Abuja 10 April 2011 – “The European Union Election Observation Mission considers the elections for the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as a positive step, although improvements are needed for the next elections” stated the Chief Observer Alojz Peterle on Sunday 10 April in Abuja.
The Chief Observer added “We observed an overall encouraging conduct of the elections, in a generally peaceful atmosphere. Our observers reported that the majority of visited Polling Units were operational, and that accreditation and voting were mainly conducted in a timely manner. However problems, such as inaccurate votersʼ registers and inconsistent implementation of electoral procedures were observed and need to be addressed before the next elections.” Furthermore, the Chief Observer of the European Union Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) highlighted underage voting, inadequate packing of the results forms and lack of display of the results in several Polling Units, Wards and Local Government Areas. “Increased attention to all the stages of the electoral process could contribute to strengthening the transparency and credibility of the elections”, said Peterle.
The EU EOM will present its findings in a preliminary report to be issued after the Presidential elections and at a later stage in a comprehensive final report with recommendations.
The Chief Observer condemned the bomb explosion at the INEC office in Suleja and all other violent incidences: “The attack in Suleja, that claimed the lives of so many people, who committed themselves to assist Nigeria in having credible and peaceful elections was a cowardly act. We call upon the people of Nigeria and all Stakeholders to maintain a peaceful and positive atmosphere and not to allow any intimidation.”
Note to Editors:
The EU EOM has deployed over 140 Observers throughout the country. The Mission observes all aspects of the electoral process, prior, during and after election days. The EU EOM is independent from any EU institutions or Member States and is obliged to remain neutral and abide by the Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation and the Code of Conduct, as well as Nigerian laws.
For Media enquiries, please$contact:
Press Officer: Eberhard Laue
Mobile Phone +234 (0)81 3505 2217, email: eberhard.laue@eueom-nigeria.eu