This might make it more entertaining

Another twist is being added to the dreary saga of the European elections that are coming in June (and dreary it is despite the apparently inexhaustible supply of people with more money than sense who fund ever more parties for the event).

EUObserver reported yesterday that

The Pan-African Parliament is in talks with the EU on sending monitors to the European elections in June, in a project that could see Zimbabwean politicians oversee voting in the UK.

The South Africa-based institution, which is the parliamentary wing of the African Union, agreed details of a monitoring mission with European Parliament officials last week.

Ten members of the African Parliament (MAPs) would first see how the UK conducts its election on 4 June. The delegation would then inspect the central vote-counting office in Wiesbaden, Germany. The MAPs would watch the final result with MEPs in Brussels on 7 June.

An interesting and potentially highly entertaining idea. At least no-one can accuse the African Union of supplanting existing parliamentary democracies (with the exception of South Africa itself and one or two other countries, like Ghana).

There is, we are told a double aim:

The main goal of the project is to learn lessons ahead of a potential pan-African election some time in the future. But the mission would also produce a final report on EU democratic standards.

Excellent. Can't wait for that report from Zimbabwean or Nigerian or Sudanese politicians.

Just one question: who is paying for all this? (As if I didn't know.)

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