Labour MEP Edward Scicluna will head the EU’s Election Observation Mission (EOM) of the Uganda general elections in mid-February.

This is the first time a Maltese is being given the role of chief observer in an EU observation mission.

Prof. Scicluna, who served as an electoral commissioner in Malta in the past, will be heading a 110-strong team of EU observers to monitor what takes place before, during and after the elections.

The EU’s Head of Foreign Affairs, Catherine Ashton, said Prof. Scicluna would bring to the role his excellent technical experience in election administration, having been an electoral commissioner in Malta for many years, as well as his more recent experience as a member of European Parliament election observation delegations in Tanzania and Sudan.

The initial core team of EU experts has been in Uganda since mid-January.

The team will now be joined by a first wave of long-term observers. The remaining contingent of short-term observers will be deployed to Uganda about a week before the election.

Prof. Scicluna is expected to make his first visit to Kampala shortly, and will return when the elections take place.

The mission will remain in Uganda to prepare a comprehensive report, including recommendations for improvement to the electoral process, based on a thorough assessment of the entire election process.

The mid-February general election in Uganda is only the second multi-party election to have taken place since the National Resistance Movement came to power in 1986.

Ms Ashton said: “I strongly hope the Ugandan people will be able to express themselves freely in these elections.

“Their continued ability to enjoy the freedoms of assembly and expression – in particular through the media – are crucial for a democratic process.”