EU to send 90 election observers to Lebanon
Brussels - The European Union is to send a 90-strong election observation team to Lebanon ahead of polls on June 7, the EU's executive, the European Commission, announced Friday.
"I am confident that the forthcoming parliamentary elections will result in the formation of a stable government ... I hope that the presence of European observers can contribute to ensuring that the elections will take place in a transparent and credible manner," EU Foreign Affairs Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner said.
The EU already has a team of 10 experts on the ground in Lebanon paving the way for the observation mission. Thirty more are set to join them in the coming weeks to monitor the pre-election process, while a final 50 are set to fly to Lebanon for the vote itself.
The EU has already donated 4 million euros (5.2 million dollars) to help Lebanon reform its electoral law. The bloc is set to spend a further 4.7 million euros on the election monitoring mission, the EU's executive, the European Commission, said in a statement. (dpa)