ADDIS ABABA, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) -- The African Union (AU) on Tuesday disclosed that the former Prime Minister of Sao Tome and Principe, Joaquim Rafael Branco, has headed to Guinea Bissau as the Head of the AU Election Observation Mission (AUEOM).
The AU election observation mission headed to observe Guinea-Bissau's upcoming election as the country is set to hold the second round of the presidential election, which is scheduled to be held on December 29.
The AUEOM, which is led by Branco as in the first round, is comprised of 40 short-term observers drawn from 32 African countries who are deployed from December 22 to January 5, as well as another team of 13 long-term observers, the AU said in a statement on Tuesday.
According to the 55-member pan African bloc, the overall objective of the observers' mission is to contribute to the consolidation of democratic gains, peace and stability in Guinea-Bissau in particular and in the African continent in general.
On Nov. 27, the National Election Commission (NEC) of Guinea-Bissau disclosed that the presidential election run-off is to take place on Dec. 29. Former prime ministers Domingos Simoes Pereira and Umaro Sissoco Embalo, who received 40.13 percent and 27.65 percent of the votes respectively, will compete for the presidency, according to the NEC.
