By Staff Reporter
Harare – Joice Mujuru, former vice president of Zimbabwe, has been appointed as the Head of the African Union Electoral Observation Mission (AUEOM).
This role places Mujuru at the helm of overseeing electoral processes and ensuring transparency and fairness during the upcoming elections.
Mujuru, once a prominent figure in Zimbabwe’s political landscape, served as vice president before being dismissed amid factional disputes within Zanu PF leading to the eventual ouster of the late former Robert Mugabe in 2017.
Since her departure from active politics, Mujuru has largely maintained a low profile, focusing on farming and personal ventures.
Her appointment to the AUEOM is seen as a notable move, particularly with Zimbabwe currently holding the Southern African Development Community (SADC) chairmanship.
Last Saturday, the Heads of International Observer Missions convened for a preparatory meeting ahead of Sunday’s National Assembly elections in Mauritius.
Hosted by Mohammed Chande Othman, Head of the Southern African Development Community Electoral Observation Mission (SEOM) and former Chief Justice of Tanzania, the meeting brought together several prominent figures, including SADC Executive Secretary, His Excellency Elias M. Magosi.
Mujuru was among the key attendees including Nicolae Popescu, head of the Francophonie Electoral Observer Mission (FEO) and former deputy prime minister and foreign affairs of Moldova, and Bishop Sipho Tembe, vice chairperson of Eswatini’s Elections & Boundaries Commission and Head of the Electoral Commissions Forum of SADC Countries (ECF-SADC).
The observer heads discussed their collective strategies to promote a transparent electoral process, agreeing to release their preliminary statements on the conduct of the elections on November 12, 2024, at the Caudan Arts Centre in Port Louis.
In related news, Mauritius’s incumbent Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth announced on Monday that his political alliance, L’Alliance Lepep, was likely headed for defeat to the opposition coalition led by three-time former premier Navin Ramgoolam.
“The population has decided to choose another team,” Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth told journalists on Monday.
Jugnauth was seeking a second five-year term, but his main rival, Navin Ramgoolam, leader of the Alliance of Change coalition, appears poised to become the next leader of the Indian Ocean archipelago.
While Mauritius is known as one of Africa’s most stable democracies, this election was marred by a phone-tapping scandal, with leaked recordings of public figures circulating online.
