The Carter Center has announced that Professor Attahiru Muhammadu Jega, former chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission of Nigeria, will lead the Center’s international election observation mission in Zimbabwe.
According to a statement on its website, the Carter Center launched its mission in late July following an invitation from the authorities of Zimbabwe and accreditation of its observers by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission.
“It’s an honor to lead the Center’s mission to observe Zimbabwe’s Aug. 23 harmonized elections,” Jega said. “I urge all Zimbabweans, including political party members, candidates and voters, to show their commitment to democracy and peaceful elections.”
The core team of eight international experts and two national experts are based in Harare. Fifteen long-term observers arrived in Zimbabwe and deployed throughout the country the first week of August.
Short-term observers will arrive on Aug. 18 and deploy around the country to observe polling, counting, and tabulation on election day.
The international mission is diverse and has experts and experienced observers from nearly 30 countries, including several in the southern Africa region.
The mission will assess electoral preparations and the electoral environment, including election administration, campaigning, participation of women and ethnic minorities, social media, dispute resolution, and other aspects of the election process.
The Carter Center conducts its work in accordance with the 2005 Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation and will make assessments based on Zimbabwe’s national legal framework as well as regional and international obligations and standards for democratic elections, including the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance, which the government of the Republic of Zimbabwe ratified in April 2022.
The Carter Center has been a pioneer of election observation, monitoring more than 110 elections in Africa, Latin America, Asia, and the United States since 1989. It deployed an election expert mission to Zimbabwe in 2018.
