The EU’s senior representative Josep Borrell said that the block has cancelled the deployment of it’s planned Election observation mission to Ethiopia.
Full Statement
Despite all the efforts of the European Union, it has not yet reached an agreement with the Ethiopian authorities on key parameters for the deployment of an EU Electoral Observation Mission in view of the parliamentary elections on June 5, 2021. As the conditions are not fulfilled, the deployment of the mission has to be cancelled.
The integrity of an electoral observation mission is a cornerstone of the EUs support for democracy. The EU regrets that it has not complied with the standard requirements for the deployment of any Electoral Observation Mission, that is, the independence of the Mission and the import of the mission’s communication system, which is essential to the safety of EU observers, especially in the context of a challenging security environment. This situation also affects election preparations including voter registration.
It is disappointing that the EU has not received the assurances necessary to extend to the Ethiopian people one of its most visible signs of support for their quest for democracy. The EU calls on the Ethiopian authorities to redouble their efforts to ensure that all Ethiopians can exercise their legitimate political and civil rights.
The EU recalls that to further this goal and ensure credible, inclusive and transparent elections, the EU has supported the Ethiopian National Electoral Commission in preparation of these elections with more than €20 million.
