The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has officially deployed an election observation mission to Malawi ahead of the country’s general elections scheduled for 16 September, marking a key step in regional efforts to promote democratic governance.
The mission, known as the SADC Election Observation Mission (SEOM), was dispatched following an invitation from the government of Malawi in December 2024.
The Botswana-based SADC Secretariat said on Wednesday that the SEOM would monitor presidential, legislative and local government elections across all 28 districts, assessing the electoral process from the pre-election phase through to voting day and the post-election period.
King Mswati III of Eswatini, deputy chairperson of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation, appointed former Eswatini Deputy Prime Minister Themba Masuku as head of mission.
Malawi’s President Lazarus Chakwera currently chairs the SADC Organ, which aims to promote peace, stability and security in the region through political cooperation, conflict prevention, and defence activities.
The SADC Secretariat, led by Executive Secretary Elias Magosi, is coordinating the deployment and logistics.
A support team from the Secretariat arrived in Lilongwe on 1 September to prepare for the mission’s rollout.
Observers will engage with a broad range of stakeholders – including the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC), government departments, political parties, civil society organisations, and youth and women’s groups – to evaluate the political and security context, legal framework and MEC’s readiness to conduct the elections.
The deployment aligns with provisions of the SADC’s Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections (2021), which mandates the regional bloc to observe all general elections in member states to ensure they are free, fair, transparent and peaceful.
Malawi’s 2025 elections are expected to be highly contested, with increased political engagement from major parties and civil society.
Chakwera faces the stiff challenge of 16 other presidential candidates, including former presidents Peter Mutharika and Joyce Banda.
JN/APA