Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

This is something that the EU has been following and continues to follow. It is not something that has got much media coverage in Ireland. Unfortunately, it is a part of the world that does not get the spotlight often enough. However, the EU will closely monitor how these elections are run and maintain a focus on its restrictive measures or targeted sanctions to try to be as persuasive as possible. There will be a request from the international community for full access for election observers. Whether that access is granted remains to be seen, but I would have my doubts.

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