Brussels, 29/05/2015 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 28 May, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini announced that the European Union has decided to suspend its election observation mission (EOM) in Burundi as it does not believe that the conditions have been met for democratic parliamentary and presidential elections there.
The EU is therefore carrying out the threat that it has repeatedly brandished as Burundi's President Pierre Nkurunziza intends to court a third anti-constitutional mandate and as the violence and restrictions to political rights become ever greater (see EUROPE 11317).
In a statement, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini says that the EU's EOM, led by David Martin (S&D, UK), had been deployed in the country “in order to contribute to a transparent, peaceful, credible and fair process that would give confidence to the political actors and electorate, and would ensure acceptance of the outcome”. She added: “To reach that objective, some minimal conditions need to be in place. Unfortunately, the chief observer, whose team has been on the ground for more than a month, has reported to me that the election process continues to be seriously marred by restrictions on independent media, excessive use of force against demonstrators, a climate of intimidation for opposition parties and civil society and lack of confidence in the election authorities”. “In these circumstances, the EU EOM cannot fulfil its role”, Mogherini stated. (Aminata Niang)