WRITTEN QUESTION E-0065/99

by Carlos Robles Piquer (PPE) to the Commission

(27 January 1999)

Subject: Elections in the Central African Republic

On 22 November and 13 December 1998, general elections were held in the Central African Republic.

Can the Commission enlarge on the scant information which has so far been released concerning these elections, and, at the same time, explain the state of relations between that country and the EU, especially in the context of cooperation and under the current Lomé Convention?

Answer given by Mr Pinheiro on behalf of the Commission

(8 March 1999)

Voters in two rounds of parliamentary elections on 22 November and 13 December 1998 elected a total of 109 representatives, with the opposition gaining an overall majority. Opposition parties won 55 of the seats, against the 51 taken by the presidential movement (MPLC, PLD and UPR).

The election passed off peacefully, with backing from the international community. The Commission contributed a total of [fmxeuro]520 000 to finance the electoral process, some [fmxeuro]120 000 of which was used to pay for a team of observers selected and recruited by the Commission. The work of the international observers was coordinated by the UN Mission in the Central African Republic, Minurca, and the three teams (from the UN, the Community and the French-speaking countries) agreed that the small number of irregularities detected during polling were not serious enough to invalidate the results.

As presidential elections are due to take place by December this year the government has asked the UN to extend Minurca's mandate till then in order to minimise the risk of further armed conflict and get the international community's sanction for this further electoral process.

The Community's cooperation with the Central African Republic dates back to the beginning of its development activities and has continued under a series of conventions. The focus has been on the classic areas of rural development, the improvement of local living standards and the development of economic and social infrastructure. The Community is currently the country's major donor.

The [fmxeuro]75 million National Indicative Programme (NIP) budget under the seventh European Development Fund (EDF) is fully committed and 90 % paid out, mainly for transport and health projects and measures to back up or extend programmes financed under the sixth EDF.

Under the second financial protocol to the fourth Lomé convention the Central African Republic was allocated [fmxeuro]102 million for its NIP and a decision was taken to concentrate some 80 % of the money on the transport sector. The remainder of the available resources will go to the health sector.