ADDIS ABABA, June 1 (Xinhua) -- The African Union Election Observation Mission (AUEOM) to South Africa's 2024 national and provincial elections has disclosed that the elections were conducted in a peaceful manner despite a tense political environment.
The elections were "pivotal for the country's democratic future and had implications for political stability within South Africa and the sub-region," the AUEOM said in its preliminary election outcome statement issued on Friday.
The AU deployed a 65-member high-level election observers mission to monitor the integrity of South Africa's national and provincial elections, which was led by former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta. The mission said its observers visited 297 voting stations across all provinces of the country during the election day.
"South Africans freely exercised their constitutional right to vote and voted peacefully," the AU mission said.
According to the AU, the 2024 general elections, the seventh since the end of apartheid in 1994, occurred amid a renewed enthusiasm among South Africans to strengthen their democratic gains.
It said the elections were notably competitive due to the emergence of several new political parties. Despite the peaceful and credible nature of the previous six elections, the 2024 elections were marked by a tense political environment, intensified by several litigations.
The AU said the pre-election period saw heightened tensions and concerns over the potential misuse of social media for spreading fake news, disinformation and misinformation, which could incite violence.
"Despite the challenges and tensions, the 2024 elections were conducted peacefully, demonstrating the resilience of South Africa's democratic processes," the AU said.
Millions of people went to the polls on Wednesday in what was anticipated to be the country's most fiercely contested elections since the end of apartheid. ■
