The Carter Center and the Crisis Management Initiative (CMI) announced today they would not be able to conduct an assessment of the electoral process currently underway in northern Cyprus due to insufficient time to secure funding and prepare a mission.
A Carter Center-CMI team visited northern Cyprus in early November to assess the political situation and to explore prospects for a presence during the electoral process. Representatives of the major political parties and the election officials indicated that a Carter Center-CMI mission would be welcomed.
While the Center and CMI will not be present during the electoral process, both organizations emphasized the importance of ensuring that Turkish Cypriots can participate in a process that is free of manipulation and intimidation and consistent with basic human rights and democratic election standards.
####
The Carter Center was founded in 1982 by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, in partnership with Emory University, to advance peace and health worldwide. A not-for-profit, nongovernmental organization, the Center works to resolve conflicts; advance democracy, human rights, and economic opportunity; prevent diseases; improve mental health care; and teach farmers to increase crop production.
The Crisis Management Initiative of Helsinki, Finland is an independent nongovernmental organization founded by former Finland President Martti Ahtisaari in 2000. CMI seeks to enhance the conflict prevention and crisis management capacity of the international community, and to find solutions to global problems through its programmes.
