OSCE Centre supports workshop on election coverage for Kyrgyz journalists

BISHKEK, 10 July 2009 - A workshop for journalists on covering presidential elections was held today with the support of the OSCE Centre in Bishkek.

The half-day event for 15 journalists and editors was organized jointly by the OSCE Centre in Bishkek and the International Foundation for Electoral Systems and with the participation of the Kyrgyz Central Election Commission (CEC) ahead of the 23 July presidential election.

Kyrgyz experts on media and elections led sessions on how to effectively cover election-related issues during and after a presidential election. A new handbook for journalists on election coverage was presented at the workshop. It covers topics such as the basics of the electoral system, stages of the election, the role of the media in elections and rights and responsibilities of journalists. The OSCE Centre and the International Foundation for Electoral Systems co-published the handbook, which is available in Kyrgyz and Russian.

"The handbook and the workshop will help media cover the election well," said Oleg Semenenko, Senior Human Officer at the Centre. "Such coverage will help Kyrgyzstan as it strives to fulfil OSCE and international election commitments."

Bakytbek Jumagulov, who heads the Information and Analytical Department of the Kyrgyz Central Election Commission, added: "The CEC considers the media an important channel to inform the public and to ensure transparency and openness of elections. The CEC has accredited 136 Kyrgyz mass media to cover the campaign. This workshop, along with other training sessions held by the CEC, contributes to impartial and reliable media coverage of the election, in compliance with the law."

The handbook will available soon on the OSCE Centre's website: www.osce.org/bishkek.