Brussels, 17/04/2014 (Agence Europe) - At the request of the authorities of Malawi, the European Union is to observe the presidential, parliamentary and local elections scheduled in this Southern African country on 20 May.
The deployment of the EU election observation mission (EOM), led by Véronique de Keyser MEP (S&D, Belgium) is now under way. The seven observers comprising the core team of the EOM have been in the Malawian capital, Lilongwe, since 12 April.
Twenty-eight long-term observers will be deployed in the country on 23 April. Twenty-four short-term observers will go to lend them a hand a few days before the ballot.
This EOM is the third of the type in Malawi and reflects “the EU's long-term commitment to supporting credible, transparent and inclusive elections in the country”, the European External Action Service (EEAS) states in a press release.
The observers will analyse all the steps of the electoral process. After the elections, the EOM will present a preliminary statement at a press conference in Lilongwe. The mission's final report, containing a more in-depth assessment and detailed recommendations for the elections to come, will be presented to the authorities and citizens of Malawi one to two months after the announcement of the definitive results. The previous elections took place in 2004 and 2009. (AN)