However in some polling stations, few incidents of inadequate voting material were observed by the African Union Observers.

Voting Procedures

The IEC personnel demonstrated remarkable knowledge of the voting procedures. The Mission observed compliance with rules relating to the handling of election materials, identification of eligible voters, voting procedures and scrutiny and reconciliation of ballots at the beginning of the counting process. The Mission observed the elaborate identification process put in place by IEC which ensured that only eligible voters were allowed to vote during the 2014 elections. It is also noted that the Commission involved political party’s agents in making decisions regarding voters who did not have proper means of identification. This inclusive and participatory process of decision making ensured that tension was minimised in the polling stations during voting. The Mission also noted the special measures taken by the IEC to facilitate and assist special groups including the elderly, people with disabilities, nursing and expectant mothers to cast their votes during special voting days at home and during the Election Day at polling station. 

Closing, Counting and Transmission of Results

The Mission noted that the closing procedures were complied with and most polling stations closed on time at 9.00 pm. However, where there were long queues, voting was extended for those already in the queue. The counting process was preceded by an elaborate process of reconciliation of the ballots in order to enhance transparency and accountability. This quest for transparency and accountability, in some cases, delayed the counting process until the early hours of the morning. The transmission of the results was done electronically and the IEC issued the first results from the Eastern Cape Province around midnight.

Use of Technology in Election

The Mission commends the IEC for the use of technology that enhanced the integrity of the voter register, voter identification, counting, tabulation and transmission of results; and for measures taken by IEC to ensure that it’s polling staff were adequately trained on the use of the technology.

Participation of Women on Election Day

The Mission wishes to underscore the remarkably high level of participation and inclusion of women in the electoral process at all levels. Women were engaged as presiding officers, polling officials, party agents, and election observers. Women also turned out in large numbers to vote in the elections. The Mission wishes to state that the success witnessed in the overall conduct of the Elections was in some great measure to the credit of women.

CONCLUSION

On the basis of the foregoing, the Mission’s preliminary conclusion is that the 2014 National and Provincial elections of South Africa were held in a conducive environment which allowed the electorate to effectively participate in the electoral process and to exercise their right to vote.

The Mission based on its observation has come to the preliminary conclusion that the National and Provincial Elections of May 7 2014 in the Republic of South Africa were free, fair, transparent and credible. The elections were also peaceful and reflects the wishes and aspirations of South Africans.

The Mission wishes to congratulate the people of South Africa, IEC, political parties, civil society, the media and all other stakeholders for the peaceful manner in which the 2014 National and Provincial elections were conducted.

As the electoral process is yet to be concluded, the Mission would like to call on all stakeholders to continue to uphold peace and harmony across the country and await the final announcement of results by the IEC.

The Mission will release its final and comprehensive report two months after the elections.

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