UNION AFRICAINE

UNIÃO AFRICANA

AFRICAN UNION ELECTION OBSERVATION MISSION TO THE ’S 4 MAY 2017 NATIONAL ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS

ARRIVAL STATEMENT

At the invitation of the Government of the People’s Republic of Algeria, the Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC), His Excellency Moussa Faki Mahamat has deployed an African Union Election Observation Mission (AUEOM) to observe the Legislative Elections in Algeria which are scheduled to take place on 4 May 2017.

The AUEOM is led by H. E. Dileita Mohamed Dileita, former Prime Minister of the Republic of and comprises of 150 observers drawn from members of Permament Representative Committee (PRC) to the African Union in , Pan African Parliament (PAP), Election Management Bodies (EMBs) and civil society organisations. The Mission is supported by a technical team from the AUC, PAP and the Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa (EISA). The AUEOM will be in the country from the 22 April to 10 May 2017. The objectives of the AUEOM are to make an independent, objective and impartial assessment of the 2017 National Assembly Elections; and to offer recommendations for improvement of future elections that will contribute to the consolidation of democratic governance, peace and stability in the country.

To this end, AU will deploy its observers to the regions of the country to observe the final days of the campaigns, the voting process and the days immediately after polling. The AUEOM will meet with various state institutions and institutions responsible for the management of the elections, political parties, civil society, the media, security agencies and other stakeholders. The Mission will also interact with other election observation missions in the country and diplomatic missions present in Algeria.

The AUEOM has a mandate to observe the 4 May 2017 Legislative Elections in conformity with the relevant provisions of the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance (ACDEG), which entered into force on 15 February 2012; the AU/OAU Declaration on the Principles Governing Democratic Elections in Africa (AHG/Decl.1 (XXXVIII)), adopted by the Assembly of the African Union in July 2002; the African Union Guidelines for Elections Observation and Monitoring Missions; relevant international instruments governing elections observation; and the Constitution as well as the laws of the Algeria. The observations and recommendations of the AUEOM will be based on the principles of credibility, transparency, and professional conduct of the elections as enshrined in the aforementioned AU instruments.

After the elections, the AUEOM will release its preliminary assessment of the election at a press conference in Algiers. A more detailed final report on the elections will be shared with the appropriate Algerian authorities and institutions within two months after the elections.

The AU Secretariat is located at El Aurassi Hotel, in Algiers and can be contacted through Mr. Guy Cyrille Tapoko on Tel: 0658483161 and Email: TapokoG@africa- union.org.