Goodluck Jonathan to lead African Union Election Observer Mission to Zambia

FORMER Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan is to lead the African Union Election Observer Mission to Zambia to monitor next week’s general elections.

A statement posted on the AU website said Mr Jonathan would be leading a short term mission to join the continental’s deployment of long term election experts who are already on the ground in Zambia adding that the Chairperson of the African Union Commission approved it.

BELOW IS THE STATEMENT

“The Chairperson of the AUC has approved the deployment of African Union Elections Observation Mission, AUEOM, to the General Elections scheduled to place in the Republic of Zambia on August 11, 2016.

“The deployment of the AUEOM will take place in two phases. The first phase comprise the deployment of long term election experts and took place from July 14 to July 22, 2016 and it is made up of 10 observers.

“For the first time, the AU long term experts include election/ legal political/media/campaign analysts.

“The objective is ensure that the AUEOM approaches its work with added professionalism and factual analysis of the legal, political, electoral, media and campaign aspects of the electoral process in Zambia. “At the second phase of the Mission, the long term experts will to be joined by Short Term observers from the August 1 to 15, 2016.

“The Short Term Mission will be headed by Goodluck Jonathan, former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. This is not the first time the former president will lead a team of election observers to another African country. Jonathan was the chairman of the Commonwealth Observer Group for the general election in Tanzania which was scheduled for October 25, 2015.