EU chief electoral observer meets Aoun, vows impartial monitoring of elections

The head of the European Union Election Observation Mission Lebanon 2022, Gyorgy Holvenyi, met Thursday in Baabda with President Michel Aoun and announced that around 200 observers will monitor Lebanon’s May 15 parliamentary elections in a professional, transparent and impartial manner, the Lebanese Presidency said.

In a tweet, Holvenyi said he met with Aoun to “explain about the Mission and its work in fostering confidence and reinforcing the democratic process in the country.”

Speaking after the meeting, the EU official said the observation mission comes in response to an invitation from the Lebanese Ministry of Interior and Municipalities.

“Reflecting its continued commitment to support credible, transparent and inclusive elections in Lebanon, the European Union also observed the 2005, 2009 and 2018 elections. EU EOMs aim to promote democracy and human rights in a framework of cooperation with third countries. The EU EOM is a demonstration of the EU's commitment to democracy and peace in Lebanon,” Holvenyi added.

“Our observation will cover all the regions of Lebanon. The mission arrived on 27 March and will stay until 6 June. On election day, the mission will comprise some 200 observers from all 27 EU member states, Norway and Switzerland,” he said.

The core team had arrived in Beirut on March 27 and is composed of 10 election experts covering the different aspects of the electoral process.

In mid-April, 30 long-term observers will be deployed in teams of two to cover all the regions of the country, Holvenyi added.

“I will be back to Lebanon before elections for my second visit, but our team composed by our analysts and our observers will be here all the time. The EU Election Observation Mission will remain in the country until the conclusion of the electoral process,” the EU official noted.

He concluded by saying that the EU EOM will conduct a comprehensive analysis of the electoral process, based on long-term observation, and that its final report will include a final assessment of the electoral process and “a set of recommendations for possible reforms to improve future electoral processes.”