Democracy and Governance
The GPS Unit supports the entrenchment of democracy and rule of law in Member States by supporting Election Management Bodies (EMBs) in the region on capacity building, pre-election assessment missions, and election observation. This is in line with the provisions stipulated in Article 6(h) of the COMESA Treaty which commit all Member States to the promotion of democracy and the rule of law. Democracy and regular elections are foundational pillars for promoting peace and stability as they ensure that governments derive their mandate and authority from the people. To this end, and upon invitation by respective Member States, COMESA has observed over 30 elections (2006 – present) in its respective Member States. The main objective of the election observation is to provide an independent assessment of the electoral process. This provides credibility and legitimacy to the electoral process as a way of promoting peace, security, and stability in the COMESA region, which is stipulated under Article 3(d) of the COMESA Treaty.