Djibouti, 20 February 2018 – H.E Mr. Anicet-Georges Dologuélé, Head of the Election Observation Mission of the African Union (AU) to the upcoming legislative elections in the Republic of Djibouti, and former Prime Minister of the Central African Republic met on Monday 19 February 2018, with H.E Mr. Abdi Ibrahim Absieh, President of the Constitutional Council of Djibouti in the presence of Mrs. Fahima Abdi, Secretary General of the same institution and other collaborators. The meeting which took place in the meeting room of the Constitutional Council was aimed at sharing views on the state of preparedness of the country ahead of the legislative election scheduled for Friday 23 February 2018 in the country.

The President of the Constitutional Council seized the opportunity to present the mandate of his instruction to the AU delegation. He said apart from being the institution responsible for ensuring compliance with the Constitution as well as the basic text that determines the form of the Djiboutian government, this body also establishes the list of the rights and freedoms of the citizens. “The Constitutional Council ensures the regularity of the major political consultations in the country”, he underlined.

During the meeting, President Abdi Absieh and his team distributed a brochure on the Djibouti Constitutional Council to the AU delegation for information. The document states that, the mandate of the institution checks whether the laws passed by the National Assembly is in compliance with the provisions of the Constitution; it guarantees the fundamental rights of citizens and their public freedoms including property rights, freedom of worship, freedom of expression, freedom of movement and freedom of association. It examines and settles all disputes relating to elections as well as proclaims the results of the elections.

The AU head of Mission appreciated the sharing of information by the Constitutional Council Officials and promised to stay in touch during his Mission in Djibouti should they be any inquiry or complementary information needed to facilitate the observation of the upcoming elections on the ground.

On the other hand, the H.E Mr. Anicet-Georges Dologuélé, Head of the Election Observation Mission of the African Union (AU) was received on Tuesday 20 February 2018 by Mr. Dini Mohamed Bourhan, President of the Independent National Electoral Commission of Djibouti, dubbed (CENI) in the presence of Mr. Houssein Mohamed Chardi, Vice President of the CENI. President Bourhan shared some information materials with the AU Head of Mission. He also presented the mandate of his institution saying that the CENI is responsible to ensure the successful organization of the elections while ensuring that the logistics including the voting cards, the ballots, the time allocated for the opening of the pooling stations are respected. He said CENI is responsible to see into it that the elections are held in conformity with the electoral code, taking note of all the irregularities during the electoral process so that they can be corrected immediately.

The AU Head of Mission expressed his appreciation for the interaction granted to his delegation by the CENI with the view to share important information related to the organization of the upcoming legislative elections in Djibouti.

For any other information, please contact:

Karine Kakasi Siaba: +253 77 27 30 48
Email: Kakasik@africa-union.org
Democracy and Electoral Assistance Unit (DEAU)
Department of Political Affairs | Commission of the African Union

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