Press release issued by the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly
VIENNA, 2 November 2009 - The following is a press release issued by the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly today. The views expressed in this press release do not necessarily reflect those of the OSCE Chairmanship, nor of all OSCE participating States.
OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President visits Ukraine on election mission
COPENHAGEN, 2 November 2009 - The President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, Mr. Joao Soares, will visit Ukraine this week to continue preparations for the observation of the 2010 Presidential election.
President Soares, from Portugal, will personally lead the observation mission being deployed by the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, and has scheduled this visit to get an early impression of developments in the election campaign.
On 2 and 3 November, in Kyiv, the President will meet with representatives of political parties and candidates, the Central Election Commission, local and international experts, and representatives of civil society.
Mr. Soares, who has extensive experience monitoring elections in the OSCE area, will return to Ukraine in January to lead the delegation of OSCE parliamentarians that will be deployed across the country. The OSCE PA observation mission will work closely with other observers, including from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights and other parliamentary bodies.
Since 1993, the OSCE PA has deployed more than 3,000 parliamentarians to observe elections across the OSCE region.