The European Union (EU), in response to an invitation from the National Electoral Commission (CNE), will send an electoral observation mission to help with the transparency process during the general elections in Mozambique on 9 October, Lusa reported.
In a statement, the EU External Action Service, headed by the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, announced that it had accepted the invitation and appointed MEP Laura Ballarin to head the observation mission.
“Mozambique and the EU are linked by a deep and lasting partnership.
The EU has been sending observation missions since the return of the multi-party system to Mozambique in 1994. The October elections will be another opportunity to consolidate the democratic transition in the country,” said Borrell, quoted in the statement.
The observation team, which includes MEPs and other experts from the European Commission, will arrive in the country on 27 August and will stay until after polling day.
In addition to the EU, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) also plans to send 16 electoral observation teams to monitor the general elections, as reported by Radio Moçambique on 28 June.
According to the agency, the information was provided by the SADC Electoral Council during a meeting with journalists held on 27 June in Maputo to discuss the pre-election political and security situation, the legal framework and the preparation of electoral bodies for the vote.
