Adopted on 20 July 2015, Pretoria, Republic of South Africa Governing Democratic Elections; and providing guidance to member states on elections and the enhancement of democracy and good governance. 1.5 Historically, the development of electoral norms and standards and relevant institutional mechanisms in the region has been motivated by the provisions of the SADC Treaty of 1992, specifically, Article 4 of the Treaty, which stipulates that “human rights, democracy and the rule of law” are principles guiding the acts of its members; and Article 5 which commits the Member States to “promote common political values, systems and other shared values which are transmitted through institutions, which are democratic, legitimate and effective”. 1.6 Further guidance has been drawn from the Protocol on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation (2001), the Strategic Indicative Plan for the Organ (SIPO I) and the Harmonised Strategic Indicative Plan for the Organ (SIPO II), which, read together, underline SADC’s fundamental objective of promoting the development of democratic institutions and practices by State Parties; encouraging the observance of universal human rights and the full participation of the people of the region in procedural democratic processes; as well as espousing the relevant interventions required to achieve these ends. 1.7 Accordingly, SEAC, under the auspices of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation (OPDSC), undertook to appraise the region’s normative framework for elections and commenced the review of the SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections from April 2012 to July 2015. 1.8 In conformity with Article 23 of the SADC Treaty; and guided by its Structures, Rules and Procedures, the SEAC undertook to consult with Member States of SADC and a wide range of stakeholders including, the SADC Parliamentary Forum, the ECF-SADC, the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA), the Southern African Research and Documentation Centre (SARDC), the Electoral Institute for a Sustainable Democracy in Africa (EISA), the African Forum and Network on Debt and Development (AFRODAD), the Institute for Security Studies (ISS), the Southern African Trade Union Coordination Council (SATUCC), the SADC Council of NGOs, the Zimbabwe Electoral Support Network (ZESN) and the African Monitor. 1.9 The process was motivated and informed by the following key considerations a) the increasing use of technology in electoral management and administration; and voting processes, which, inevitably, required the improvement of the capacities of SEOMs to enable them undertake their assignments effectively and competently (b) the emergence of Long Term Observation (LTO) as a more professional and comprehensive approach of assessing electoral performance which provided further prospects of complementing existing mechanisms ranged at ensuring regional stability - such as early warning systems, conflict prevention and conflict mediation initiatives (c) the need to respond to the demands of disadvantaged groups such as women, youth and people with disabilities who are, often, unintentionally excluded -2-