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Politics and Government

The European Union Sends Election Monitors to Nigeria

By experts and staff

Published
  • John Campbell
    Ralph Bunche Senior Fellow for Africa Policy Studies
A member of the European Union Election Observation Mission stands beside his luggage as he arrives in the Nigerian capital Abuja. (Afolabi Sotunde/Courtesy Reuters)

In advance of Nigeria’s elections in April, the European Union Election Observation Mission has deployed 52 Long Term Election Observers to cover rural and urban areas of the country, with an additional 60 Short Term Observers arriving prior to the general election period. I will be paying particularly close attention to what they report.

In my view, in 2007 the European Union Election Observation Mission provided the most straightforward account of the largely fraudulent elections in Nigeria. The EU team’s successful coverage of the 2007 elections stemmed not only from the early deployment of Long Term Observers but also because their coverage of the country was so extensive.