This article is from page 4 of the 2006-02-14 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 4 JPG
HAVING returned from overseeing the democratic process in one of the most volatile areas on the planet last week, Theresa Kearney was relaxed and looking forward to her next venture abroad as part of the EU Election Observers Mission.
The Crusheen woman, now living in Ennis, is a seasoned election supervisor, having previously overseen elections in Bosnia Herzegovina and the Palestinian presidential elections last year.
With over a decade of experience behind her, the HSE worker spent part of her annual leave last month witnessing one of the most surprising election results in recent times, coming to fruition.
Based in Ramallah, she visited 18 stations across the state on the historic Election Day.
“At most of the polling stations I visited, both the day of the election and the day previous, it was like being at a St Patrick’s Day Parade. I mean, there was a sea of green everywhere and you got the sense that the election was going to go in a particular way. There was certainly evidence of Hamas support in every village that we visited,” she told The Clare People .
But Theresa hadn’t time for considering the outcome. Her 23-hour election workday began at 5am, when she met her driver and interpreter to organise the route they were going to take across a country with no signposts and highways secured only for Israeli travel.
Arriving at the polling stations half an hour before opening, the observer’s mission began.
“We can’t intervene in the process, but report back,” she said.
She observed the count and tidied up before travelling back with the ballot boxes to the intake centre.
Asked if she feared for her life working in such a volatile area she said, “Not really because you have a job to do and you are engrossed in the task at hand.”
Like all volunteers, she took precautions.
“You don’t assume that because you are wearing an EU badge that are going to be safe,” she said.
Ms Kearney was recruited through the Department of Foreign Affairs.
The department then recommended her to the EU, for a the final decision.
Her previous experience working with Concern for two years made Ms Kearney an ideal candidate.
Theresa had to be evacuated ten days after travelling in Somalia in the mid 1990s. She survived that trauma, and was brought to Uganda to continue her aid work there.