This archive report was first published on 23 November 2019.
As Tanzania, Burundi, and the Central African Republic (CAR) prepare to hold elections in 2020, the African Union's (AU) Election observer missions are under increasing scrutiny.
The AU's Election observer missions have long been criticized by opposition parties for doing little to promote democracy on the continent and for producing election reports late.
According to critics, the AU's Election observer missions favor 'status quo and stability' over credible elections, which undermines the democracy-building and peace-building functions of elections in Africa.
For instance, in the 2017 Kenyan election, international observers, including the AU Mission, gave a verdict of confidence in the overall process despite clear problems, and urged defeated candidates to concede gracefully, only for the country's supreme court to nullify the results.
However, Khabele Matlosa, the director of the Department of Political Affairs at the African Union Commission, defended the AU's Election observer missions, saying that their critics misunderstand their role and often expect immediate intervention, which is not their mandate.
Matlosa explained that the AU's Election observer missions are meant to reinforce procedural certainty and substantive uncertainty of elections as a central plank of electoral governance.
He said, 'It includes systematic, comprehensive and accurate information gathering; on-site fact-finding concerning the laws, processes and institutions related to the conduct of elections; impartial and professional analysis of such information; and reaching an informed verdict about the credibility, legitimacy and acceptability of the election outcome. Watch, see, note and report.'
Matlosa also noted that elections in Africa and other continents do not equal democracy, and that elections can serve two purposes—as a fundamental anchor for democracy-building, and as a veil of legitimacy to authoritarian rule.
Despite the accusations of doing too little, the AU observer mission attempted to intervene in the Democratic Republic of Congo elections held in December 2019, calling for a delay in the final announcement of results.
