February 8, 2018 By Ishmael Sallieu Koroma
Some of the EU observers being deployed across the country
Deputy Chief Observer of the European Union Observer Mission in Sierra Leone, Marek Mracka, has told a cross-section of the press that they were deploying twenty-eight long term elections observers countrywide.
“There are twenty–eight long term observers. They always work in teams of two, so there are fourteen teams and then they will dispatch to observe in all districts across the country,” Mracka disclosed.
The EU deputy chief observer said they were invited by the Government of Sierra Leone and National Electoral Commission (NEC) to observe the March 7 Presidential, Parliamentary and Local Council elections, adding that they have so far met both the government and NEC.
Mracka said the EU observer mission would be meeting with interlocutors, political parties, contestants, local government, judiciary, police, civil society, and the media.
He further disclosed that on the day of elections the EU Observer Mission would deploy an additional forty (40) short-term observers that would arrive a week before the elections.
He added that the mission would deploy about one-hundred observers across the country.
“All observers will have to follow EU Code of Conduct on elections observation, remain neutral, impartial and objectively report the facts,” he said.
The EU deputy chief observer said they would be having a delegation from Members of the European Parliament, amongst others.