COMMUNIQUE
Adopted by the Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (AU) at its 1327th meeting held on 26 January 2026 on Consideration of the Half-Year Report of the Chairperson of the AU Commission on Elections in Africa: July to December 2025 and Outlook for 2026.
The Peace and Security Council,
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Recalling the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance (ACDEG); the OAU/AU Declaration on the Principles Governing Democratic Elections and the Guidelines for AU Electoral Observation and Monitoring Missions;
Also recalling the AU Constitutive Act and Article 3(f) of the Protocol Relating to the Establishment of the PSC; as well as all previous decisions and pronouncements on elections in Africa, particularly Communiqué [PSC/PR/COMM.1288 (2025)] adopted at its 1288th meeting held on 4 July 2025 and Communiqué [PSC/PR/COMM.1255 (2025)] adopted at its 1255th meeting held on 24 January 2025;
Taking note of the opening remarks by H.E. Ambassador Jean-Leon Ngandu Illunga, Permanent Representative of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to the AU and PSC Chairperson for January 2026; and the Presentation by H.E. Ambassador Bankole Adeoye, the AU Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, of the Half-Year Report of the Chairperson of the AU Commission on Elections in Africa for the period July to December 2025 and Outlook for 2026;
Also taking note of the statements by the representatives of the following Member States that organized elections and referenda during the reporting period, namely: the Republic of Cameroon; the Central African Republic; the Republic of Cote d’Ivoire; the Arab Republic of Egypt; the Republic of Guinea; the Republic of Seychelles and the United Republic of Tanzania; and
Acting under Article 7 of its Protocol, the Peace and Security Council:
1. Adopts the Half-Year Report of the Chairperson of the AU Commission on Elections organized in Africa during the period July to December 2025 and the outlook for the elections to be organized during the first half of 2026;
2. Congratulates all AU Member States that organized elections during the reporting period, namely, the Republic of Cameroon; the Central African Republic; the Republic of Cote d’Ivoire; the Arab Republic of Egypt; the Republic of Guinea; the Republic of Malawi; the Republic of Seychelles and the United Republic of Tanzania and encourages them to implement the recommendations by the AU Election Observation Missions in order to improve their future electoral processes;
3. Applauds the Republic of Guinea for the successful organization of the Constitutional referendum and presidential election, respectively, which marked the restoration of constitutional order in the country;
4. Expresses deep appreciation to the African leadership and personalities who led the AU Election Observer Missions to Member States that organized elections during the reporting period;
5. Commends Member States for the progress being registered in deepening and consolidating participatory democracy and in upholding constitutionalism, including through regular organization of credible and transparent electoral processes, and encourages them to link democracy and socio-economic development with a view to enhancing the livelihoods of citizens;
6. Also commends Member States for the increased use of domestic financial resources to finance their electoral processes, which enhances national ownership and reduces the vulnerabilities associated with dependence on external sources of funding for electoral processes;
7. Acknowledges the efforts of the AU Commission, for the continued provision of technical support to electoral processes in Member States and for the deployment of inclusive election observation missions in the continent; in particular the increased participation of women and youth in AU Election Observation Missions and directs the Commission to continue providing election-related technical capacity building support of all Member States, particularly those that are currently in political transition;
8. Reiterates the appeal to the Permanent Representatives Committee (PRC) to allocate adequate financial resources to support election-related activities of the AU Commission Electoral Support Unit to enable it to more effectively and efficiently fulfil its mandate of supporting electoral processes in the Member States, including through the provision of technical assistance and the deployment of AU Election Observation Missions;
9. Appeals to all Member States to fully comply with the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance (ACDEG) and calls upon Member States that have not yet done so to expedite the signature and ratification of the ACDEG;
10. Urges Member States to support follow-up missions, technical assistance, and preventive diplomacy initiatives ahead of upcoming elections; as well as to expand efforts to ensure equitable participation of women and the youth in democratic and electoral processes;
11. Strongly condemns all forms of election-related violence, hate speech and inflammatory statements, as well as the recourse to unconstitutional changes of government, regardless of the justification, and strongly urges all parties to electoral processes on the continent to commit to accepting the results, refrain from violence, and use national legal channels for addressing any election-related grievances or disputes that may arise;
12. Encourages Member States to take deliberate measures to address voter apathy and improve popular participation in electoral processes, including by working closely with civil society organizations and the media in efforts aimed at promoting civic education;
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13. Appeals to Member States that will be organizing elections in the first half of 2026 to do so in accordance with the national legal frameworks and the relevant regional, continental and international standards in pursuit of inclusive-participatory democracy and transparency; as well as to extend invitations to the AU Electoral Observation Missions;
14. Underscores the importance of anticipating and preventing election-related conflicts and in this context, requests the AU Commission to further strengthen the continental early warning system and to continue timeous deployment of preventive diplomacy missions alongside the AU Election Observation Missions and to also continue enhancing closer synergies between Member States, RECs/RMs, and other AU Organs to ensure seamless deployment and conduct of AU Election Observation Missions;
15. Urges the media and civil society organizations to continue playing a constructive role in ensuring credibility and integrity of elections in Member States and to refrain from inflaming election-related challenges and inciting violence;
16. Reiterates the AU zero tolerance policy for any forms of unconstitutional changes of government; underscores the importance of defending democratic processes and promoting a culture of peaceful transfers of power in Member States; and
17. Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.