Paper short abstract:

This paper offers strategic perspectives on reconceptualising and rebuilding the credibility of international election observation with a view to further enhancing its effectiveness as a tool for promoting electoral integrity and conflict prevention in Africa.

Paper long abstract:

Amidst ever-increasing concerns over a general democratic recession in Africa, most obviously demonstrated through repeatedly flawed - if not violent - electoral processes and contested outcomes, the tools designed to uphold and improve electoral quality, such as international election observation, have come under increasing scrutiny. The adoption of international election observation as a norm in international politics, its institutionalisation by the African Union and other international organisations, and the deployment of international observers to almost all elections in Africa today, does not seem to translate into improved electoral quality. Therefore, the question about the actual role and impact of international election observers remains relevant, especially as observation had been branded as a mechanism for enhancing electoral integrity, exposing irregularities and fraud, as well as contributing to preventing electoral conflict in Africa. As the continent continues to grapple with the fallacy of electoralism, it is important to critically examine international observation and the challenges and opportunities for its enhancement as a tool for electoral and democratic accountability. Using the Zambian case, this paper intends to undertake a critical and comparative assessment of the role played by international observers in the 2016 and 2021 general elections, examining lessons learned from the election observation experiences. Using meaningful lessons, it will offer strategic perspectives on reconceptualising and rebuilding the credibility of international election observation with a view to further enhancing its effectiveness as a tool for promoting electoral integrity in Africa.