Timor Leste : EU deploys Election Observation Mission

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The European Commission has begun to deploy an EU Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) to the Presidential elections in Timor Leste, scheduled for 9 April. The Mission will be led by Javier Pomés, Member of the European Parliament. The decision to deploy an EOM was prompted by an invitation to observe the elections received from the government of Timor Leste last year. The EU will also observe the subsequent Parliamentary elections in Timor Leste, whose date will be announced after the Presidential elections.

Benita Ferrero-Waldner, Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy, said: "This mission confirms our strong support to Timor Leste in the first general elections after independence and the first to be organised under the administration of the Timorese authorities We are fully committed to support a country that is already facing many challenges to renew its stability. And these elections will be a key step in Timor Leste stable future."

The EU EOM team, led by the Chief Observer, Member of the European Parliament Javier Pomés (Spain), comprises 6 core team members and will be joined shortly by 28 long-term observers, who will follow the campaign and the organisation of the elections throughout the country. A delegation of Members of the European Parliament will join the mission over election day.

The EU is also supporting the electoral process through a €1.5 million contribution to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). EU EOMs are an important instrument for building support for the democratic processes in a country and are deployed in line with the EU's commitment to promote democracy, human rights and the respect for the rule of law. They are independent and professional, and for this reason their findings are widely seen as credible and trustworthy.

For additional information, see also:

The EU's Human rights & Democratisation Policy - Election Observation Missions:
http://ec.europa.eu/comm/external_relations/human_rights/eu_election_ass_observ/index.htm

EU - Timor Leste relations:
http://ec.europa.eu/development/body/country/country_home_en.cfm?cid=tp&lng=en&status=new

European Initiative for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR):
http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/europeaid/projects/eidhr/index_en.htm

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• EU Election Observation Missions - Speech by EU Commissioner Ferrero-Waldner  (11/9/2007)
• Timor-Leste: EU Commissioner Ferrero-Waldner welcomes peaceful development of Parliamentary elections (2/7/2007)
• European Union deploys Election Observation Mission to Timor Leste (14/6/2007)
• Timor-Leste: EU Presidency Declaration on second round of presidential election (16/5/2007)
• Timor-Leste: EU Presidency Declaration on first round of presidential election (12/4/2007)
• Timor-Leste: EU Commission welcomes peaceful development of Presidential elections  (12/4/2007)
• East Timor: EU Commission allocates €1.5m to victims of internal crisis (1/3/2007)
• EU Presidency Statement- UN Security Council: The Situation in Timor-Leste  (12/2/2007)
• Timor-Leste: EU Commission supports stabilisation (6/10/2006)
• EU Presidency Statement - Security Council: Debate on Timor-Leste (15/8/2006)