Brussels, 08/07/2013 (Agence Europe) - Following an invitation from the Malian government, the European Union is deploying an election observation mission to observe the presidential elections of 28 July, the election campaign for which was officially launched in Mali on Monday 8 July. All of the candidates (28 in total) to this election, a decisive stage in the roadmap towards transition, have started to travel through the country and hold their meetings. The EU's election observation mission (EOM) will be led by MEP Louis Michel (ALDE, Belgium), co-president of the joint ACP-EU Parliamentary Assembly, who has been chosen as chief observer.
“This election observation mission is a further stage in our efforts to assist Mali on the road to stability. The elections mark another crucial step towards the restoration of the constitutional order and the unity, territorial integrity and sovereignty of Mali. It is vital that all those involved engage in the process in a peaceful and democratic manner right across the country”, said Catherine Ashton, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, on Friday 5 July. She believes that this mission will “increase the voters' confidence in a transparent, inclusive and credible process”.
The core team of European observers has already been in place in Bamako since 21 June to coordinate the mission overall. They were joined by 20 long-term observers on 2 July, who will be responsible for following the election preparations. Louis Michel and 30 short-term observers will join them a week before the elections to lend a hand. A delegation of MEPs will also reinforce the mission.
The EOM will present its preliminary conclusions in Bamako, a few days after the end of the elections and will remain in the capital of Mali to prepare its full report and recommendations, once it has observed the final count and any complaint procedures which may arise.
The presidential elections of 28 July are a major step in definitively getting Mali out of the institutional crisis which followed the putsch of 2012. The elections come just a few days after the transformation of the International Support Mission to Mali (MISMA) into the UN stabilisation force (MINUSMA), which will, amongst other things, provide security for the election process. (AN/transl.fl)