The Chairperson of SADC and President of South Africa, President
Kgalema Motlanthe has addressed a request to SADC to send a team of
election observers from the region to observe South Africa's fourth
democratic elections scheduled for 22 April 2009, Foreign Affairs
spokesperson Ronnie Mamoepa said.
In this regard, President Motlanthe requested His Majesty King Mswati
III, in his capacity as the Chairperson of the SADC Organ Troika on
Politics, Defence and Security to constitute such an observer team.
Mamoepa said the move was in compliance to international and regional regulations governing the holding of elections.
South Africa's request to SADC to send an observer team for the April
22 elections complies with and is line with the SADC Principles and
Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections, he said.
South Africa on April 22 holds its fifth democratic general elections since independence in 1994.
Last June, a SADC election observer team rejected Zimbabwe's
presidential elections, which retained Robert Mugabe in power, did not
conform to principles and guidelines governing free and fair elections.