OSCE PA, ODIHR to lead observation of presidential elections in Georgia

COPENHAGEN, 17 December 2003 - The incoming OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Bulgarian Foreign Minister Solomon Passy, has appointed OSCE PA President Bruce George as his Special Co-ordinator to lead the Short Term OSCE Observation Mission for the 4 January 2004 presidential elections in Georgia.

The OSCE Election Observation Mission is a joint effort between the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the Parliamentary Assembly (PA) of the OSCE. The ODIHR deploys long term observers in the field several weeks before election day, as well as short-term observers seconded by OSCE participating States and provides the framework for the deployment of the short term parliamentary observers. The PA also works in close co-operation with the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly and the European Parliament.

PA President George has appointed Senator Jerry Grafstein, Treasurer of the Assembly, as deputy Head of the OSCE PA Observer Team, which also includes the PA Vice Presidents Giovanni Kessler (Italy) and Barbara Hearing (Switzerland), as well as nearly twenty parliamentarians from Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Turkey and the United Kingdom.

On 5 January PA President George will deliver the preliminary post-election statement in conjunction with other officials from the Council of Europe PA, the European Parliament and the ODIHR.

The OSCE Observation Mission will assess the conduct of the elections, the political campaign and the role of the media.