May 26, 2010 -- Catherine Ashton, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission issued a statement that the legislative elections in Ethiopia were an important moment in the democratic process in the country. I welcome the peaceful conduct of the elections and I congratulate the Ethiopian voters for showing their commitment to this process with a high turnout.

The European Union has a long and close relationship with Ethiopia. The deployment of an European Union Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) is a further contribution to support democracy in Ethiopia. I thank our Chief Observer Mr. Thijs Berman and his team for their excellent work and commitment.    

The European Union recognizes the challenging environment in which these elections took place and calls upon all political actors in Ethiopia to seize the opportunity to address the problems encountered, to commit to further strengthening democracy in Ethiopia. The EU stands ready to work with Ethiopia to address these challenges and to further deepen our relations with the government and the peoplesof Ethiopia. (europa.eu)