EU Canceled Electoral Observation Mission to Ethiopia
Upcoming general election in Ethiopia is set to take place on June 5, 2021. Until yesterday, 3rd of May, the EU had a plan to send and undertake its electoral observation mission to Ethiopia. However, with a statement released late Monday, the EU has canceled the mission mainly because “it was not possible to reach an agreement with Ethiopian authorities on key parameters for the deployment of an EU Electoral Observation Mission “.
The statement by the High Representative Josep Borrell added, “As conditions are not fulfilled, the deployment of the mission has to be cancelled.” The prominent condition emphasized in the statement was integrity of the electoral observation mission which is “a cornerstone of the EUs support for democracy.”
In particular, the statement specifically mentioned the unfulfilled requirement from the Ethiopian government side towards keeping the integrity of the mission intact: “The EU regrets the refusal of the fulfilment of standard requirements for the deployment of any Electoral Observation Mission, namely the independence of the Mission and the import of mission communication systems, something that is key for the security of EU observers, in particular in the context of a challenging security environment.” In addition, it noted that this situation also impacts election preparations, including voter registration.
The statement by the High Representative also reminded the EU has supported the National Electoral Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) in the preparation of these elections with more than €20 million “to ensure credible, inclusive and transparent elections”. Please read the full statement HERE.
