A 55-member EAC Elections Observer Mission is expected to arrive in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on October 18 ahead of the general elections slated for October 25 both in the mainland and Zanzibar. The EAC Mission is in response to the invitation of the National Electoral Commission of Tanzania as well as the decision of the EAC Council of Ministers on observation of elections in the partner states. The Mission’s mandate is to observe the overall electoral environment, pre-election activities, the polling day, the counting and tallying of results. The Mission, to be led by Arthur Athansius Moody Awori, a former Kenyan vice-president, will first undergo a pre-deployment training from October 19 to 21 in Dar es Salaam, before deploying to the regions, according to a statement. It is preceded by a pre-elections assessment team that was deployed from October 4 to assess the level of preparedness by key stakeholders and prepare a report that will inform the Mission. The statement, released yesterday, said the members of the EAC Election Observer Mission has been drawn from different but complementary disciplines that includes members of the East African Legislative Assembly as well as the National Assemblies of Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi; National Electoral Commissions, National Human Rights Commissions, Civil society organisations, and youth representatives from EAC Youth Ambassadors Forum. The Mission will leave Tanzania on October 29. editorial@newtimes.co.rw
