OSCE to assess parliamentary poll in Belgium

WARSAW/BRUSSELS, 5 June 2007 - The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, OSCE/ODIHR, has sent an election assessment mission to Belgium for the June 10 parliamentary elections, following an invitation from the Belgian authorities.

The mission, led by Ambassador Lubomir Kopaj from Slovakia, includes experts from 11 different OSCE countries.

"In the last few years, the ODIHR has had an opportunity to observe elections in a broader range of countries than before, including recent election assessment missions to the Netherlands, France and Ireland. We are very pleased to be invited to assess the election process in Belgium," Ambassador Kopaj said.

The mission will assess and report on the overall framework for elections in Belgium with regard to OSCE commitments for holding democratic elections. The experts will meet with government authorities, candidates, the judiciary, political parties, civil society and the media. The use of electronic voting systems used in Belgium will be among the issues of interest.

The OSCE/ODIHR does not intend to carry out a systematic or comprehensive observation of the voting, counting and tabulation on election day, but the experts plan to visit several polling stations across the country to follow procedures.

The OSCE/ODIHR will issue a final report approximately two months after the completion of the election process.