You're reading: OSCE/ODIHR officially opens election observation mission for presidential election in Ukraine

The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) has officially opened its election observation mission for the January 17, 2010 presidential election in Ukraine, the OSCE mission's head and Swiss diplomat, Heidi Tagliavini, said at a press conference in Kyiv on Nov. 26.

She said that the main headquarters of the mission will work in Kyiv and include 16 experts. She added that 60 observers would be deployed across the country.

Tagliavini said that the 60 observers representing 24 member states of the OSCE are to arrive in Ukraine by the end of this week.

She also said that the ODIHR had requested 600 short-term observers to monitor election day proceedings.

Tagliavini said that the mission would analyze the use of the legal base and the activity of election commissions.

"We’ll monitor the course of the campaign, the observance of electoral laws, and any problems that may arise," she said.

On election day, observers will monitor the opening of polling stations, voting, the counting of ballots, and the tabulation of results at all levels. For election day, the OSCE/ODIHR election observation mission will join efforts with the delegations of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and other parliamentary partners.

Tagliavini said that the OSCE mission is planning to issue three intermediate reports before the election and a final report eight weeks after the election.