Brussels, 02/08/2011 (Agence Europe) - At the behest of the Congolese authorities, the European Union will have observer status at the presidential and legislative elections scheduled to be held on 28 November in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). This will be two weeks after expiry of the mandate of Joseph Kabila, the current president. The electoral observer mission led by Mariya Nedelcheva (EPP, Bulgaria) will be deployed six to eight weeks prior to the elections.
The above announcement was made on Tuesday 2 August by the services under Catherine Ashton, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Commission Vice-President. Ashton states in a press release that the decision comes within the continuity of European Union political support for the democratic process and is in addition to the financial support for the electoral process, which amounts to €47.5 million.
The core team for the EU observer mission will coordinate the work of observers over the long and short term (deployed just a few days before the ballot). All stages in the electoral process will be monitored, from preparations to results proclaimed.
With four months to go before the elections, armed factions continue to destabilise the eastern part of the country (Kivu and South Kivu) and calls for free, transparent and democratic elections are increasingly to be heard. (A.N./transl.jl)