The European Union will send a team of observers to the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, commonly known as East Timor, to monitor the July 7 parliamentary elections in accordance with a request made by authorities there, the EU said in a statement.
Fiona Hall, member of the European Parliament and Chief Observer of the EU Election Observation Mission (EU EOM), introduced the mission at a press conference held in Dili on June June 7, the statement said.
In the course of her visit, Fiona Hall will hold a series of meetings and discussions with candidates and political parties, the Commissioners of the National Electoral Commission (CNE), the representatives of the Technical Secretariat for Electoral Administration (STAE) and civil society organizations. Notably, a core team of six EU election analysts had arrived in Dili on May 26 to co-ordinate the Election Observation Mission.
The EU EOM will soon deploy 28 long-term and 12 short-term observers from 25 EU member-states, as well as from Switzerland and Norway, in East Timor. The Mission will also be joined, shortly before election-day, by a delegation from the European Parliament. Locally-recruited short-term observers from EU member-states' Embassies in Dili and Jakarta may also join the Mission in the run-up to the election.
"I am impressed with the overall development during the last years during which the country has shown political maturity in handling critical situations. The recent celebrations of the 10th anniversary of the restoration of independence were an excellent occasion to honor the country's impressive achievements," EU Foreign Policy Chief Catherine Ashton said in the statement.
She also noted that 2012 is a crucial year for Timor-Leste due to the recent presidential as well as the upcoming legislative elections and the scheduled withdrawal of the United Nations' Integrated Mission.
"The peaceful and well organized presidential elections in March and April give us confidence that the upcoming legislative elections will also be held in a peaceful atmosphere, thus providing further evidence that Timor-Leste is firmly set on its path towards normalization," Ashton added.
The development comes after former Army chief and guerrilla leader Taur Matan Ruak was elected as East Timor's new President in the April run-off polls. None of the candidates, including incumbent Jose Ramos-Horta, managed to secure the 50 percent votes required for claiming an outright victory in the first round of elections held in March.
The run-off pitted Opposition leader Francisco Guterres against Ruak, who came second in the first round. Soon after the first round results were announced, Horta conceded defeat in his run for a second term in office and congratulated his two rivals who advanced into the second round.
East Timor was invaded by Indonesia in 1975 shorty after Portugal withdrew from the country, ending 450 years of colonial rule. The country formally gained independence in 2002 after three years of U.N. administration.
It is believed that over 100,000 people have died during Indonesia's 25-year occupation of the country. The figure includes some 1,400 people killed when Indonesian-backed militias unleashed violence through out East Timor after the country voted for independence from Indonesia in a 1999 referendum.
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