Parliamentary election an opportunity to strengthen Maldives democratic process: EU mission chief

The parliament election is an opportunity to strengthen the democratic process in the Maldives, said Eduard Kukan, Chief Observer of the European Union Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) which has commenced an observation effort in Male' today.

In a statement by the EOM, the Slovakian Member of the European Parliament and former Slovakian Minister of Foreign Affairs Eduard Kukan noted that this is the first full EU EOM to take place in the Maldives.

“I hope that our presence will contribute to a peaceful and inclusive democratic environment for the benefit of the Maldivian people,” he said.

Introducing the mission at a press conference in Mookai Suites Hotel in Male’, Mr Kukan said that the EU EOM will work independently to offer an impartial, balanced and informed analysis of the elections. All observers will remain neutral, assured Mr Kukan.

“We will observe the entire electoral process including the legal framework and its implementation, campaign activities, the conduct of the media, voting, ballot-counting and tabulation, as well as the general environment in which the election is being conducted,” Mr Kukan said.

An advance team of five experts from the EU EOM arrived in the Maldives on Saturday. The team will be joined by an additional 25 observers ahead of the election scheduled for 22 March.