The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR) formally launched on Thursday a mission to observe the Ukrainian presidential election of May 25, 2014.
“The mission will assess the entire election process for compliance with OSCE commitments and other international standards for democratic elections, as well as with national legislation. Observers will monitor the legislative framework and its implementation, the work of the election administration and relevant government bodies, campaign activities, media coverage and the resolution of election disputes,” mission head Tana de Zulueta told a press conference in Kyiv on Thursday.
“The mission consists of 18 experts based in Kyiv and 100 long-term observers to be deployed across the country,” she said, adding that “ODIHR will request 900 short-term observers to monitor election day proceedings.”
“On election day, observers will monitor the opening of polling stations, voting, the counting of ballots and the tabulation of results at all levels. The day after the election, the mission will issue a statement of preliminary findings and conclusions. A final report on the observation of the entire electoral process will be issued approximately two months after the end of the electoral process,” she said.
