Brussels, 04/01/2016 (Agence Europe) - On 31 December, the EU hailed the smooth conduct of the first round of presidential and parliamentary elections in the Central African Republic (CAR) the day after this stage of the electoral process took place. It called for the electoral process to be continued “in calm”.
“The strong mobilisation of the people of the CAR for the first round of the presidential elections and the appeased conditions for the vote throughout the country bear witness to the determination of the people of the CAR to take charge of their country's outcome by the democratic way”, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini and European Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development Neven Mimica stated in a joint press release.
The EU believes that “this keen interest of the citizens is a success for all the stakeholders” and that “the involvement of the MINUSCA and Sangaris forces, in coordination with the CAR domestic security forces, as well as the efforts of all the technical and financial partners, have been decisive for organising these elections in a particularly difficult context”.
Saying that the EU will remain attentive to the next stages of the electoral process, Mogherini and Mimica state that “the centralisation of the results and the handling of disputes will be particularly important for the credibility of the elections” that constitute the conclusion of the transition in the CAR. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)