LUSAKA - The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has officially launched its Electoral Observation Mission for Zambia's August 13 General Election, deploying 106 observers from 10 member states across all 10 provinces of the country.
Speaking during the launch in Lusaka on Wednesday, Head of Mission Samuel Tembenu, representing Malawian President Arthur Peter Mutharika in his capacity as Chair of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation, said Zambia had invited SADC to observe the elections as early as December 2025, allowing the regional bloc sufficient time to prepare.
Mr. Tembenu said the observation mission comprises personnel from Eswatini, Lesotho, Angola, Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Tanzania.
He said observers will begin the pre-election phase on August 7 and will monitor campaign activities, polling day, vote counting, and the post-election process.
According to Mr. Tembenu, the mission will operate under the Revised SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections.
He said the observers will assess several key aspects of the electoral process, including the independence and preparedness of the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ), the fairness of the constituency delimitation process, the neutrality of security agencies, equitable media access for political parties, and the transparency of voting, counting, and results management procedures.
Mr. Tembenu encouraged registered voters to participate peacefully in the elections and urged young people not to allow themselves to be used to perpetrate political violence or intimidation.
He added that the mission's Preliminary Statement on the conduct of the elections will be released in Lusaka on August 15, 2026, at 10:00 a.m.
Source: SADC Electoral Observation Mission