Ecuador: EU deploys Election Observation Mission for the General Elections

Following invitations from the Ecuadorian Government and the electoral authorities, the European Commission is deploying an European Union Election Observation Mission (EOM) to Ecuador to observe the general elections of 26 April. These elections complete an intensive electoral process which started in 2007 when the Ecuadorians approved a Constituent Assembly mandated to draft a new Constitution, approved by referendum in September 2008. April's general elections will elect a new President for the country and the National Assembly as well as provincial, regional and local representatives. The EU EOM will be led by José Ribeiro e Castro, Portuguese Member of the European Parliament, who also led the EOMs that the EU deployed for the 2007 elections and 2008 referendum.
“With these elections Ecuador culminates a process of political reforms that has established new political and socioeconomic basis in the country. The Commission has accompanied Ecuador in this process since the beginning and I am pleased that we are now closing the cycle by sending an EOM to the general elections as well. I thank José Ribeiro e Castro for accepting again my invitation to lead the EOM. I am sure that the excellent working relationship that he has established, through previous experience in the country, with main players in the electoral process will be key for the mission success", said Benita Ferrero-Waldner, Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy.

The EOM Core team will consist of the Chief Observer and nine experts. The Chief Observer will launch the EOM in Quito on 23 March. The core team will be joined early April by 40 long-term observers, deployed throughout the country to follow the campaign period and pre-election process including for the sub-national elections, as well as election day and the immediate post-election period. On election day, the EU EOM will be composed of over 100 observers, including 64 short-term observers who will arrive in the country around 20 April.

The EU is making available €3.2 million from the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR), to meet the costs of deploying this mission. The EU is also providing some technical assistance to the newly set-up election administration.

EU EOMs are an important instrument for building confidence in the democratic processes of a country and are deployed in line with the EU’s commitment to promote democracy, human rights and the respect for the rule of law. EU election observation missions are independent and professional, and for this reason their findings are widely seen as credible and trustworthy.

For additional information, see also:

EU Election Assistance & Observation:

http://europa.eu.int/comm/external_relations/human_rights/eu_election_ass_observ/index.htm

European Initiative for Democracy and Human Rights:

http://europa.eu.int/comm/europeaid/projects/eidhr/index_en.htm

The EU's relations with Ecuador:

http://ec.europa.eu/external_relations/ecuador/intro/index.htm

EU Election Assistance & Observation:

http://ec.europa.eu/external_relations/human_rights/eu_election_ass_observ/index.htm

http://europa.eu.int/comm/europeaid/projects/eidhr/index_en.htm

The EU's relations with Ecuador

http://ec.europa.eu/external_relations/ecuador/index_en.htm

The EU’s relations with Andean Community

http://ec.europa.eu/external_relations/andean/index_en.htm

Published on: 2009-03-24

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