Ethiopia: EU EOM deploys election observers

By Merga Yonas

The European Union Election Observation Mission to Ethiopia (EU EOM) deployed 90 Long Term Observers (LTOs) to every region of the country on Tuesday April 27, it was learnt.

These groups of observers arrived in Ethiopia on April 24 and stayed in the capital city for three days to undergo a series of briefings on various aspects of the electoral process. Out of the total number, 81 were deployed by car while the rest flew to their destination. The mission is working hard to contribute to the democratic nature of the election, Tony Reis, Deputy Chief Observer of EU EOM told The Reporter.

Prior to election day, the LTOs will forge contact with local electoral officials, candidates, party representatives, civil society organizations as well as voters. They will also follow election campaigns and preparations for the election. On election day May - 23 - they will observe all phases of the election, from the opening of polling stations to voting, closing and counting. Their findings will be part of the overall evaluation and assessment of the process by the EU EOM, according to a press release issued by the mission.

For the upcoming House of Peoples Representatives and State Council election, the LTOs will be reinforced by 60 Short Term Observers (STOs) who are expected to arrive one week before the election. The mission, which comprises of 10 core team analysts, has also deployed five liaison officers to support the activities of observers in the field.
“Though the mission could not cover all the constituencies alone, it can ease the scarcity of the mission with the participation of African Union (AU) election observers,” Reis explained. “We [the 10 analysts] will stay in the city and observe the election at the federal level and using samples the LTOs as well as the STOs will monitor both at constituency and federal level.”

The mission was invited by the government of Ethiopia to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the electoral process. They are also mandated to observe the extent to which the election complies with international standards for elections as well as domestic law. The European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR) has allocated eight million euros to make smooth the task of EU EOM.

Near the beginning of election, the mission, which is headed by Chief Observer Thijs Berman, a Dutch member of the European Socialist Party in the European Parliament, will have 160 election observers.

Since 2000 EU has sent over 70 EOMs to 50 countries.

Source: TheReporter