Addis Ababa, 27th December 2015 – The Head of the African Union Election Observation Mission to the Central African presidential and legislative elections of 30 December 2015 (AUEOM-CAR), H.E. Souleymane Ndéné NDIAYE, former Prime Minister of the Republic of Senegal, opened the briefing session for African Union Observers, in the morning of 24 December 2015, in the congress hall of the Hotel Ledger Plaza, Bangui. The briefing took place in the presence of the African Union partners from the Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa (EISA). The briefing programme focused on the general political and security environment in the Central African Republic (CAR) and on the methodology and Code of Conduct for AU election observation.

While thanking the AUEOM coordination team and the observers for their devotedness, the Head of Mission underscored the need to observe the CAR elections initially scheduled to take place on 27 December and now postponed till 30 December 2015, with full neutrality.

“It is for the Mission to work with the full collaboration of the African Union Special Representative to the Central African Republic, General Jean-Marie Michel MOKOKO, as a major player in the process, to follow-up the electoral operations and in a manner to ensure a free, transparent and democratic vote, for the Central African people to have a government whose legitimacy is undisputed; to guarantee a return to constitutional rule” he emphasized.

He also added that, the primary role of the AUEOM observers is not to substitute the National Elections Authority (ANE) but is rather to exercise maximum professionalism in the dispatch of the Mission’s role.

The Head of Mission, within the framework of the Mission, continues to hold bilateral meetings with the Central African transition authorities as well as with the representatives of the principal international missions present in the CAR notably, the Economic Community of Central African States (CEEAC), the United Nations Multidimensional and Integrated Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), the European Union (EU) and the Organization of the Francophonie (OIF)

The Head of the AUEOM will grant a press conference on Monday 28 December 2015 by 4:00 pm at the Hotel Ledger Plaza on these elections before the deployment of observers to the field.

For further information on the mission, please contact the AUEOM coordinator, Miss Karine Kakasi SIABA via Tel: + 236 75 41 04 19 / + 236 70 10 67 83; email at: kakasik@africa-union.org;

For Media information, please contact:
Michael Fikre Merid | Email: MichaelF@africa-union.org | Directorate of Information and Communication | AUC

For further information:
Directorate of Information and Communication | African Union Commission I E-mail: DIC@african-union.org I Website: www.au.int I Addis Ababa | Ethiopia

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