Lusaka, Zambia August 25, 2025 — In response to the upcoming 2025 General Elections in Malawi, the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), in partnership with the African Union (AU), will launch a Pre-election Initiative in Lilongwe on Thursday 28 August 2025 aimed at fostering dialogue, consensus-building and preventive diplomacy to ensure peaceful and credible elections in Malawi.

Key Components of the Pre-elections Initiative which will ran from August to December 2025 will include High-Level deployment of Eminent Persons from the AU and COMESA  to engage with key electoral stakeholders including senior government officials, political leaders, judiciary, electoral authorities, security agencies, civil society, media, traditional leaders, youth, women, and the private sector.

This COMESA-AU initiative will be led by H.E Lady Justice (retired) Effie Owuor – a member of the African Union’s Panel of the Wise and H. E Ambassador Rashed Gamaal Ashraf, the Chair of the COMESA Committee of Elders.

“By fostering dialogue and building consensus among all electoral stakeholders, we aim to safeguard Malawi’s democracy and promote long-term stability,” said Justice Owuor.