OSCE Chairman hopes second round of Ukrainian presidential election will be free and fair
(OSCE/Urdur Gunnarsdottir)OSCE/ODIHR media monitors assessed the amount and tone of media coverage prior to the second round of the presidential election in Ukraine on 21 November. (OSCE/Urdur Gunnarsdottir) Photo details
SOFIA, 19 November 2004 - The OSCE's Chairman-in-Office, Bulgarian Foreign Minister Solomon Passy, said he hoped the second round of Ukraine's presidential election on Sunday would be free and fair.
"These elections will be very important for the future democratic development of the country and will be followed with great interest by all OSCE participating States," he said. "I encourage the people of Ukraine to make full use of their democratic right to vote."
The election will be monitored by an International Election Observation Mission, which is a joint undertaking of the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, the Parliamentary Assemblies of the Council of Europe and NATO, and the European Parliament.
The mission includes 45 long-term observers, deployed throughout Ukraine since 14 September, and some 600 short-term observers who will monitor activities on election day.
"These elections will be very important for the future democratic development of the country and will be followed with great interest by all OSCE participating States," he said. "I encourage the people of Ukraine to make full use of their democratic right to vote."
The election will be monitored by an International Election Observation Mission, which is a joint undertaking of the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, the Parliamentary Assemblies of the Council of Europe and NATO, and the European Parliament.
The mission includes 45 long-term observers, deployed throughout Ukraine since 14 September, and some 600 short-term observers who will monitor activities on election day.