OSCE Centre organizes study visits for Turkmenistan's election officials

ASHGABAT, 17 August 2010 -A series of study visits organized by the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat for two high-level members of Turkmenistan's Central Election Commission concluded today in Ljubljana, Slovenia.

The delegation met with the electoral commissions of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (28 and 29 July), Poland (10 to 14 August), and Slovenia (14 to 17 August) and discussed best practices and modern methods for organizing the elections.

During the visits, the CEC members had meetings with the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Interior and Justice, as well as with the Broadcasting Councils and Supreme Courts. In addition, the delegation met with officials from the Warsaw-based OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights and visited model polling stations.

"These study trips have provided a fruitful opportunity to discuss experiences with the election process in three different countries ahead of the upcoming elections for regional councils in Turkmenistan," said Ambassador Arsim Zekolli, the Head of OSCE Centre in Ashgabat.

"We hope that the study visits will positively influence the organization of the election process in Turkmenistan and boost multilateral ties between Turkmenistan and other OSCE participating states."