Interfax-Ukraine
11:23 28.03.2019

More than 30 high-ranking NDI representatives from nine countries to monitor Ukraine's presidential elections

3 min read
More than 30 high-ranking NDI representatives from nine countries to monitor Ukraine's presidential elections

The U.S.-based nonprofit National Democratic Institute has announced the arrival of a high-ranking international delegation of 32 persons representing nine countries that will observe Ukraine's first round of presidential elections on March 31. The delegation on April 1 will present their preliminary conclusions at a press conference, a NDI press release said on Thursday.

"The delegation includes political leaders, diplomats, former elected and government officials, and regional and electoral experts, including: William Taylor, former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine and executive vice president of the United States Institute of Peace (USIP); Dame Audrey Glover, chairman of the Foreign Policy Centre and former director of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe's Office of Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR); Birgitta Ohlsson, former Swedish minister of EU affairs; Laura Jewett, NDI's regional director for Eurasia; and Mary O'Hagan, global associate and NDI senior resident director in Ukraine," the press release says.

The delegation will build on the work of NDI's pre-election assessment mission conducted in November, as well as the findings of long-term analysts who have been in Ukraine since January.

"This presidential election is occurring at another critical moment for Ukraine. We see that Ukrainian citizens remain committed to a democratic and European future. A peaceful, orderly electoral process that inspires public confidence will bring the country closer to those aspirations. It will thus be important for all of us – the international community and Ukrainians – to contribute to the integrity of the election," ex-U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine and executive vice president of the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) William Taylor was quoted in the press release as saying.

The delegation's purpose is to demonstrate the international community's continuing support for democratic processes in Ukraine and to provide an objective assessment of the election process and the political environment surrounding it. Members of the delegation will meet with party and campaign representatives, government and election officials, as well as representatives of civil society, the media and the international community in Kyiv and 13 regions of the country. On election day, the NDI observers will visit polling stations for the opening, voting, closing and counting processes in their assigned regions.

Their findings will inform a preliminary statement, which will be released at a press conference scheduled for April 1.

NDI is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, which works to strengthen democratic institutions worldwide by engaging civil society, ensuring the openness and accountability of authorities. NDI has organized international election observation missions or evaluated them in more than 65 countries at more than 135 elections.

NDI also will support contacts with Ukrainian national monitoring groups and other international delegations observing the election process. The work of the mission is made possible with support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

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