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Tuesday, March 26, 2013
EU to send observers to Pakistan for electionsISLAMABAD: European Union has decided to send a strong election observation mission (EOM) to Pakistan to monitor the next general elections.
European Union High Representative and Vice President of the European Commission, Catherine Ashton, on Monday authorised the EOM. A member of the European Parliament will lead the observation mission as its Chief Observer.
The EU EOM will include up to 110 members, including a core team of eleven experts, election analyst, political analyst, legal analyst, human rights analyst, media analyst and others. The EU mission will include 52 Long Term Observers (LTOs) and 46 Short Term Observers (STOs).
On the basis of special agreements with the EU, observers will be from Norway, Switzerland, Canada and other member states.
The Chief Observer, the EU EOM core team members and the Long Term Observers will deploy well in advance of the election day, while the Short Term Observers will deploy around ten days before the election day.
The purpose of the European Union Election observation missions is to support countries in their efforts to hold genuine elections by offering neutral and public assessments of electoral processes and highlighting how they might be improved. The EU has in the past observed Pakistan’s national elections in 2002 and 2008. app
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk