GABORONE - The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has deployed 88 election observers for the Friday general elections.

A media statement from SADC states that elections observers have been divided into 15 teams to cover Gaborone, Mochudi, Tlokweng, Ramotswa, Kanye, Serowe, Molepolole, Maun, Gantsi, Tsabong, Francistown, Mahalapye, Kasane, Lobatse and Selebi-Phikwe.

The teams will be divided into sub-teams, which will ensure that every electoral zone is covered during the elections period.

The SADC Electoral Observer Mission, headed by Mr Francisco Madeira, who is minister of Diplomatic Affairs in the Office of the President of Mozambique, was launched in Gaborone last week.

The launch was pursuant to the invitation by the government of Botswana and consistent with the provisions of the SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections.

In this regard, it states the chairperson of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation, Mr Armando Guebuza, mandated the SADC executive secretary, Dr Tomaz Salomo to constitute and deploy a SADC Electoral Observer Mission to the Botswana general elections.

It is also states that the mission will undertake its duties in the three phases of the electoral process, which includes pre-election, voting day and post election.

The mission is also expected to engage and support the people of Botswana as they go through elections period.

It will also be available to all elections stakeholders and will consult widely at national, regional, district and local levels.

This will include political parties, independents, the Independent Electoral Commission, returning officers, district commissioners, police, civil society, media, local monitors and other international and regional observers.

SADC Electoral Observer Mission is the SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections, which establishes that in holding elections, member states should follow a set of procedures that ensure, among other things, full participation of the citizens in the political process, freedom of association, political tolerance, equality of opportunities for all political contestants in terms of accessing the public media and civic education for voters.

The principles aim at enhancing the transparency and credibility of elections and democratic governance as well as ensuring the acceptance of the election results by all contesting parties.

The media statement further states that while recognising the challenges that come with the implementation of the SADC principles and guidelines, the organisation has made efforts to ensure that the process is peaceful, credible and legitimate and thus believe that the process must assure voters and those voted for, to honourably accept the peoples verdict.

It is, therefore, our hope and expectation that the entire SADC region and indeed the international community will render assistance to the people of Botswana during the general elctions, it says.

The 88 observers have been drawn from Angola, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe while additional SADC observers are expected to arrive from other member states. BOPA