DAR ES SALAAM: Former Vice President, Moody Awori will lead the East Africa Community (EAC) Election Observer Mission in the Tanzanian General Election slated for October 25, 2015.
A statement from the Press and Protocol Coordination Unit of the EAC's Election Observer Mission states that the former Kenyan VP is chairing the regional block observer mission which arrived in Tanzania on October 18th, 2015.
''The team was preceded by a 5 member expert team that has been on the ground since October 4th, 2015,'' the statement said.
The deployment of the EAC Election Observer team is part of the EAC's goal to promote democratic governance in order to compliment economic integration and balanced development of the region in line with fundamental principles of the community.
And speaking during the Observer Mission launch on Tuesday at the New Africa Hotel, Tanzania's commercial Port City of Dar Es Salaam, Awori thanked the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania for inviting the East African Community to deploy this Mission.
''Observer Missions can only accompany the process. Tanzanians will determine how to express their democratic rights. We look forward to elections that strengthen and advance the democratic culture in East Africa , and that which contributes to peace , security and stability that East Africans enjoy,'' Awori said.
Awori noted that the Treaty for the Establishment of the East African Community Article 6 (d) requires the Partner States to promote good governance through adherence to the principles of democracy, the rule of law, accountability, transparency, social justice, equal opportunities, gender equality and protection of human rights.
In addition, Article 3 (3) (b) of the Treaty requires new applicants who wish to join the Community to exhibit adherence to the principles of good governance, democracy and rule of law.
The 4th EAC Development Strategy is very explicit in its strategic interventions to promote democracy and inculcate a democratic culture in the region. To this end, election observation and evaluation by the EAC is an intervention that serves to enhance the capacity of our region in handling democratic processes.
''Most importantly, the East African Community is the only regional organization on the African continent that has a clear vision of attaining a political federation. This calls for setting regional standards in order to lay a firm foundation for a single Political Authority,'' the former VP said.
He added that the overall objective of the EAC Election Observer Mission is to contribute to the promotion of the conduct of free, fair and credible elections through an environment that is peaceful and stable.
In line with the EAC Principles of Election Observation and Evaluation, the Mission will be a combination of a Pre-Election Assessment Team and a Short Term Election Observation Mission.
The EAC Mission is composed of 55 members drawn from all EAC Partner States except from the United Republic of Tanzania.
The membership of the Mission has been drawn from different but complementary disciplines. It includes, Members of the East African Legislative Assembly, National Electoral Commissions, National Human Rights Commissions, and youth representatives from EAC Youth Ambassadors Forum.
The nominations are based on the principle of gender balance and youth involvement.
The Mission's mandate is to observe and consider all aspects of the electoral process, assess whether the elections are conducted according to the standards for democratic elections to which the country has committed itself. The Team is also expected to make recommendations for future strengthening of the electoral processes and enhancing the capacity of Electoral Management Bodies in the United Republic of Tanzania and in the whole of East Africa.
The Mission will deploy in all the zones of the country including the islands. Awori on behalf of the EAC Mission wished the people of the United Republic of Tanzania free, fair, and peaceful election Present at the function were the Deputy Secretary General of EAC, Mr Charles Njoroge, EAC ambassadors and High Commissioners accredited to Tanzania and leader of the East Africa Legislative Assembly (Eala) , Peter Mathuki.
Awori at the same time appealed to media in general to play its right role and report objectively at this time of elections in Tanzania.
