OSCE parliamentary leader appointed head of Slovakian election observer mission

COPENHAGEN, 6 August, 1998 - The OSCE Chairman-in-Office has appointed Ms. Helle Degn (MP-Denmark) as his Special Representative to lead the OSCE observers for the Parliamentary Elections in Slovakia scheduled for 25-26 September 1998. Ms. Degn, President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Danish Parliament, will coordinate the short-term observers and issue the preliminary post-election statement for the OSCE Election Observation Mission.

The OSCE Election Observation Mission is a joint effort between the Parliamentary Assembly of the OSCE (OSCE PA) and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and includes long- and short-term observers from OSCE participating States.

The OSCE Observation Mission will assess the conduct of the elections, the political campaign and the role of the media. Long-term observers will be deployed across the country several weeks prior to the elections. Approximately 100 short-term observers are expected to be deployed by the OSCE Election Observation Mission in the period just prior to the elections.

For further information, please contact Mr. Jan Jooren, Press Officer for the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, at telephone +45 3332 9400.