New Zealand Ambassador expresses admiration for elections

New Zealand Ambassador to the Philippines Andrew Matheson today expressed admiration for the smooth and relatively peaceful elections that were held on Monday 10 May.

"New Zealand Embassy staff observed the elections in different parts of the country, and we are extremely pleased to see that the new automated election system appears to have succeeded beyond the expectations of many.

"Thousands of Filipinos, many volunteers, worked to ensure that the election went ahead smoothly, and that the levels of violence were much reduced from previous elections.  They have done their country a great service", Ambassador Matheson added.

"This achievement is a remarkable one, and one that we trust will be built on in future elections.  There are still lessons to be learnt and improvements to be made, but this first step has been significant".

"The New Zealand Embassy looks forward to working with the new Philippine administration from 30 June, and to continuing the mutual friendly relationship between our countries" he said.