You're reading: Crimea sends official invitation to OSCE to monitor referendum

Simferopol - The Autonomous Republic of Crimea's legislature has officially invited observers of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe to come to Crimea to monitor the March 16 referendum. 

“An invitation has been handed to Switzerland, the country that holds the rotating presidency of the OSCE, for representatives of the member-countries and of the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights to monitor voting at the March 16 referendum in Crimea,” sources in the Crimean parliament told Interfax.

The Crimean authorities said they would give the election monitors broad access to the polling stations and create the necessary conditions for their work.

Crimea’s referendum will be held on March 16. Voters will answer two questions: “Do you favor Crimea’s re-unification with Russia as Russia’s constituent entity?” “Do you favor restoration of the application of the 1992 Constitution of the Republic of Crimea and Crimea’s status as part of Ukraine?”

Ukraine’s new leadership and the West said the referendum is illegitimate.