ODIHR, European Parliament pledge to co-operate closely during observation of Ukraine's presidential vote

KYIV, 22 December 2009 - Ambassador Heidi Tagliavini, the head of the election observation mission of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), and Jerzy Buzek, the President of the European Parliament, today stressed their commitment to closely co-operate during the observation of Ukraine's presidential election.

"We agreed that we will work together in partnership, also with other parliamentary partners, in order to provide an honest and impartial assessment of this election," said Tagliavini.

Tagliavini informed Buzek about the initial findings of the ODIHR election observation mission which has been operating in Ukraine since late November.

ODIHR has deployed 77 election experts and long-term observers, based in the capital and throughout the entire country. In addition, ODIHR has requested from the OSCE participating States 600 short-term observers for election day.

In line with established practice, ODIHR plans to join forces with the delegation of the European Parliament and other parliamentary partners, including the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, with the aim of developing a joint assessment of the election process.