Brussels, 22/09/2014 (Agence Europe) - At the request of the authorities of Mozambique, the EU will observe the general elections in this southern African country on 15 October. Judith Sargentini MEP (Greens/EFA, Netherlands), who has been appointed as head of the EU election observation mission (EU EOM) by High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton, flew out to Maputo, the capital of Mozambique, on Monday 22 September.
Together with six other experts who make up the core team of the mission, Sargentini will coordinate the work of the 20 long term observers (who will be deployed to all the provinces of the country) and short term observers (who will come to help a week before this presidential, parliamentary and provincial ballot). “Our mandate is to observe the elections without interfering with the electoral process and respecting local laws and regulations”, Sargentini stated on Monday, expressing her hope that the mission “will provide an important contribution to enhancing the inclusiveness and transparency of the election process in Mozambique”.
The mandate of the EU EOM is to analyse the whole electoral process and to check that it conforms with the national and regional laws, as well as with the international commitments taken by Mozambique to conduct democratic elections. After the elections, the EU EOM will present a preliminary statement during a press conference in Maputo. Having observed the final vote count and possible procedures for contesting the results, the EU EOM will present its final report one or two months after the announcement of the final results. This report will contain a more in-depth assessment and detailed recommendations for future elections. (AN)