Following an invitation from the Mozambican authorities, the European Union will deploy an Election Observation Mission (EOM) in the country, to observe the general elections which will be held on 15 October. This decision reflects once again the European Union’s commitment to support democracy in Mozambique, where the EU has observed all elections conducted since 1994.

The EU top diplomat Federica Mogherini has appointed as Chief Observer of the Election Observation Mission Ignacio Sánchez Amor (pictured), Member of the European Parliament (MEP).

The 2019 elections in Mozambique come at an important moment in the country’s history, when real progress towards a comprehensive peace agreement opens the way to permanent reconciliation and accelerating reform”, said Mogherini.”A successful electoral process can help to generate the stability and confidence needed for growth and development. I am confident that Chief Observer Ignacio Sánchez Amor MEP will lead a successful EOM that will once more contribute positively to the strengthening of democracy in Mozambique.”

“I feel honoured to head the EU EOM to Mozambique. These elections take place in the context of important changes in the country’s administrative structure, notably with the decentralization of key aspects of governance. My objective is for the EOM to provide a positive input – through impartial and objective assessments and constructive recommendations – to an overall credible, transparent and inclusive process. And I would add that we will of course continue our work with the Mozambican authorities to implement recommendations from previous observation missions”, Chief Observer Sánchez Amor reacted.

The Electoral Observation Mission’s core team, consisting of 9 analysts, will arrive in Maputo on 31 August. The team will stay in the country until the completion of the electoral process, and will prepare a comprehensive final report. The core team will be joined shortly after its arrival by 32 long-term observers to be deployed across the country. A further 76 short-term observers will be deployed around election day. The EU EOM also looks forward to cooperating and communicating with other international and domestic observation missions.