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Lima, 21 May – Public statement of the EU Observation Mission facing the second turn of the presidential election

Peru continues its democratic transition through an apparently never-ending electoral process.

During a press conference held on 18 May, the European observers underlined that the electoral process in the South American country is essentially being carried out in compliance with international standards. They also stressed on the excessive delay elapsing between the first and the second round of the presidential election, and the damage possibly caused by the blank vote campaign on its image.

The Election Observation Mission of the European Union, which has kept a constant presence in Peru since the end of February, will be soon completed by the further coming of 32 Short Term Observers and by a team of twelve members of the European Parliament. As occurred for the first round (8 April), the mission will recuperate full staff for the second round Election Day, presumably the 3 June.

Meanwhile, the permanent staff of the mission held a press conference last Friday to present the findings of their observations so far. The EU-EOM verified that, in general terms, the electoral process is satisfactorily underway in compliance with the international standards. The political campaign of both candidates continues with rallies and debates, which help to clarify and serve as a commitment for a free, competitive, and well-informed voting process.

However, the European observers stressed that some problems still overshadow this positive appraisal: once more the campaign was poisoned with revelations removed from the political debate against both candidates. Added to this is the invalid or blank vote proposal, all of which is damaging the outside image of the campaign.

The Mission underlines the fact that, the individual blank vote is legitimate and so is the blank vote campaign. What is doubtful is the appearance of a movement – displeased with the results of a free, clean and competitive first round – backing the null and blank vote during the course of the same elections, specially in the transitional situation in which Peru is living at present.

The European statement also focused on problems in how electoral institutions are operating, referring to the evident slow vote counting process after 8 April and to the underlying problems in the electoral preparation in face of the second round. It specified that a detail which is not entirely compatible with international standards is the excessively long lapse of time between the two rounds, and that explanations given by the electoral institutions on the matter can be considered valid but insufficient, since complaints have not exceeded the foreseen amount.

Finally, after an explosive artifact was left in the immediate vicinity of the National Jury for Elections, putting at risk the lives of passerbys, the EU-EOM expressed its deepest feelings of solidarity with the citizenry and Peruvian institutions who, in a not so far away past, experienced a merciless terrorism.