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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACTS: In Atlanta, Deborah Hakes +1 404 420 5124;
In Antananarivo, Stephane Mondon +261 347 213 543

The Carter Center has launched an international election observation mission for Madagascar's national elections on Oct. 25 and Dec. 20, at the invitation of the country's National Independent Electoral Commission of the Transition (CENI-T).

The Center's three-person core team in Antananarivo will be joined in early November by six long-term observers, with the complete team representing eight countries.  Together, this team will focus its observation on the Dec. 20 legislative elections, as well as a potential second round of presidential elections. The Center will work in partnership with the Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa (EISA) to deploy an integrated election observer mission during the December elections. The integrated mission will offer an independent assessment of the process surrounding the legislative and possible presidential runoff elections, and will coordinate efforts with other national and international election observers and key stakeholders in Madagascar. EISA will deploy short-term observers around both the Oct. 25 and Dec. 20 polls.

The Carter Center's observers will meet regularly with representatives of the National Independent Electoral Commission of the Transition, political parties, independent candidates, civil society organizations, the international community, and domestic election observers to assess electoral preparations and the pre-electoral environment throughout the country in advance of the Dec. 20 polls.  The Center will release periodic public statements on key findings, available at www.cartercenter.org.

The Center's election mission is conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation, which provides guidelines for professional and impartial international election observation, and was adopted at the United Nations in 2005 and endorsed by more than 40 election observation groups. The Center assesses the electoral process based on Madagascar's national legal framework and its obligations for democratic elections contained in regional and international agreements.

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"Waging Peace. Fighting Disease. Building Hope."
A not-for-profit, nongovernmental organization, The Carter Center has helped to improve life for people in more than 70 countries by resolving conflicts; advancing democracy, human rights, and economic opportunity; preventing diseases; and improving mental health care. The Carter Center was founded in 1982 by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, in partnership with Emory University, to advance peace and health worldwide.