SADC ANNOUNCES OBSERVER MISSION TO ZAMBIA
SADC Electoral Observation Mission (SEOM) to the Republic of Zambia`s 13 August
2026 General Election
Gaborone, Botswana, 23 July 2026: The Southern African Development Community (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). The Mission forms part of
SADC’s continued commitment to promoting democratic governance, credible electoral processes, consolidating peace, security and political stability across the region.
Beginning with the arrival of the SADC Secretariat Support Team in Zambia on 27 July 2026, the
SEOM’s Long-Term-Observation (LTO) will close on 24 August 2026. The SADC Secretariat will
arrive ahead of the SEOM to establish the Mission Headquarters in Lusaka and coordinate the
technical, administrative and logistical arrangements necessary for the successful implementation of
the Mission. The Secretariat will also facilitate the Pre-Deployment Refresher Training for election
observers and support the overall coordination of the observation mission.
The refresher training for SADC observers will be over the a four-day period from 1-4 August 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.
During the observation period, the Head of Mission, supported by the Organ Troika and the SADC
Electoral Advisory Council (SEAC), will engage a wide range of key electoral stakeholders at
Mission’s Headquarters, including relevant government institutions, the Electoral Commission of
Zambia (ECZ), political parties, civil society organisations, academia, diplomatic community etc.
These engagements are intended to provide a comprehensive assessment of the electoral environment in accordance with the SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections.
On Election Day, 13 August 2026, the SEOM will observe the election throughout the Republic of
Zambia, focusing on 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. The public, electoral stakeholders and members of the
media are invited to attend this critical event.
Thereafter, the Mission will continue its work through
longer-term observation activities and the preparation of its comprehensive Final Report.
SADC remains committed to supporting Member States in strengthening democratic institutions and
electoral processes through impartial and professional election observation. The deployment of the SEOM reflects the Community’s enduring commitment to fostering peace, democracy, political
stability and good governance as essential pillars of regional integration and sustainable development
The SADC Secretariat will continue to provide updates on the activities of the SADC Electoral
Observation Mission throughout its deployment in the Republic of Zambia.
The key activities for the SEOM programme of schedule comprises the following;
DATE ACTIVITY
6th AUGUST 2026 • LAUNCH OF SEOM
Open to the Public and Media
5th
– 15th AUGUST
2026
• HoM / Organ TROIKA / SEAC Consultation Meetings with
Key Electoral Stakeholders
12th AUGUST 2026 • Pre-Election Debriefing Session with Heads of other
International Electoral Observation Missions (IEOMs) –
SEOM to Host
13th AUGUST 2026 • ELECTION DAY [FIELD OBSERVATIONS]
14TH AUGUST 2026 • Post-Election Debriefing Session with Heads of other
International Electoral Observation Missions (IEOMs) –
Afican Union Election Observation Mission (AUEOM)
SEOM to Host
15th AUGUST 2026 • RELEASE OF THE PRELIMINARY STATEMENT TO THE
THE SEOM TO THE 13TH AUGUST 2026 GENERAL
ELECTION OF THE REPUBLIC OF ZAMBIA
Open to the Public and Media
16th AUGUST 2026 • Departure of Short-Term Observcers (STOs)
• Deployment of the Long-Term-Observers (LTOs)
23rd AUGUST 2026 • Departure of the Head of Mission, Organ Troika, SEAC and
LTOs
24th AUGUST 2026 • Closure of the SEOM Headquarters and Departure of the
SADC Secretariat
For enquiries: Ms. Barbara Lopi, Head of Communication and Public Relations, email
[email protected], Ms. Anethe Mtambanengwe, Email: [email protected] and Mr.
Magabolle Mafiri, Email: [email protected] or email [email protected]
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………
SADC is an organisation of 16 Member States established in 1980 as the Southern African Development Coordinating
Conference (SADCC) and later, in August,1992 transformed into the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
The mission of SADC is to promote sustainable and equitable economic growth and socio-economic development
through efficient, productive systems, deeper cooperation and integration, good governance and durable peace and security; so that the region emerges as a competitive and effective player in international relations and the world
economy. Member States are Angola, Botswana, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia,
and Zimbabwe.
Issued by the SADC Secretariat 23 July 2026
Gaborone, Botswana