The Public Diplomacy Council of Catalonia sends an election observation mission to Morocco

The National Council for Human Rights, the Moroccan agency responsible for accrediting international observers, has invited the Public Diplomacy Council of Catalonia (Diplocat) to join the almost one hundred observers monitoring the elections taking place in Morocco this Friday 9th of October. Diplocat has send a mission of 12 people that have received training in the field of international observation ad have followed the election campaign and the preparation for this day. The general secretary of Diplocat, Albert Royo, believes that this mission Catalonia has sent is relevant because it "makes Catalonia visible as an international committed, serious and responsible actor, in a natural space of action as is the Mediterranean area". The election observation mission will present an assessment report publicly after the election.

Albert Royo, working in his office (by Rebecca Lock)
Albert Royo, working in his office (by Rebecca Lock) / Rebecca Lock

ACN

October 7, 2016 06:52 PM

Barcelona (CNA).- The Public Diplomacy Council of Catalonia (Diplocat) has been invited by the National Council for Human Rights, the Moroccan agency responsible for accrediting international observers, to monitor the parliamentary elections taking place in this country this Friday 7th of October. The mission is made up of 12 people trained in the field of international observation. They have followed the final days of the election campaign and the preparations for the election, and are observing the voting process: counting, aggregation and subsequent declaration of results. Up to 100 observers have been accredited to monitor it. The general secretary of Diplocat, Albert Royo, stressed that this mission "makes Catalonia visible as an international committed, serious and responsible actor, in a natural space of action as is the Mediterranean area".


Royo stated that the aim is “to promote the strengthening of democracy and respect for the effective exercise of a series of rights, including the right to freedom of expression, the right to vote and other civil rights, accompanying in this way the democratization and citizen construction processes of a nearby country such as Morocco".

The Catalan observers have held meetings with various actors involved in the electoral process, including government authorities, the National Council for Human Rights, political parties and candidates, civil society representatives and various media outlets. The election observation mission will present an assessment report publicly after the election.

Other international organizations are also observing the elections, such as the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) and the National Democratic Institute (NDI) of the United States. In total, there have been accredited nearly a hundred international observers for the occasion.

Diplocat has organized training courses on election observation in Catalonia and has sent other observer teams before, in countries such as Costa Rica, Uruguay and Armenia.