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Press Release

African Union deploys an Election Observation Mission for the Legislative Elections in the Republic of Guinea -Bissau Addis Ababa, 3rd March 2019: The Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC), His Excellency Moussa Faki Mahamat, has approved the deployment of a Short- Term Election Observation Mission (STO) to the Republic of Guinea -Bissau to observe the country’s legislative elections scheduled for the 10th of March 2019.

The African Union Election Observation Mission AUEOM is led by HE Joaquim Rafael Branco, former Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of Sao Tomé and Principe. It comprises of 30 observers deployed from 2 to 16 of March 2019 in the Republic of Guinea -Bissau

This deployment reiterates the mandate and commitment of the African Union to promote democratic values and governance in the continent, in accordance with the legal framework in force in the Republic of Guinea Bissau as well as regional, continental and international provisions on democratic elections. The overall objective is to contribute to the consolidation of democratic gains, peace and stability in the Republic of Guinea - Bissau in particular and in Africa in general.

The AUEOMs draw their mandates from various African Union instruments, most importantly: (a) the African Union Guidelines for Elections Observation and Monitoring Missions (2002); (b) the OUA/AU Declaration on Principles Governing Democratic Elections in Africa (2002); African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights (1981) and (c) African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance (2007), among others.

The objectives of the AUEOMs are: (a) to provide an accurate and impartial reporting or assessment of the quality of elections in Guinea Bissau , including the degree to which the conduct of the elections meets regional, continental and international standards for democratic elections; (b) to offer recommendations for improvement of future elections based on the findings; and (c) to demonstrate AU’s interest to support in the Republic of Guinea -Bissau elections and democratisation processes to ensure that the conduct of genuine elections contributes to the consolidation of democratic governance, peace and stability.

For more dInformation;

Directorate of Information and Communication. African Union Commission E mail: [email protected]

Ms.Karine Kakasi Siaba | Email: [email protected] /Political Officer, Democracy and Electoral Assistance Unit (DEAU) /Political Affairs Department – AUC

For media enquiries;

Ms. Afrah Thabit| Email :[email protected] / Directorate of Information and Communication -AUC

For further information contact Directorate of Information and Communication | African Union Commission I E-mail: dic@africa- union.org I Web Site: www.au.int I Addis Ababa | Ethiopia

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Directorate of Information and Communication. African Union Commission E mail: [email protected]