Strasbourg, 24/10/2001 (Agence Europe) - Around one hundred European observers are to be deployed, on 4 November, for legislative and presidential elections in Nicaragua. Fourteen long-term observers are already there, it was announced by the head of the European observer mission, European SPD member Jannis Sakellariou, speaking to the press in Strasbourg. The team of 133 observers will mainly include 8 MEPs, and around fifty monitors from Member State embassies in Managua, he said.
The mission opened an office in Managua on 25 September and deployed observers throughout the territory. Last week, long term observers stressed the positive elements of the electoral process: pluralism and freedom of information, efforts by the electoral commission to complete all the stages of the process in due time and proceed to technical simulations, and the public commitment on the part of all parties and candidates to respect "electoral ethical rules". The monitors, on the other hand, felt that there are "margins for improvement" (voters who have not yet received their cards, information on procedures, insulting content of some debates in the media, …).
"Back in 1998 I was part of a parliamentary observer mission for the elections, but only as an amateur. Since then, European observer missions have become more professional", stressed Jannis Sakellariou in Strasbourg. Commissioner Chris Patten recalled that the EU has taken part in observer missions since 1993, but that it was only in 2000 that its objectives were clarified in a communication. Five monitoring missions were sent throughout the world in 2000 and four this year, he recalled. He hoped that "elections will be conducted in a clean manner and will have transparent results bringing a legitimate government to power". We recall that the candidates running for president are Mr Bolanos for the constitutional Liberal Party, Mr Ortega for the National Front of Sandinist Liberation, and Mr Saborio for the Conservative Party.