The African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance seeks to entrench in the continent a political culture of change of power based on the holding of regular, free, fair and transparent elections conducted by competent, independent and impartial national electoral bodies. The Charter was adopted by the African Union on January 30 2007.

The African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance seeks to entrench in the continent a political culture of change of power based on the holding of regular, free, fair and transparent elections conducted by competent, independent and impartial national electoral bodies. The Charter was adopted by the African Union on January 30 2007.
The objectives of the Charter are to:

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) adopted the SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections at the SADC Summit in Mauritius in August 2004. The SADC Principles and Guidelines set out the following responsibilities of member states holding elections:

• Establish appropriate institutions where issues such as codes of conduct, citizenship, residency, age requirements for eligible voters and compilation of voters’ registers are addressed;

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) adopted the SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections at the SADC Summit in Mauritius in August 2004. The SADC Principles and Guidelines set out the role of SADC Electoral Observation Missions (SEOM). In terms of the nature and scope of election observation, SADC member states should focus on the following guidelines and factors:

1. Constitutional and legal guarantees of freedom and rights of the citizens
2. Conducive environment for free, fair and peaceful elections

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) adopted the SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections at the SADC Summit in Mauritius in August 2004. The SADC agreement on elections sets out the following basic principles for the conduct of democratic elections which SADC Member States should follow:

1. Full participation of the citizens in the political process.
2. Freedom of expression.
3. Political tolerance.
4. Regular intervals for elections as provided for by the respective national constitutions.