EU Election Observers Storm Salone
The European Union (EU) on the call of the Government of Sierra Leone and the National Electoral Commission (NEC) officially launched the election observation mission in a bid to foster an oversee the forth coming multier elections slated for November 17th.
The ceremony was hosted on the Bintumani hotel complex featuring state actors from the media and the European mission. The Chairman and Chief Observer of the mission, Richard Howitt, disclosed that their mandate is to oversee and respect the decision made by the people on those who are to represent their interest in state offices.
He said the EU EOM is the largest long-term international observer mission in the country and maintained that the mission’s presence is aimed at bringing confidence, hope and successful non-violent free elections to the people of this country. He goes on to intimate the gathering that six international experts of the EU EOM mandated to look into issues of gender, political, electoral, legal, human rights and the media are currently in the country adding that that will be followed by 28 long-term observers who will be deployed to the 14 districts of the country, starting from October 14th and closer to the Election Day another 50 short-term observers with delegation of members of the European Parliament will also join the mission. He continued that the mission has up to 100 observers to man the election process across the country.
Howitt explained that the mission have had experienced observers that had taken part in other credible elections in the world, citing the 2007 elections as part of the mission experience in elections in the country and therefore called for partnership between the media and the mission to help put a stop to violence and to avoid hate speeches which has the potentials to provoke violence.
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