23rd May, 2024
Former President Goodluck Jonathan left Abuja on Thursday for Johannesburg where he will be leading the election observer mission of the Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa (EISA) to observe South Africa’s national and provincial polls scheduled to hold on May 29, 2024.
A statement issued by Ikechukwu Eze, the former President’s spokesman quoted Dr. Jonathan as saying that he was pleased to be returning to South Africa to see how the country has progressed democratically since the last election, having led a similar mission to the country in 2019.
The statement noted that it would be the fourth time Jonathan would be leading EISA election observer mission having previously led similar missions to Sierra Leone, South Africa and Kenya. The mission comprises short term observers (STOs) drawn from civil society organisations and election management bodies from across the continent.
South Africa’s scheduled May 29 elections in which 27 million registered voters are expected to participate will be the seventh general elections since the end of the apartheid system in 1994. Seventy political parties are participating in the elections with the major ones being the ruling African National Congress (ANC), opposition Democratic Alliance and Economic Freedom Fighters party.
EISA is a leading non-profit pan-African organisation specialising in the field of democracy, elections and good governance. In advancing its mission of promoting credible elections, citizen participation, and the strengthening of political institutions for sustainable democracy in Africa, EISA deploys international observer missions to electoral processes on the continent.