The European Union observation team said in its final report that the South Sudan referendum held last January was credible, free and fair.
Veronique De Keyser, who headed the EU observers, presented to the press today in Juba the final report on the Southern Sudan referendum.She noted that there was a major improvement in the referendum compared to the April 2010 elections.
The chief observer added that the referendum was credible and its results reflected a clear desire for independence.
Ms. Keyser mentioned that the report also indicates that SPLM supporters intimidated voters by forcing people to register for referendum.
She also added that observers noted that political debates were not successful and political pluralism was not tolerated.
Ms. Keyser concluded that the report indicated that the referendum staff was not enough to handle the huge turnout.