A London MEP has just returned from the Democratic Republic (DR) of Congo in Africa to observe the country's first democratic election in four decades.
Robert Evans is an MEP based in Feltham, who has a special responsibility for numerous London boroughs including Richmond and Hounslow.
He was in the DR of Congo to observe the election process, of which the UK was the largest donor, spending £36million.
The UK also contributed money via the EC and UN's electoral support mission.
Mr Evans was there as part of a 12 member delegation from the European Parliament. He said the Congolese elections were "vitally important" to the western world.
The EU delegation was there to maximise the credibility of the election and to help overcome logistical problems.
More than 25 million people were eligible to vote in the election and there was a high turnout on polling day.
However, serious concerns are now being raised about the counting of votes and some observers said they saw votes dumped and voting tallies that did not add up.
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