(JollofNews) – A European Union Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) is in The Gambia to present its final report on its findings of the parliamentary polls held earlier this year.
An EU statement seen by APA on Monday revealed that the final report will be of its findings on the country’s electoral process from the period leading up to the election to its aftermath.
Nothing is known about the details of the report ahead of its release.
The report will result from fully-fledged EU EOM countrywide pre and post-electoral observation which enabled the mission to offer a full and substantive analysis of the process, not only in the capital but also in the Gambian countryside where access was facilitated by the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC).
The EU observer team is being led by chief observer Mr. Miroslav Poche, a member of the European parliament (MEP) from the Czech Republic who will hold a press conference in Banjul on Friday to release the report which will include recommendations for future elections.
The final report follows a preliminary statement by the EU poll observation mission to The Gambia on 8 April, which claimed a readiness by Gambians to bolster existing institutions aimed at restoring key democratic rights following more than two decades of troubled leadership.
The preliminary report had concluded that the electoral process was expedited independently and in accordance with the “Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation” adopted at the United Nations in 2005.
Upon the invitation of the IEC, the mission headed by Mr. Poche deployed seven international election experts in the capital Banjul and fourteen long-term observers throughout The Gambia ahead of the April 6 polls.
Their task was to assess stakeholders’ compliance with the entire electoral process using regional and international standards for democratic elections and with national legislation as the yardsticks.
The United Democratic Party (UDP) from which President Adama Barrow resigned to lead his coalition government which came to power last January won the National Assembly election with 31 seats.
The former ruling Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction (APRC) party won five seats.
Three other opposition parties and independents grabbed the rest of the seats in the 58-member Assembly.
After 9 months. What a joke about African affairs/issues.
See how soon they will report on the Kurdish referendum that has been taking place since yesterday Monday 25th September.
Our issues and affairs are secondary. Besides, what are they coming up with apart from confirming the fraudulent results read on 2nd December 2016? They’ve got enough money to pay their observers.