Office of the Prime Minister

Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão

Dili, 24 October 2013

 

His Excellency the Prime Minister of Timor-Leste announces financial and technical support to the electoral process in the Republic of Guinea- Bissau

 

Following the working visit to the Republic of Guinea-Bissau on 5-8 October, in response to the invitation from the Prime Minister of the Transitional Government of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau, to assess firsthand the difficulties that this country is facing, the Government of Timor-Leste has decided to create a Mission to Support the Electoral Process in Guinea-Bissau.

The primary objective of this Mission, which will have a funding of $6,000,000 provided by the Government of Timor-Leste, is to contribute to ensuring that the preparation of the electoral process is undertaken fairly, transparently and with national and international recognition. A proper electoral process, and in particular the stage of electoral registration, is essential to enable credible democratic outcomes.

The Mission to Support the Electoral Process in Guinea-Bissau will work closely with the United Nations Integrated Peace-Building Office in Guinea-Bissau  (UNIOGBIS), led by His Excellency the Special Representative of the Secretary General of the United Nations, Dr José Ramos-Horta, and will assist the GTAPE-GB (Technical Office Supporting the Electoral Process in Guinea-Bissau). The Mission will include Timorese technical staff, who will work alongside technical staff from Guinea-Bissau.

The Mission is scheduled to arrive in Bissau in the last week of October and remain in-country for at least four months. The Mission will have high level technical capacity and experience in conducting legislative and presidential elections, as a result of the experience that Timor-Leste has had holding elections in a post-conflict setting over the last decade. The Mission is committed to sharing its know-how and to providing assistance in the conduct of simultaneous elections in the Republic of Guinea-Bissau, and in doing so contributing to the restoration of constitutional order in the country and assisting the people of Guinea-Bissau to achieve the peace, stability and development that they seek.

Timor-Leste assumes this commitment not only because of the ties of solidarity that bind the CPLP countries, but also importantly because Guinea-Bissau is part of the g7+ group, led and advocated by Timor-Leste to bring fragile States closer together.