Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-05-23-Speech-3-302"
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"en.20070523.21.3-302"2
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"As vice-president of the delegation of observers from the International Republican Institute, I had the opportunity personally to take part, as an observer, in the recent Nigerian elections. Based on my experiences, I have to say that the coordination of the work between numerous international observer delegations was an exemplary success.
As to the election itself, I can only confirm my colleagues’ statement that Nigeria’s elections can be considered neither fair nor free. They have satisfied neither international standards nor the local norms set by the government of Abuja. We witnessed serious shortcomings in the system of voter lists and in keeping the public informed. In many instances, local polling stations opened late and had no ballot forms. The murky process of compiling the results even raises the suspicion of fraud. It is quite telling that the results of some voting districts have not been disclosed.
What is more, the elections were marred by violence. As we have already heard, some 200 citizens lost their lives in clashes linked to the voting. These massive irregularities are even more distressing in the light of previous Nigerian elections that took place in a much more orderly fashion. This time we witnessed with sadness that the voting public’s allegiance to democracy – this is very important – was not accompanied by the intent of government bodies to keep the voting within legal bounds.
We who were there saw how committed Nigerian citizens are to democratic values. Amidst often chaotic conditions they waited with dignity for the moment to exercise their democratic right. It is in Europe’s interest too to see the consolidation of democracy in Nigeria so that it may become a model for the African continent. For that reason, it is important for the EU to remain an active observer of that process."@en1
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