ISLAMABAD, Oct 10: European Union Observers’ Mission (EUOM) will release its preliminary report on the General Elections-2002 on October 12, John Cushnahan, the mission chief, said on Thursday.

Talking to journalists during his visit to a polling station at Junior Model School No. 24, G-9/2, he said the mission would issue the final report only after the completion of the entire election process.

He expressed satisfaction over the voters’ response and added that it was heartening to note that more than 157, out of a total of 1,200 voters registered at the polling station, had cast their votes in just three hours.

Answering a question regarding security arrangements for the mission members, he said the team faced some problems initially, but the provincial governments later provided them enough security cover. He added that it helped them carry out their duties.

Mr Cushnahan said there was no restriction on the mission’s movement, adding that they were free to go anywhere and meet anybody.

He hoped that the mission would have a comprehensive understanding regarding what happened during the elections after the completion of the process.

“We are examining issues like the independence of the election administration, the legal and constitutional framework, access to state resources, the ability of political parties to organize and campaign as assured in any democratic context,” he said.

The EUOM chief said the mission would assess all these factors. The observers, he said, had been busy monitoring electioneering since the announcement of the election schedule.

Regarding allegations of pre-poll rigging, he said the members of the mission were well aware of the ‘serious concerns’ expressed with regard to what happened during the period before elections.

“We have to evaluate the bases of these concerns,” he said, adding that the mission would evaluate the concerns on the basis of its experience.

“The team will examine all the issues throughout the elections and come to a conclusion,” Mr Cushnahan said.

Earlier, the EU observers visited about five polling stations in different localities of the federal capital.

Talking to APP reporting team, during a visit to a polling station established at Federal Government Model School, F/7-3, an observer said: “I am surprised to note that people, specially the youths, are jubilant to participate in the polling process, despite a low turnout so far.”

FATEHJANG: A US observer, James Hellen of IEEF, visited various polling stations of NA-59 and PP-17 on Thursday and expressed complete satisfaction over the polling process.