A total of 14 European Union Long Term Observers (LTOs) were on Wednesday, March, 22 dispatched to their various postings across the country, ahead of Parliamentary elections next month.
The observers were deployed in multinational teams of two throughout the country and will primarily follow the proceedings on Election Day as well as tabulation of the results.
In accordance with the EU standard observation methodology, it is important for each Election Observation Mission (EOM) to have a long term, country-wide approach enabling a full fledged and substantive analysis of an election not only in the capital but also in the region.
The 14 long term observers (LTOs) drawn from 13 EU member states and Norway, where bade farewell by the EU’s chief election observer Mr. Miroslav Poche at a ceremony held at the Ocean Bay Hotel in Bakau.
The LTOs role is decisive in helping the mission to form a balanced and comprehensive view of the election across the country as LTOs asses at the regional level the same areas, which core team members analyzed at the national level.
Prior to their deployment, the observers received comprehensive briefings on a wide range of issues, including on the electoral process, political environment and media landscape.
The Gambia will vote in Parliamentary elections on April 6.
The European Union Elections Observation Mission (EU EOM) for the forthcoming parliamentary elections is in The Gambia following an invitation from the Independent Electoral Commission.
Chief Observer Poche wished the observers well as they were ready to depart across the country for such a crucial duties.
“You will personify the mission in the field and your consolidated findings will become an essential part of our overall assessment of these elections” said EOM Chief Poche.
According to him, this is the first time the European Union deploys a fully-fledged election observation mission to The Gambia, reflecting the EU’s commitment to supporting The Gambia’s democratic transition and the level of international interest in it.
The ultimate task of the observation mission is to assess compliance of the elections with domestic legislation as well as regional commitments and international standards for democratic elections agreed by The Gambia.
