OSCE PA to deploy first-ever election observation mission to Mongolia

COPENHAGEN, 21 June 2017 – Some 25 OSCE parliamentarians from 15 countries will observe the 26 June presidential election in Mongolia and provide leadership for the OSCE’s short-term observer mission. The election observation mission to Mongolia marks the first time for the OSCE PA observing an election in the country.

Guglielmo Picchi (MP, Italy) was appointed by the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office as Special Co-ordinator to lead the short-term OSCE observer mission, and will deliver the preliminary post-election statement at a press conference in Ulaanbaatar on 27 June.

“Since joining the OSCE in 2012, Mongolia has been an active and engaged member of the OSCE family, even hosting the Autumn Meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly in 2015. I look forward to observing first-hand the state of democratic progress in the country,” said Picchi.

The OSCE PA’s observation mission is headed by Georgios Varemenos (MP, Greece). Varemenos is the head of OSCE PA’s Greek Delegation, and has participated in numerous election observation missions with the OSCE PA.

Special Co-ordinator Picchi serves as Vice-Chair of the General Committee on Political Affairs and Security of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and as Vice-Chair of the PA's Ad Hoc Committee on Migration. He served as Head of the OSCE PA’s election observation mission to the Georgian parliamentary elections in 2016.

The OSCE PA observation mission to the Mongolian presidential election works closely with observers from the OSCE/ODIHR headed by Ambassador Geert-Hinrich Ahrens and parliamentary observers from the European Parliament led by Laima Andrikiene.

The elections will be assessed based on their compliance with criteria for democratic elections laid out in the 1990 OSCE Copenhagen Document.