Federica Mogherini at the Extraordinary European Council on migratory crisis
Brussels, 28/05/2015
Statement by High Representative/Vice-President Federica Mogherini on the suspension of the
EOM to Burundi
The EU has been supporting Burundi in its efforts to entrench democracy since the Arusha
Agreements put an end to years of civil war and lay the foundations for a new era. This year’s
legislative and presidential elections are a key step in the democratic process of Burundi.
Following an invitation, I decided to deploy an EU Election Observation Mission (EOM), led by the
Chief Observer David Martin, Member of the European Parliament, in order to contribute to a
transparent, peaceful, credible and fair process that would give confidence to the political actors
and electorate, and would ensure acceptance of the outcome. To reach that objective, some
minimal conditions need to be in place. Unfortunately, the Chief Observer, whose team has been
on the ground for more than a month, has reported to me that the election process continues to
be seriously marred by restrictions on independent media, excessive use of force against
demonstrators, a climate of intimidation for opposition parties and civil society and lack of
confidence in the election authorities.
In these circumstances the EU EOM cannot fulfil its role and I have therefore decided, in
agreement with the Chief Observer David Martin, to suspend it. All parties should engage in good
faith in a dialogue to restore the necessary conditions for democratic elections and, primarily, the
government of Burundi should reach out to all domestic stakeholders by restoring confidence
through concrete measures. If the necessary political will exits, the dialogue facilitated by the
Special Envoy of the UN Secretary General, Said Djinnit, can still provide a forum to reach these
objectives and meet the expectations of the people of Burundi. I also look forward to the
deliberations of the upcoming EAC Summit to which the AU has been invited to participate.
The EU remains strongly engaged and committed to supporting the democratic development of
Burundi in cooperation with regional partners, and I stand ready to swiftly re-start the EOM should
acceptable conditions for the conduct of democratic elections be agreed by domestic
stakeholders.