The European Union on Monday said it will not send election observers to Ethiopia to monitor the country’s general election scheduled for June 5, 2021.
The EU in a statement said despite all efforts by the European Union, it was not possible to reach an agreement with the Ethiopian authorities on key parameters for the deployment of an electoral observation mission in view of the parliamentary elections of 5 June 2021.
As conditions are not fulfilled, the deployment of the mission has to be cancelled, it said.
“The integrity of an electoral observation mission is a cornerstone of the EU’s support for democracy. The EU regrets the refusal of the fulfillment 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. This situation also impacts election preparations, including voter registration” the statement pointed out.
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 said it is encouraging the Ethiopian authorities to increase efforts to guarantee all citizens can exercise their legitimate political and civil rights.
The EU said to further this goal and to ensure credible, inclusive and transparent polls, it had provided more than €20 million as support to the National Electoral Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) to prepare for next month’s election.
MG/as/APA