Jimmy Carter to Co-Lead Center Delegation to Observe June 7 Elections
Ex-U.S. President Jimmy Carter and former Yemeni Prime Minister Abdul Karim al-Eryani will lead the Carter Center”s international election observation delegation to observe the June 7 parliamentary elections, a statement said Tuesday.
A statement from the Carter Center said the mission will also include more than 50 observers representing more than 20 different nations deployed throughout the country to observe balloting, counting, and tabulation processes.
It said Carter and Eryani will meet with the electoral authorities, political party leaders, representatives of domestic and international election observation delegations as well as other officials.
The two leaders will also be monitoring polls on Election Day, the counting process, and handling of challenges.
The Carter Center launched its election observation mission to Lebanon in early February 2009, and after receiving accreditation from Lebanon”s interior ministry and municipalities in March, dispatched six long-term observers to monitor the electoral process leading to parliamentary elections in all 26 electoral districts.
The statement said the Carter election observation mission will stay in Lebanon until the end of July to monitor the post-election environment, including the complaints process as necessary.
The Carter Center election observation mission assesses the electoral process in Lebanon against the relevant legal framework, including Lebanese election laws, the Constitution of Lebanon, and Lebanon”s international commitments. The Center”s election observation activities are conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation (PDF).
The Declaration of Principles was adopted at the United Nations in 2005, and has been endorsed by 33 international election observation groups.