International election observation in Africa is in crisis. This crisis manifests in various ways, including lowering of standards from democracy promotion to ‘peaceocracy’; strategic interest bias; progress bias; low-tech methodologies; dominance over citizen observer groups; and contradiction of verdicts of election observation missions with court judgments. The crisis characterizes the wound of international election observation. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic found a pre-existing unhealthy condition of international election observation, thereby pouring salt into the wound. It accentuated the existential crisis of international election observation. Observation has to be recalibrated during and after the pandemic. Existing challenges facing international election observation have to be redressed. International election observation has to adapt to the new condition marked by COVID-19. This adaptation should include development and implementation of guidelines on election observation during COVID-19. In the long run, sustainability of election observation rests in the institutional strengthening of citizen-based observer groups.

非洲的国际选举观察正处于危机之中。这场危机以各种方式表现出来，包括降低标准，从促进民主到“和平民主”；战略利益偏见；进度偏差 低技术方法论；统治公民观察员团体；与选举观察团的判决与法院判决相抵触。这场危机标志着国际选举观察的创伤。COVID-19大流行的发作发现了国际选举观察中先前存在的不健康状况，从而在伤口上倒了盐。它加剧了国际选举观察的生存危机。在大流行期间和之后必须重新校准观察。必须纠正国际选举观察所面临的现有挑战。国际选举观察必须适应COVID-19标记的新条件。这种适应应包括在COVID-19期间制定和实施有关选举观察的准则。从长远来看，选举观察的可持续性在于加强以公民为基础的观察员团体的体制建设。