EU Presidency declaration on elections in Mozambique

The EU has taken note of the preliminary results as published by the National Elections Commission (CNE) on 21 December 2004. The EU welcomes the generally successful and peaceful conduct of Mozambique's Presidential and Parliamentary elections held on 1 and 2 December 2004, and congratulates the people of Mozambique, civil society and the political parties on the commitment to democracy they have demonstrated.

The European Union congratulates his Excellency Armando Emilio Guebuza on the occasion of his election as president of the Republic of Mozambique.

The EU would like to thank the Government of Mozambique and the National Election Commission (CNE) for inviting local, regional and international observers to the electoral process. The elections were observed by several international observer missions, including the European Union Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) which, in its preliminary statement on 4 December, noted that polling was conducted in a free and transparent manner allowing the Mozambican people to express their will. The EU encountered initial difficulties in receiving assurances that the EU Elections Observation Mission would have full access to the tabulation of votes, but is appreciative that in practice these have been overcome to some extent. However, it would be advisable to confirm these rights in legislation, in order to avoid ambiguities in the future.

The EU considers that the elections have been broadly conducted along the lines of internationally established standards, as formulated in, among others, the UN Convenant for Civil and Political Rights and the SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections. Progress has been made compared to the 1999 elections, although incidents have occurred in some provinces. There are reports of irregularities and both leading parties have made allegations of fraud and misconduct, which should be investigated and resolved in accordance with the law. The EU considers that certain improvements could be made to reduce the scope for disagreements over the election results in the future. The EU stands ready to assist in further strengthening the democratic process, including on the basis of the recommendations of the EU Election Observation Mission.

While recognising these irregularities, the EU is of the opinion that this did not have an impact on the result of the elections, and therefore the EU calls on the opposition parties to accept the outcome of the elections.

The EU considers that the 2004 elections in Mozambique represent a further step in the consolidation of democracy in Mozambique as well as of peace and stability in the country and it expresses the hope that they will reflect positively on the democratic climate in the Southern Africa region. The elections form a foundation for continued co-operation between the European Union and Mozambique.

The Candidate Countries Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey and Croatia*, the Countries of the Stabilisation and Association Process and potential candidates Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro, and the EFTA countries Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, members of the European Economic Area, align themselves with this declaration.

* Croatia continues to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.

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