2 Carter Centre electoral experts arrive in Lusaka for Aug 12 polls
By Chambwa Moonga
THE Carter Centre has deployed electoral experts to Lusaka for Zambia’s August 12 elections.
In a statement issued today, the Centre says it has deployed the first two members of its international electoral expert mission to Lusaka to assess the process surrounding next month’s general elections.
The Carter Centre is a non-profit and non-governmental organisation that has helped to improve life for people in over 80 countries by resolving conflicts, advancing democracy, human rights and economic opportunity, preventing diseases, and improving mental health care.
The Carter Centre was founded in 1982 by former US president Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, in partnership with Emory University, to advance peace and health worldwide.
In a statement availed to The Mast, The Centre notes that its electoral expert mission, which initiated its work remotely in mid-July, is composed of four international experts and a local analyst.
“Staff from the Centre’s Atlanta headquarters will join the mission in August. The team will assess political, legal, and administrative aspects of the election,” the statement read.
“Though the electoral expert team will be in Lusaka for election day, the mission’s limited size and scope makes a thorough, nationwide assessment of the voting, counting, and tabulation processes impossible.”
The statement adds that the Carter Centre’s mission will instead focus on key aspects of the Zambian electoral process, including the legal electoral framework, the effectiveness and transparency of electoral preparations, the campaign environment, including freedom of the media, respect for core participatory rights, the use of social media and disinformation and misinformation trends.
“Carter Centre experts will conduct interviews with key electoral stakeholders, including political parties, the electoral commission, the Zambian government, civil society organisations, scholars, international and national observer missions, diplomatic missions, and international organisations,” it stated.
“The Carter Centre electoral expert team works in accordance with the declaration of principles for international observation. The mission’s analysis is based on international human rights obligations and standards for democratic elections.”
The Carter Centre has a long history of supporting elections and democratic governance in Zambia, dating to its international observation of the country’s first democratic elections in 1991.
It also observed the 2001 and 2016 elections and has been working since 2019 to encourage the participation of women and youth in political and civic life.
Meanwhile, the statement indicates that the Centre’s electoral expert team in Lusaka will release a brief preliminary report a few days after the August 12 vote.
“Approximately two months after the conclusion of the electoral process, it will provide a more detailed report on key critical pre- and post-election issues, including possible appeals,” read the statement.
“The final report will include recommendations based on the experts’ analysis.”