Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2008-01-16-Speech-3-244"
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"en.20080116.12.3-244"2
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"Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, first of all I would like to commend the high level of activity among the citizens of Kenya on election day. The elections were characterised by high rates of participation and patience on the part of citizens, regardless of the long queues and technical problems in certain districts. The situation regarding the production of presidential election results was, unfortunately, entirely different. The requisite transparency was not achieved. The many breaches and discrepancies in information cast doubt upon the election results announced. Unfortunately, the impression has been given that the results were produced according to the principle that it is not how you vote that is important, but rather how we count the votes. If it is not possible to carry out a reliable and transparent review of the votes, then the presidential elections in Kenya should be held again. After the announcement of the election results the already tense atmosphere unfortunately turned violent. The most urgent priority now is to stop the violence and avert a humanitarian crisis. The European Union must support the mission led by the African Union and Kofi Annan to mediate between the President and the opposition, in order to stop the violence and find a solution to the political crisis. If necessary, the European Union ought to be ready to continue this mediation. Certainly, the European Union must grant Kenya the humanitarian aid needed to relieve the situation of the many thousands of displaced persons who, because of violence, have been forced to abandon their homes. Humanitarian aid should, however, be provided in such a way that it really reaches displaced persons and there is proper control over the way in which funds are used. From this viewpoint, the European Commission’s decision, one day after the elections, to transfer 40 million euros of budget support to the Kenyan government without taking into account the criticisms of European Union observers regarding the conduct of the elections, is questionable. Budget support unfortunately does not ensure rigorous control of the use of funds, and the provision of such assistance to a president and a government that have reached power in questionable elections ought to be carefully evaluated. I call on the European Commission to assess this case and to inform the European Parliament of the measures taken to prevent a recurrence of such a situation."@en1
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