NDI to field high-level international observation mission for Ukrainian presidential election
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 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,” said William Taylor, former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine and executive vice president of the United States Institute of Peace (USIP). “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.”
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 has organized international observation missions or assessments in more than 65 countries for more than 135 elections, earning a reputation for impartiality and professionalism. The NDI observer mission will conduct its activities in a nonpartisan, professional manner, in accordance with Ukrainian law and the Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation. NDI also will remain in close contact with Ukrainian monitoring groups and other international observer delegations throughout the electoral period. The work of this mission is made possible with the support of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
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NDI is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization working to support and strengthen democratic institutions worldwide through citizen participation, openness and accountability in government. For more information about NDI and its programs, please visit www.ndi.org.
For more information, contact:
Mariam Halstian | mhalstian@ndi.org | +380 63 723 56 25
