The head of the African Union Election Observers Mission (AUEOM), former President Uhuru Kenyatta, on May 26, 2024 attended a joint meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa with other approved election observer missions, where he outlined the critical role of AUEOM in the upcoming elections on May 29.

“We are here to observe the people of South Africa exercise their democratic right and express their will,” Kenyatta stated. 

“We have no preconceived outcome,” he added.

Kenyatta emphasized the importance of learning and sharing best practices to enhance democratic processes across the continent. 

“We are here to observe and also to learn from other best practices that can be useful to other countries across the continent,” he noted. 

He further expressed the mission’s role in endorsing the democratic credentials of South Africa and, by extension, those of Africa as a whole.

The African Union Commission (AUC) appointed H.E. Uhuru Kenyatta to lead the AUEOM, which consists of sixty short-term observers (STOs) and three Core Team electoral experts.

Their mandate is to provide an impartial assessment of the quality of the elections and to ensure they meet regional, continental, and international standards for democratic elections.

The AUEOM’s objectives, as outlined by AUC Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat, are: to deliver an unbiased evaluation of the elections and to offer recommendations for future improvements based on their findings.

This mission reflects the AU’s commitment to supporting South Africa’s democratic process and its dedication to fostering democratic governance, peace, and stability across the continent.

In addition to observing the electoral process, the mission underlines the AU’s solidarity with South Africa during this critical period. 

By demonstrating support for democratic, credible, and peaceful elections, the AUEOM aims to contribute to the ongoing consolidation of democratic governance in South Africa.