Dili, June 16, 2025 (Média Democracia) – The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation held a meeting with the Head of the European Union Mission for election observation in Timor-Leste, accompanied by the EU Ambassador to Timor-Leste, Marc Fiedrich. The meeting took place at the MNEK meeting room in Praia dos Coqueiros, Dili, on Friday, 13 June 2025.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Bendito Freitas, stated that the meeting with the European Union is related to the mission’s involvement in past elections. This is the fourth time they have come to provide assistance during elections in Timor-Leste, including support for the 2022 Presidential election. The mission supports the coordination mechanism to ensure effective and successful outcomes.
“We are very pleased with their presence in our country for the past two years, providing technical support for our elections. The support from the European Union is highly significant for our electoral process, and we believe their presence will continue to be valuable for the upcoming elections,” said Minister Bendito Freitas.
Meanwhile, the Head of the EU Election Observation Mission, Doménec Rui Devesa, stated that they specifically observed financial reform recommendations related to electoral campaign transparency, and called for improvements in the legislation, as there is currently only one electoral law.
“Based on our missions in 2022 and 2023, we confirmed that the elections held in Timor-Leste were conducted according to democratic principles. We know that all citizens exercised their rights and duties, but there is still room for improvement, particularly in financial aspects and other related matters,” said Doménec Rui Devesa.
He further explained that the EU has provided election support in Timor-Leste four times, including in 2022 for the Presidential elections, offering assistance and effective coordination to ensure quality outcomes.
He emphasized that the bilateral meeting held by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation marked the presence of the EU Election Observation Mission, accompanied by the EU Ambassador to Timor-Leste, Marc Fiedrich, to continue monitoring the electoral process.
Report: Domingas
Photo: Domingas