Egypt receives AU-COMESA joint mission for Presidential election

CAIRO - 12 December 2023: Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry met with Specioza Kazibwe Wandira, the head of the joint African Union and COMESA mission to monitor the 2024 presidential elections. Wandira is a former vice president of Uganda and currently serves as a special advisor to the Ugandan president for health and population. She is also a member of the African Union's Panel of the Wise.

In a statement, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Ahmed Abou Zaid said that Shoukry welcomed the AU and COMESA's decision to send a joint mission to monitor the elections. He said that this reflects the strong relationship between Egypt and the two regional organizations.

Abou Zaid added that Shoukry stressed Egypt's commitment to providing all necessary support to the mission to ensure that it can carry out its work effectively. He also noted the importance of the introductory meeting that the National Election Authority organized for all monitoring missions on December 9, which helped the mission familiarize itself with the rules and procedures governing the electoral process.

The joint mission, which consists of 69 observers, has so far visited a number of polling stations in several governorates, including Cairo, Giza, Fayoum, Qalyubia, and Ismailia.

For her part, Wandira expressed her pleasure at being appointed head of the joint mission. She thanked the Egyptian government for facilitating the mission's work and providing it with all forms of support. She also expressed her hope that Egypt will continue to progress and develop.

Several members of the mission also expressed their belief that monitoring this important democratic event has helped the African mission to learn about new experiences that can be shared with other African countries.