This programme supports the consolidation of democracy in Member States including pre-elections assessment missions and the observation of elections. This is in line with the authority of the provisions of Article 6(h) of the COMESA Treaty which commits all COMESA Member States to the promotion of Democracy and the rule of law. To this end, and upon invitation by respective Member States, COMESA has observed over 30 elections in its respect Member States. The Main objective of the Election Observation in Members States is to provide an independent assessment of the electoral process thereby providing credibility and legitimacy to the electoral process as a way of promoting peace, security and stability in the COMESA Region as provided for under Article 3(d) of the COMESA Treaty as well as adherence to the principles upon which COMESA was founded under Article 6 of the Treaty which among other things provides for the commitment to the promotion of Democracy and the Rule of Law.
Since the reintroduction of multiparty democracy in 1990s, most countries in the COMESA region have opened up democratic space as periodic elections have been held as a means of strengthening democratic consolidation. While some of the elections have contributed to peaceful political transitions, in some cases others have been a source of political contestation and violence. In line with its mandate derived from the COMESA Treaty (Article 3d) and various policy decisions, COMESA has been supporting the strengthening of electoral processes in the region through pre-election assessment missions, elections observation and strengthening the capacities of Electoral Management Bodies (EMBs) in the region. he programme strengthened COMESA capacity in elections observations through the development of Guidelines on the Conduct of COMESA Elections Observer Missions, as well as a pool of trained elections observers in Member States.
The EMBs forum was established in 2012 for purposes of strengthening the electoral management process through peer support. In addition, COMESA aimed to use the forum to support the electoral staff through targeted training on electoral related issues. In addition, COMESA developed an electoral best practice manual for the region comprising of best practices in electoral systems, electoral processes and electoral management bodies. This manual was adopted by the COMESA Policy Organs in 2012.