Lilongwe, (New Ziana) — The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has deployed its Electoral Observation Mission (SEOM) to the Republic of Malawi ahead of general elections scheduled to take place on 16 September this year to elect the President, the 229 Members of the National Assembly, and 509 local government councilors.
The critical step underscores the regional bloc’s continued commitment to promoting democratic governance, peace, and security in the region. In a statement SADC said the incoming Chairperson of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation, King Mswati III of the Kingdom of Eswatini sanctioned the deployment.
King Muswati also appointed the Right Honourable Themba Nhlanganiso Masuku, former Deputy Prime Minister of Eswatini, to head the SEOM operations in Malawi. “The Incoming Chairperson of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation, His Majesty King Mswati III of the Kingdom of Eswatini, has deployed the SEOM to the 2025 General Elections in the Republic of Malawi and appointed Right Honourable Themba Nhlanganiso Masuku, Former Deputy Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Eswatini as the Head of Mission, and mandated the SADC Secretariat led by His Excellency Mr. Elias Mpedi Magosi, the SADC Executive Secretary, to coordinate the SEOM deployment to Malawi, including facilitating in-country deployment of election observers,” SADC said.
A dedicated support team from the Secretariat arrived in Lilongwe on 1st September 2025 to lay the groundwork for the deployment, it said. SADC said the SEOM will be deployed across all 28 districts of Malawi, with a comprehensive mandate to observe the entire electoral process, including the pre-election phase, polling day, and post-election period.
Observers will assess the elections against the SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections, focusing on the promotion of regular, free, fair, transparent, credible, and peaceful elections, it said.
Among its key activities, the SEOM will hold consultations with a wide range of electoral stakeholders including the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC), relevant government institutions, political parties, the diplomatic corps, civil society organisations, Non-Governmental Organisations, as well as various women and youth groups.
The engagements are designed to provide the Mission with a thorough understanding of the political and security context, the constitutional and legal framework, and the overall readiness of the MEC to administer the elections. The deployment of the SEOM reaffirms SADC support for democratic consolidation in the region, and its role in ensuring that member states conduct elections that reflect the will of the people.
New Ziana
