The European Union is pleased that the elections were generally calm, transparent and properly conducted, as attested by the European Union electoral observation mission in Mauritania. The Mauritanian people have thus had the opportunity to express their political will through free, pluralist elections.
The European Union congratulates Mr Sidi Mohamed Ould Cheikh Abdallahi on his election as President of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania. It wishes him and the Mauritanian people every success on the way to a better future, based on true democracy.
The European Union is pleased to see that the outgoing Head of State, Colonel Ely Ould Mohamed Vall, who initiated and guided the democratic process, has thus honoured the commitments entered into in 2005.
The European Union thanks all parties responsible for the elections for ensuring that they ran smoothly and the Independent National Electoral Commission for its decisive role in supervising operations. The European Union congratulates all candidates, parties and political groups involved in the process and hopes to see them play a constructive role in the political life of the country.
The European Union reiterates its willingness to maintain and improve its political and economic relations with Mauritania, in order to help consolidate the new prospects which are opening up for the country.
The Candidate Countries Turkey, Croatia* and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia*, the Countries of the Stabilisation and Association Process and potential candidates Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia, and the EFTA countries Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, members of the European Economic Area, as well as Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova align themselves with this declaration.
* Croatia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.
