Bolivia: EU deploys Election Observation Mission for the General Elections and Autonomy Referendums

Following an invitation from the Government of Bolivia, the European Commission deployed an European Union Election Observation Mission (EOM) to Bolivia to observe the presidential and legislative elections of 6 December 2009 as well as referendums on an autonomy status which would take place in five departments.

These elections completed an intensive electoral and election observation process which started in 2006 when the Bolivians approved a Constituent Assembly mandated to draft a new Constitution, approved by referendum in January 2009. The EU EOM would be led by Ms Renate Weber, Romanian Member of the European Parliament, who also led the EOM that the EU deployed for the referendum earlier this year.

• Primary Source

European Commission: Press Release, IP/09/1892: Catherine Ashton on the elections in Bolivia http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/09/1892&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

EU: EEAS: EU EOM http://eeas.europa.eu/archives/eueom/missions/index_en.htm

ESO: Background information: Relations between Peru and the European Union http://www.europeansources.info/record/relations-between-bolivia-and-the-european-union/

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