SADC deploys observation mission ahead of Zambia’s 13 August general election

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has announced that it will deploy its Electoral Observation Mission (SEOM) to observe Zambia’s general election scheduled for August 13, 2026. The SADC Secretariat Support Team will arrive in Zambia on 27 July 2026 to establish the Mission Headquarters in Lusaka, according to the statement issued in Lusaka on Thursday. The SEOM’s Long-Term-Observation (LTO) will run until 24 August 2026 and during this period the Secretariat will also facilitate the Pre-Deployment Refresher Training for election observers and support the overall coordination of the observation mission.

“SADC will deploy the SADC Electoral Observation Mission (SEOM) to observe the General Election of the Republic of Zambia scheduled for 13 August 2026, in line with Article 8.1 of the Revised SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections (2021),” reads the statement. The refresher training for SADC observers will be conducted over a four-day period from 1-4 August 2026 and following the graduation of the observers by the Head of Mission on 5 August 2026, the official launch of the SEOM is scheduled for August 6, 2026. “Following the graduation of the observers by the Head of Mission on 5 August 2026, the official launch of the SEOM is scheduled for 6 August 2026, after which observers will be deployed across all the ten (10) Provinces of Zambia to undertake pre-election, election-day and immediate post-election observation activities,” it said.

During the observation period, the Head of Mission, supported by the Organ Troika and the SADC Electoral Advisory Council (SEAC), will engage key electoral stakeholders at the Mission’s Headquarters. These include relevant government institutions, the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ), political parties, civil society organisations, academia and the diplomatic community. “These engagements are intended to provide a comprehensive assessment of the electoral environment in accordance with the SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections,” reads the statement.

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On Election Day, 13 August 2026, the SEOM will observe the election throughout the Republic of Zambia and the focus will be on the opening of polling stations, polling day, closing of polling stations, vote counting and other aspects of the electoral process. Following the completion of field observations, the Mission will prepare and present its Preliminary Statement on 15 August 2026, outlining its initial assessment on the conduct of the elections.

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