The SADC Parliamentary Forum is meeting since Friday in the Mozambican capital Maputo city, in order to review norms and standards for elections in the region.

According to the Vice Chairperson of the Forum, Duke Lefhoko, the meeting aims at revising the Forum's document on Norms and Standards for Elections.

Lefhoko claimed that, over the years, not only had elections been held more frequently in the SADC region, but there had been a qualitative improvement.

He stressed that the Forum's major preoccupation is not whether or not elections take place, but rather the extent to which they enhance popular participation, gender equality and reflect the will of the people of the region.

The decision to revise the 2001 document, Lefhoko said, "stems from a realization that we need to take full advantage of the increasing regional consensus and goodwill on the importance of free, fair, transparent and credible elections, to document a compendium of electoral norms and standards for ease of reference."

Lefhoko hoped the Forum would emerge from the three day Maputo conference "with a comprehensive norms and standards document that will stand the test of time."

At the opening of the conference, Mozambican President Armando Guebuza pointed out that, since this document was drawn up in 2001,the Forum has accumulated a great deal of experience in electoral observation, and from this experience he hoped it would be possible "to build consensus on the steps to follow, to contribute towards strengthening democratic and multi-party institutions and practices in the region."

Some tens of parliamentarians from various political parties in nine SADC member states are attending the conference as delegates.

(Xinhua News Agency November 19, 2005)