South Sudan referendum observed by the EU
Voting in the southern Sudan independence referendum, 9-15 January “has been proceeding quite smoothly, in an atmosphere of peace and calm in most of the south and northern Sudan”, said the Chief Observer of the European Union Election Observation Mission (EU EOM), Member of the European Parliament, Véronique De Keyser.
The EU has deployed 104 observers and analysts from the 27 EU Member States, as well as Norway, Switzerland and Canada. They are independent from any EU institutions or Member States and offer an impartial assessment of the Referendum and its compliance with international and regional standards for democratic elections and referenda, as well as with Sudanese law.
In addition, the European Parliament sent a six-strong Delegation of MEPs. Its leader, MEP Mariya Nedelcheva, declared: “It is also essential to the future development of the two parts of the country, that the outcome of the referendum is respected. The north and southern Sudan are interdependent and whatever the outcome is, it will be vital to maintain open channels of dialogue and a cooperative relationship - for the sake of all the people of Sudan".
Commenting on the referendum, President of the European Parliament, Jerzy Buzek, stated last week that “the referendum should not be seen as a way of severing ties, but rather as a way of strengthening mutual respect and responsibility”. He added: “Whether we look at literacy rates, child mortality, access to food or infrastructures, it is clear that the bulk of the work lies ahead for South Sudan”.
According to a European Commission press release, the EU contributed €6M to referendum-related issues. It states that following the signature of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in 2005, an amount of €665M was provided by the EU in development aid in addition to €779M in humanitarian aid since 2003.